BONUS AUDIO ONLY EPISODE: Lauren Langston & Jared Haleck | The Auto Repair Industry Earned Its Bad Reputation

Keep shop management, payments, marketing (all the things) all in one place with Tekmetric. It will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Click HEREASTA is coming up September 24-26 in Raleigh. Be there or be square, dog! Register now and use code confess25 for $25.00 off your registration. Sign up HERETurnkey Marketing has made my life SOOO much simpler, AND they've helped keep the phone ringing. Do you need these two things too? Learn more HERETired of your shop’s social media looking like every other repair shop on the internet? Stand out with 47 Consulting. Learn more HEREWhen I used the maintenance tool for the fist time with Detect Auto, my mind was blown. My advisors had the same reaction - and then SO MUCH MORE TIME. Learn more about Detect Auto and book a free demo now!Elite Worldwide's Ignite 2027 is coming up in February and NOW is the time to sign up. It's happening in Vegas February 4-6 and it will be the best 3 days of your shops year when you attend. Learn now HERE In this bonus audio-only episode, Mike Allen sits down at Tektonic 2026 with Tekmetric President Lauren Langston and Chief Product Officer Jared Haleck for a conversation that starts spicy and quickly heads into the future of automotive repair. They discuss whether industry coaches can remain relevant after years away from shop ownership, why repair shops have earned some of the public’s mistrust, and what real-world data says about the massive impact of consistent DVIs. Mike also gets an inside look at SmartDVI, automated estimating, integrated phone systems, AI call assistants, and other technology that could dramatically change how service advisors and technicians work.Timestamps00:00 The Coaching Question That Made the Panel Spicy 01:01 Can Coaches Stay Relevant After 10 Years Away From Shop Ownership? 03:23 Why Tektonic Stands Out From Other Industry Events 04:26 Tekmetric Digital Ads & Why Google Maps Matters 08:08 The DVI Numbers That Should Shock Shop Owners 09:00 Longer DVIs = Nearly $200 More ARO? 09:32 SmartDVI: Using AI to Build Better Inspections Faster 13:48 Can AI Understand Your Technician’s Accent? 15:27 Building New Features vs. Fixing What Customers Already Use 19:15 We’re 20 Minutes In…Maybe We Should Introduce the Guests 22:41 Every Shop Owner Thinks They’ve Built the Next Great AI Tool 24:35 What Happens When Software Companies Build Your Integration’s Feature? 27:06 SmartDVI, Meta Glasses & Hands-Free Inspections 30:24 How Close Are We to Fully Automated Estimates? 34:17 Let Service Advisors Build Relationships—Not Estimates 35:53 Personalized Service Plans & Eliminating Customer Surprises 37:21 Has Auto Repair Earned Its Bad Reputation? 41:24 Does Showing Future Repair Pricing Encourage Price Shopping? 46:06 Tekmetric Phones & the Next Big Integration 49:12 AI Call Assistants Listening in Real Time 53:11 Mike Announces Tekmetric’s Entire Future Roadmap…Without Permission