Honestly, I've seen this exact shift work wonders in smaller shops too. In my experience, the mentality that you have to be covered in grease to contribute is outdated and limits growth. Your mileage may vary, but leveraging tech for diagnostics and planning often uncovers issues that get missed in the rush of a busy bay. It allows mechanics to focus on complex repairs instead of getting bogged down in administrative tasks that eat into productive time. Take this with a grain of salt, but shops that adapt these hybrid roles tend to retain talent better by playing to individual strengths. Streamlining the workflow like you described isn't stepping away from being a mechanic, it's evolving the role to meet modern demands.