Tekmetric and Shopmonkey phone workflow: from ringing phone to repair order
Shop management software like Tekmetric and Shopmonkey is great once a job is in the system. The weak link is often before that: the phone call that should turn into an appointment and an RO. This guide lays out a simple phone workflow that fits either platform, and which parts you can hand off.
BayAnswer is independent and not affiliated with Tekmetric or Shopmonkey. Feature names change, so check each vendor's current help center for exact menus.
The goal
Every call that could become work should end up as one of these in your shop software within the same day:
- A customer + vehicle record
- An appointment
- An estimate or RO, or
- A follow-up task with a reason it didn't book
Calls that live only on a sticky note are the ones that disappear.
Stage 1: Capture
Whoever answers (service writer, owner, answering service or AI receptionist) needs to collect the same fields every time:
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Caller name | Customer record |
| Mobile number | Look-up key, texting |
| Year / make / model | Vehicle record, parts look-up |
| Symptom in their words | Tech's starting point |
| Driveable? | Tow vs appointment |
| Preferred time | Booking |
| New or returning | Prioritizing call-backs |
Put this on a printed call card if the counter is busy. If you use an AI receptionist, make sure its summary includes all seven.
Stage 2: Look-up
Search the phone number in your shop software first.
- Returning customer: open their record, check vehicle history and any declined work. Mentioning declined work ("we noted your rear brakes were getting low last visit") is helpful service, not pushy.
- New customer: create the customer and vehicle. Both Tekmetric and Shopmonkey support VIN or plate-based vehicle entry in many setups; use it when the customer has the info.
Stage 3: Book
- Put the appointment on the calendar inside the shop software, not a paper book, so the whole team sees it.
- Add the symptom to the appointment notes in the customer's words.
- If you send appointment confirmations by text or email from the software, turn that on. It cuts no-shows.
Stage 4: Create the RO or estimate at drop-off
At check-in, convert the appointment into an RO (each platform has its own flow for this). Attach the original symptom from the call so the tech sees what the customer said, not a paraphrase.
Stage 5: Follow up on calls that didn't book
Make a simple rule: every new-customer call that didn't book gets one follow-up within 24 hours, by text or phone. Log it in the customer's notes. Many shops find a surprising share of "I'll think about it" callers book on the follow-up.
Where calls fall through (and fixes)
- The phone rings while the writer is building an estimate. Fix: no-answer forwarding after 4 to 5 rings to a backup (answering service or AI) that captures the seven fields.
- After-hours voicemails nobody types in. Fix: route after-hours calls to something that sends a written summary, then enter them at 7:45 a.m.
- Status calls eat the writer's time. Fix: send status updates by text from the shop software proactively, so fewer people need to call.
- No source tracking. Fix: add a "lead source" note ("phone, after hours," "phone, overflow") so you can see which calls became ROs.
What you can automate today
Inside the shop software (check your plan): appointment confirmations and reminders, status texts, digital inspection links, review requests after payment.
At the phone level: overflow and after-hours answering, missed-call text-back, and a written call summary with the fields above.
Connecting the two: both platforms offer APIs in some form. Shopmonkey documents API keys and webhooks for third-party integrations. Tekmetric offers API access by application. That's what makes direct sync from a phone tool possible. Until a direct integration is live for your shop, a text or email summary that your writer copies into the RO takes about a minute per call.
A sample day with this workflow
- 7:45 Writer reviews overnight call summaries (three new leads, one tow-in).
- 8:00 Creates customers/vehicles for the three leads, books two, schedules a follow-up text for the third.
- 8:15 Tow-in is on the lot; RO created with the symptom from the call.
- 11:30 Phone rings during a counter conversation; overflow catches it and texts a summary; writer books it at 11:45.
- 5:55 Phones switch to after-hours forwarding.
One-week rollout
Day 1: print the call card. Day 2: set up forwarding for overflow and after hours. Day 3: add a "lead source" note convention in your shop software. Days 4 to 7: run the morning call-back routine and count how many phone leads become ROs. At the end of the week you'll know exactly where calls were leaking.
FAQ
Do I need an integration to use this workflow? No. The workflow works with a text summary and two minutes of data entry. Integrations just remove the copy and paste.
Which fields matter most if the caller is in a hurry? Name, mobile number and vehicle. Everything else can be gathered on the call-back.
Who should own the morning call-back list? One named person. Shared ownership usually means nobody does it.
How do I know it's working? Compare new-customer ROs with a phone lead source before and after for four weeks.
How BayAnswer fits
BayAnswer answers overflow and after-hours calls for independent shops, collects the seven fields above and texts your writer a summary right after the call. On Pro it can book appointments to your calendar. We're working toward direct shop-software connections; we'll only list an integration on our site once it's live.
Hear a sample call at (813) 640-4715, or start a 14-day free trial at bayanswer.com.
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