Marketing Automations

What is it?

Tekmetric Marketing Automations help your shop stay connected with customers — without adding more to your plate. Whether you’re reminding someone about previously declined services, following up with a customer you haven’t seen in a while, or reminding them of time-sensitive jobs like an oil change or inspection, these automated messages help drive repeat business and keep your bays full. Set them up once, and Tekmetric handles the rest — sending timely, personalized texts that feel like they came straight from your front desk.

Below you’ll find detailed information about each automation available.

Marketing vs. Transactional: Marketing automations only send to customers who've opted into marketing and respect your frequency limits. Transactional automations listed above (Review Requests, and Recent Service Follow-ups) send to all customers who have Market to Customer enabled, and are not subject to frequency limits.

How to Set Up an Automation

Setting up an automation is easy. From your Tekmetric Marketing dashboard:

1. Navigate to the Marketing > Automations tab.
2. Click the +New Automation button.
3. Select the type of automation you want to create from the list.
4. In the setup screen, you can:
   • Give your automation a custom name.
   • Choose the timing delay (e.g., send 30 days after a visit).
   • Choose whether to include or exclude Business customers.
   • Enable or disable the message for Email and/or SMS Text.
   • Customize the message content.
5. Click Save Automation, and you're all set!

Some automations include additional choices and setup selections. Read below for more details on each of the available automation types. 

Declined Service Reminder

What is it?

The Declined Service Reminder helps you increase revenue by automatically sending customized follow-up messages to customers who declined recommended services during a past visit. 

Why is it important?

Many customers decline services due to time, budget, or urgency — but may be open to returning when reminded. This feature allows you to:

• Increase conversion of declined jobs: Recover lost revenue from previously declined services
• Improve customer satisfaction: Boost customer retention and repeat visits by being there for your customers.
• Less busy work for you and your shop: Automate follow-up without manual outreach
• Be authentic, reach out in your own way: Customize timing, message content, and audience

Once you’ve set everything the way you want and have enabled the automation, click ‘Save Automation’ and you’re set!

Declined Service Reminder FAQ

Q: Who will receive these messages?

A: Customers who have declined services on a past repair order that you have marked as 'marketable' (meaning it's a service you want to remind customers about).

Q: Are the messages specific to an individual declined service?

A: No. As long as a customer has any marketable declined services, the automation will trigger for them.

Q: What’s the minimum delay time?

A: You can choose as little as 1 day. The default is 6 months.

Canned Job Reminder

What is it?

Canned Job Reminders are automatic email and text messages that your shop can send to customers after a specific service. Think of jobs that happen on a regular schedule, like oil changes, state inspections, or tire rotations. Be the expert for your customer's vehicle by recommending services precisely when they need it, based on your best practices.

This feature lets you create up to five different automated reminder campaigns based on the Canned Jobs and Smart Jobs you already have set up in your system. When you complete a repair order that contains one of these jobs, the system will automatically schedule a follow-up reminder to be sent to that customer after a time delay you choose.

Why is it important?

Canned Job Reminders help you in several key ways:

• Increase Repeat Business: Automatically stay in touch with your customers with targeted messaging to encourage them to return for their next service.
• Save Time and Effort: No more combing through old repair orders or setting manual calendar reminders to follow up with customers.
• Build Customer Trust: The system is smart. It automatically cancels a scheduled reminder if a customer comes in for the service ahead of time, so you don't have to worry about sending unnecessary messages.

Tips and Tricks

Set up your Canned Job Reminders based on common use cases and get started today!

• Oil Change: 6 months or as appropriate for your oil type/customers. Customize this for different types of oil (traditional vs. synthetic) or other use cases
• Tire Rotation: 12 months (or every other oil change)
• State/Annual Inspection: 10–11 months
• Cabin/Air Filter: 6–12 months based on driving conditions
• Brake Inspection: 6 months

Adjust timing over time to match your customers’ driving habits and your shop’s follow-up strategy.

Canned Job Reminder FAQ

Q: Can I include multiple jobs in one automation?

A: Yes. Pick one or many Canned Jobs and/or Smart Jobs in a single automation to cover related services.

Lost Customer Follow-Up

What is it?

