When a loaded semi rolls into your shop needing a major repair, time is money-literally. But what happens far too often? The diagnosis is quick, the estimate is built… and then everything screeches to a halt. You’re stuck waiting on the customer to say “yes” while the truck takes up valuable bay space and your techs pivot to less productive tasks.
This delay in getting repair approvals-especially for large jobs or fleet work-is costing your shop big in lost productivity, revenue, and customer satisfaction.
The culprit? Old-school communication methods. Phone calls that go unanswered. Voicemails that sit in limbo. Emails buried in overflowing inboxes. In short, phone tag.
But here’s the good news: there’s a better way. Digital truck repair approvals can eliminate the lag, keep your bays turning, and get trucks back on the road faster. Let’s break down how it works-and why your shop can’t afford to ignore it.
Every minute a repair waits for customer authorization is a minute your bay isn't earning. Even if your shop is busy, a truck parked in a lift ties up workflow. Technicians can’t fully move forward, and jobs pile up. Studies estimate that downtime costs fleets $448 to $760 per vehicle per day. If your shop contributes to that because of slow approvals, you’re part of the problem-and bleeding potential revenue.
A repair that could be done same-day gets pushed into tomorrow. That’s more downtime for your customer and a longer cycle time for you. Turnaround speed is everything in this business-especially when fleets are depending on you to keep them running.
You can’t bill a customer until the work is approved and completed. Chasing approvals adds days to your billing cycle. Verbal OKs over the phone are also risky-miscommunications lead to disputes and delayed payments. A clear digital record eliminates those headaches.
Customer Frustration
Fleet managers and owner-operators are busy. They’re not always available when you call, and getting stuck in back-and-forth voicemails wastes their time too. Slow communication makes your shop look disorganized-even when you’re not.
Let’s look at how most independent and mid-sized shops still handle estimate approvals:
It’s an inefficient process that’s prone to delays, errors, and lost time. And in a business where uptime is gold, this simply doesn’t cut it anymore.
So how do you fix it?
You adopt a digital workflow-one that’s fast, automated, and built for the way your customers want to interact today.
Here’s how it works in a modern truck repair platform like ShopView:
Once your tech completes a diagnosis, your service advisor builds the estimate inside your shop management software. No spreadsheets, no printing-just click and go.
The customer receives a text or email with a secure link to review the estimate online. It’s mobile-friendly, interactive, and includes everything they need: job details, costs, photos, and notes.
From the estimate page, the customer can approve work, ask questions, or decline line items with a simple click. No waiting on a call, no missed voicemails.
As soon as the estimate is approved, the system updates your RO automatically. Your tech gets an alert and can begin work immediately-no need to check in.
If a customer doesn’t respond in a timely manner, the system can send automatic reminders, keeping the process moving without your team having to chase anyone.
Need a fleet manager and a finance lead to sign off? No problem. Digital workflows allow for multi-user approval flows, parallel sign-offs, and built-in PO collection.
Shops that adopt digital truck repair approvals aren’t just getting convenience-they’re seeing measurable gains across the board:
Approvals that used to take hours or even days now happen in minutes. One shop reported a 50% increase in revenue after going digital-simply because they were able to complete more jobs per week without the approval bottleneck.
With faster approvals, bays stay active and techs stay busy. Over time, this adds up to dozens of extra repairs-and thousands in reclaimed labor hours.
With clear, timestamped digital records, invoices go out faster and disputes drop dramatically. Some shops even get pre-authorized payments on high-ticket jobs right through the platform.
Fleet clients love being able to approve repairs on their own time. No more pressure sales calls. No more surprises. Just clear, transparent communication. That builds loyalty-and referrals.
With professional digital estimates that include photos and descriptions, customers better understand what they’re authorizing. That leads to higher close rates on recommended services-some shops report a jump from 55% to over 90%.
ShopView is built specifically for heavy-duty and commercial truck repair operations-not your average auto shop platform. With features like:
…it gives your team everything they need to turn approvals around fast and keep trucks moving.
You don’t need a massive dealership system to get big-shop results. With ShopView, you can compete on speed, communication, and customer experience-without blowing your budget.
Let’s face it: phone tag is the enemy of throughput. Every approval you wait on is time, money, and opportunity lost.
By shifting to a digital truck repair approval workflow, your shop can:
It’s time to stop waiting for callbacks and start moving trucks through the shop with speed and confidence.
Say goodbye to the voicemail game-and hello to faster approvals, fewer stalls, and a better bottom line.
Check out how ShopView can simplify your approval process and help you get trucks back on the road faster.