Providing a realistic and accurate estimate helps build trust between you and the customer. It shows that you have a solid understanding of the work involved and are committed to transparency. In order to provide a realistic and accurate estimate, you will need to be able to quote parts needed for the job(s) you recommend. In this article, we'll go through best practices in Tekmetric when shopping for parts.
Connecting to Part Suppliers
As we all know, time is money, and the quicker you are with quoting, the better. Rather than calling your vendors and getting quotes, we highly recommend to set up and connect your parts integrations. If you haven't done so, please set up at least one part integrator. You can connect any of the listed suppliers. In this article, we will be using PartsTech as the example.
Quoting Parts on a Normal Job
We recommend building a normal job or using a canned job for more complex services, like transmission work, engine rebuilds, radiator hose, etc. When building a job on the estimate, you can add parts onto the job by clicking Add Part, then in the menu select your supplier.
In the drop down menu, in this example we are going to select Add part from PartsTech. This will launch a separate window into the PartsTech website. Here you can search for the part(s) you're needing on the job. Add the parts you're wanting to add to the job, to your PartsTech cart. Once you're done shopping, you will select Submit Quote.
Note: we recommend quoting and not ordering until your customer approves the service.
Close out the tab, then click Continue in Tekmetric. This will then add the quoted parts onto the job. Once you're done building the job, save the job.
I accidentally clicked the wrong part and need to re-quote. How do I do that?
If you accidentally quoted the wrong part, or want to shop another supplier, then you will need to edit the job, delete the existing part line, re-select Add Parts, and repeat this process of punching out to PartsTech, or any other supplier.
Quoting Parts on a Smart Job
In Tekmetric, we provide a set of jobs known as smart jobs. These are designed for you to use in order to quicken the quoting process, reducing job building from 10-14 clicks, down to 3-5, saving your team time. They are similar to any normal job, except instead of manually punching out to PartsTech, searching and quoting parts, navigating back into Tekmetric, etc., we automatically pull the labor times into the job, and allow you to shop PartsTech from within the job. We recommend using smart jobs for quick maintenance items, such as a cabin air filter, engine oil & filter, spark plugs, brake jobs, etc.
In the example below, we are going to show a Cabin Air Filter smart job.
You'll notice, instead of punching out into PartsTech's website, we pull your suppliers into the job table, where you can seamlessly shop for the Cabin Air Filter.
Once you select which part you want to add to the job, you will click on the + icon on the part card. Then we will automatically create a quote from PartsTech and update the status of the part (see screenshot below).
I accidentally clicked the wrong part and need to re-quote. How do I do that?
No worries, as long as the part isn't ordered yet, you can click the arrow next to the part name to call back PartsTech within the job, and select a new part.
Please note, smart jobs are only compatible with PartsTech at this time.
Ordering Parts that are Quoted
Once your customer approves the job you quoted the parts for, you will navigate to your Parts Hub in the repair order, then the Quoted section, review your quoted parts then just select Submit Order on the top left. We will automatically submit the Order to PartsTech, Nexpart, etc. on your behalf.
In general, we recommend you use smart jobs for quick scheduled maintenance jobs, and build out a normal job for bigger repairs. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact our support team!