143 - Unlocking Shop Efficiency and Profitability with Cutting-Edge Technology

September 10th, 2025 - 00:53:42

 

Show Summary:

Jimmy Lea leads a conversation on shop profitability and technology with Monique Mondragon-Tafoya from Shop-Ware and Brandon Ballou, service advisor at Trustworthy Auto. They unpack how a modern shop management system, a well-tuned CRM, and tools like Detect Auto streamline estimating, protect margins, and elevate customer trust. Brandon details workflow habits, from DVIs to clear prioritization, that keep the team productive while guiding customers through staged approvals. Monique shares Shop-Were releases like integrated consumer financing, online scheduling, and an in-app CRM that reduce friction and surface KPIs. The group emphasizes using photos/video in DVIs and measuring technician productivity vs. efficiency to find bottlenecks. They also discuss hiring timing, deposit policies for large jobs, and keeping advisors focused on conversations, not data chasing. The session ends with “magic wand” wishes: more grace across the industry and a win-win mindset for shops, employees, and customers.

 

Host(s):

Jimmy Lea, VP of Business Development

 

Guest(s):

Brandon Ballou, Service Manager for Trustworthy Auto

 

Monique Mondragon-Tafoya, Shop-Ware

 

Episode Highlights:

[00:01:52 ] - Technology theme set: using tools to raise effective labor rate, proficiency, and customer experience.

[00:05:05 ] - Brandon outlines Trustworthy Auto’s layout and staffing goals, framing the conversation in real shop terms.

[00:07:47 ] - Deposits protect cash flow: 50% down on estimates over $3,000 keeps the work moving without strain.

[00:09:29 ] - Advisor workload reality: owner tasks happen off-hours so the advisor can focus on customers during the day.

[00:14:19 ] - Detect Auto pairs with Shop-Ware to surface maintenance due, saving advisors 4–5 minutes per estimate.

[00:23:10 ] - DVIs should be standard; photos and annotations build trust and help customers make informed decisions.

[00:35:00 ] - Track productivity vs. efficiency in Shop-Ware to diagnose whether issues are scheduling, parts, or process.

[00:43:02 ] - New consumer financing in Shop-Ware reduces awkward money talks and can lift average repair orders.

[00:47:10 ] - Prioritize estimates: red/yellow/green with top-to-bottom ordering so safety beats cosmetics every time.

[00:49:34 ] - Industry wish list: grace between shops and an “everybody wins” approach to pricing and decisions.

 

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Episode Transcript Disclaimer

This transcript was generated using artificial intelligence and may contain errors. If you notice any inaccuracies, please contact us at marketing@wearetheinstitute.com.

 

Episode Transcript:

Jimmy Lea: Hello my friends. It's good to see you. It's good to be part of our conversation today as we are going to have a great conversation talking about profit in your shop and technology in your shop. Oh my gosh, this is gonna be so much fun. We are here to help you where you are at. Where are you at? I, we just finished a fabulous marketing for the Automotive Repair Shops conference.

Jimmy Lea: No, it wasn't a conference. It was an intensive. It was a workshop. It was awesome. It was a workshop where those that were there had notebooks, 111 pages of notes, note taking homework assignments. It was so cool. It was so cool. And what's great with what we're doing with the institute, building better business, building better lives, building better industry.

Jimmy Lea: Is that we do we lock arms with you. We're gonna meet you where you are and go together as we go together to further your shop, your business from those that are looking and evaluating shops to buy. They don't even own a shop yet. Jonathan, I'm talking about you. They don't own a shop yet, but they're going to, and because they're going to, why not have a coach in your corner to help you navigate all of the red tape?

Jimmy Lea: Oh man, it's so fabulous. All the way up to shop, multi shop operators. You have 10 locations, 18 locations, 36 locations. We here at the institute are here to lock arms with you and make sure that your shop experience is the best that it can possibly be. For our webinar today, for our discussion today, we are talking about technology that has helped to improve your shop, your business, your effective labor rate, your proficiencies, and co-sponsoring this with us is shop wear.

Jimmy Lea: Monique is gonna join us from shop wear. Thank you, Monique. I'm so excited to have you with us. I see you blurred background. It looks like you are being a road warrior today.

Monique Mondragon-Tafoya: Yes, I'll be a ro, a road Warrior for several months, but it'll gonna be okay. So please don't mind the hotel background, but I am very excited to be here.

Monique Mondragon-Tafoya: So thank you for having me and I'm looking forward to talking with y'all.

Jimmy Lea: Yes. Monique has been with shop wear for quite a while and just excited with what is happening there. The conferences the surveys, the listening to the shops and the shops Love shop wear. The shops that are on shop wear.

Jimmy Lea: Love shop wear. So thank you for all you're doing in this industry. Yes, sir.

Monique Mondragon-Tafoya: Thank you.

Jimmy Lea: Joining from a shop point of view, we have Brandon. He is our MMA fighter. He is our local jujitsu black belt. No you do not want to mess with this guy. Brandon, how are you brother? I'm doing great. How are you, Jimmy?

Jimmy Lea: I'm good. I'm good. I'm real good. Excited that you're here so we can talk about. Technology and the shop and the business. How is the shop by the way?

Brandon Ballou: Shop's been doing great. We had a record month in July. August was pretty good. And then, you know, hoping to just keep the ball rolling.

Jimmy Lea: There you go.

Jimmy Lea: Yeah. Keep the ball rolling for sure. So, back up. By the way, how's Pops?

Brandon Ballou: Oh he's great. Yeah. Is he in the shop every day still? He just, 'cause he wants to be there,

Brandon Ballou: Loves being there. Loves being part of the team, helping with the problem cars. Oh, I love it.

Jimmy Lea: Oh, so he's wrenching right.

Brandon Ballou: Yeah, when he wants to.

Brandon Ballou: And then, you know, he only touches if we have, you know, the BMW with the intermittent check engine light that only comes on Tuesday. He calls dibs and that's the one he works on. 'cause he loves figuring out the crazy hard problems.

Jimmy Lea: I love it. I love it. That's so cool. I saw one yesterday on TikTok that if you pull up the parking break, if you open the ashtray, if you open the cup holder and then open the.

Jimmy Lea: Glove box it actuated the steering wheel, spin mode, and it would just spin and spin and spin.

Monique Mondragon-Tafoya: What are you watching?

Jimmy Lea: I'm watching TikTok about customer states that if you put on the parking brake, open the ashtray, open the cup, and open the jockey box, the steering wheel will start to thin.

Jimmy Lea: And sure enough, it did, I mean. It's amazing. It's amazing what happens when customers come in and when a service advisor is in there and writing down what a customer says. It blows the minds of technicians because of their descriptions, which are hilarious, but it goes into what they're doing. So, Brandon I wanna dig in deep here.

Jimmy Lea: I want to go in on your shop, but first, give us a layout so everybody understands what your shop looks like. How can I relate to that? If I'm a single guy, I've got two techs, or I've got 10 bays, or I've got 10 shops what's your makeup so that as we have our conversation, people can relate.

Brandon Ballou: Yeah, absolutely. So we're a six bay one and a half advisors. 'cause I'm still kind of advising but not as much with three techs looking to hopefully grow to four and then two full-time advisors before the end of the year. Okay.

Jimmy Lea: Nice. Congratulations. And about what kind of a car count are you usually looking at?

Jimmy Lea: On a daily or a weekly or a monthly basis? What do you usually see

Brandon Ballou: monthly? We do about 120 cars with a 20 car variance either direc