The Lost Customer Follow-Up is a marketing automation designed to help you re-engage customers who have not visited recently. By automatically reaching out to these customers via email or text, you can encourage repeat business and maintain strong customer relationships. 

Why is it important?

A “lost customer” is defined as a customer if the time since their last closed repair order (RO) is greater than than the configured delay period. With this automation you can:

• Never lose a customer again: Remind customers you’re still here for them.
• Keep your calendar filled: Fill your schedule with people who already know and trust your shop.
• Hands off automation: Set it up once and let it run in the background—no extra work needed. 

Lost Customer Follow-up FAQ

Q: What qualifies a customer as “lost”?

A: A customer is considered “lost” if the time since their last posted repair order (RO) exceeds the configured delay (default: 12 months).

Recent Service Follow-Up

What is it?

Recent Service Follow-Ups are automated messages sent to your customers a few days after their visit. It's a simple, friendly way to check in, make sure their vehicle is running well, and let them know you appreciate their business.

Note on who receives these: Recent Service Follow-Ups are treated as transactional messages. They'll send to a customer even if that customer hasn't opted into marketing — but they always respect the Market to Customer setting on the customer's profile. If Market to Customer is turned off for a customer, they won't receive a Recent Service Follow-Up.

Why is it important?

Following up after a service is a huge opportunity to build customer loyalty, but we know it's hard to find the time. This feature solves that problem directly.

• Enhance Customer Service: Show your customers you care about their experience even after they've left the shop.
• Catch Problems Early: A follow-up gives you the chance to find out if something isn't right with a repair, preventing potential negative reviews or customer complaints.
• Save Time: Automating this process eliminates the manual work of tracking and contacting recent customers, freeing you up for other tasks.
• Build Trust: Thoughtful communication shows you stand by your work and value your customers' satisfaction.

Recent Service Follow-Up FAQ

Q: What timing restrictions are placed on Recent Service Follow-Ups:

A: Hours: 1-24, Days: 1-14, Weeks: 1-3. 

Review Request

What is it?

Review Requests are automated messages sent to your customers a few days after their visit, allowing you to gather feedback and increase your Google review count. These quick messages help to fuel your customer relationships while at the same time letting your satisfied customers share their stories. 

Your customer will receive a message asking them to provide feedback to your shop. They will be able to choose between sending a review straight to Google, or providing private feedback that only your shop will be able to see. Private feedback will be shown on the Private Feedback tab of Tekmetric Marketing.

Note on who receives these: Recent Service Follow-Ups are treated as transactional messages. They'll send to a customer even if that customer hasn't opted into marketing — but they always respect the Market to Customer setting on the customer's profile. If Market to Customer is turned off for a customer, they won't receive a Recent Service Follow-Up.

Why is it important?

Following up after a successful customer interaction with a review request is an opportunity to continue to build customer loyalty, drive your Google review count, and help new customers find you more easily.

• Boost Your Search Ranking: More frequent and positive reviews improve your ranking on Google Search and Maps, making it significantly easier for new customers to discover your shop.
• Build Trust with Social Proof: A steady stream of reviews acts as a powerful endorsement, showing potential customers that your shop is a reliable and popular choice in the community.
• Drive More Business: A high star rating and a large volume of reviews can be the deciding factor for customers choosing you over a competitor, directly leading to more calls and visits.
• Gather Valuable Feedback: Reviews offer direct insight into the customer experience, highlighting what you do best and revealing opportunities to improve your services.

Review Request FAQ

• Q: How can I prevent sending more than one review request to the same customer? 
• A: To ensure a customer only ever receives one review request from your shop, you can enable the "Limit to one request per customer" toggle within the automation's settings. Note that if this option is not toggled on, Tekmetric will send a new request for feedback after each posted RO.
• Q: What happens if a customer posts a new RO before filling out a Google review from their last request?
• A: The original review request link will be disabled, and only the new link will be active for the customer to use.
• Q: Can a customer submit multiple Google reviews?
• A: No. A customer can only submit 1 Google review. However they can edit or delete it if they choose.
• Q: Can a customer submit multiple Private Feedback messages?
• A: A customer can submit 1 Private Feedback message per posted RO.

General Automations FAQ

Managing Your Automations

Q: How do I turn an automation off or delete it? 

A: You can "Edit" any automation to disable a channel (Email or SMS). Disabling a channel cancels all pending messages for that channel. If you delete the automation entirely, it will cancel all pending messages and be permanently removed.

Q: If I turn an automation back on, will it send messages to past customers who now qualify? 

A: Yes. When you re-enable an automation, the system will look back and schedule messages for all eligible customers. The only exception is the Review Request automation, which only works for visits that occur after it's enabled.

Q: What happens if I try to create two automations with the exact same timing? 

A: You will see an error message that says, “There is already an automation of this type with the same timing values!” You must choose a different time delay for each automation of the same type.

Automation Limits

Q: How many of each type of automation can I run at once? 

A: You can run multiple automations to cover different scenarios. The limits for each type are:

• Lost Customer Follow-Ups: 3
• Recent Service Follow-Ups: 2
• Declined Service Reminders: 2
• Review Requests: 1 (This automation can be disabled but not deleted).
• Canned Job Reminders: N/A

Message Logic & Timing

Q: What happens if a customer comes back to the shop before a scheduled message is sent? 

A: To avoid sending unnecessary messages, it automatically cancels a scheduled reminder if the customer has a new closed repair order before the message goes out. For things like the Recent Service Follow-Up, the reminder will be rescheduled based on the new visit.

Q: Will a customer receive an automated message if they decline all jobs or post an RO with $0?

A: No. Any RO posted with an amount paid less than $1.00 will not be eligible for RO-based automations. 

Q: What are the character limits for messages? 

A: The limits are:

• SMS Text Message Body: 10–500 characters
• Email Subject Line: 10–100 characters
• Email Body: 10–4000 characters

Q: Are there any required fields or placeholders I have to use in the message? 

A: No, you don't have to use any specific placeholders. However, we highly recommend personalizing your messages with placeholders like [First Name] and [Shop Name] to make them more engaging and effective.

Q: If I turn on Lost Customer Automation for 12 months, will it send to everyone lost in that timeframe, or further back?

A: If the delay is set to 12 months, the system will only look back 12 months. It will schedule messages for all customers lost in that period and send them when their scheduled time comes. It will not pull customers lost beyond the set timeframe.

Q: If I turn on Declined Services reminders, will customers get messages for very old declined services?

A: No. Declined Services reminders are not based on the most recent RO alone, but only within the chosen delay period. For example, if you set the delay to 6 months, the system will look back 6 months for marketable declined services and schedule messages accordingly. When the RO date + delay is reached, the message will be sent.

Q: If I delete a declined job from the customer file, will it stop reminders for that job?

A: Yes. If a declined job is marked as “Trash” in the marketable tab, it is removed from all declined service automations. For example, if an RO has two declined jobs and one is marked as Trash, only the other job will trigger an automated reminder.

Q. How do I limit message frequency to avoid customer fatigue?

A.  To avoid annoying customers, we prioritize messages (transactional > campaign > automated) and enforce limits: 

• 1 Marketing SMS/day, 2 Marketing SMS/ 7 day rolling period, per phone number
• 2 Marketing Emails/30 day rolling period, per email
• Note that Appointment Confirmations, Appointment Reminders, and Review Request, and Recent Service Follow-Ups are considered Transactional messages and not considered in the above limits.

Performance and Cost

Q: Where can I see how my automations are performing? 

A: You can find performance metrics in the Marketing Dashboard under the Active Automations section. This will show you how many messages have been sent and how many are scheduled for the next 30 days.

Q: Does using Automations cost extra? 

A: Marketing Automations are included as part of the Tekmetric Marketing subscription. 

Q: What happens when a customer receives an automation but calls in or walks in instead of booking online?

A: Tekmetric will automatically surface and select the most recent and relevant RO Marketing Source — from automations sent within the last 14 days — when your team creates their appointment or new RO. This helps ensure your marketing efforts are accurately attributed in your performance reporting — with less manual work for your team.

When creating an appointment or RO, the Marketing Source dropdown will be organized into two sections:

• Custom — your shop's existing custom marketing sources
• Sent from Tekmetric Marketing — automations recently sent to this specific customer, with a Recommended label on the best match
  • Note that only automations that have been sent to this specific customer within the last 60 days will surface in this section. Your team can accept the pre-selected source, choose a different one, or clear it entirely.