A good estimating system contributes to the whole repair process: the VDA will need an accurate, reliable and up-to-date system to create a detailed researched repair method in the shortest period of time. A good system can not only cut down those all important cycle times but increase accuracy and therefore improve relations between bodyshops and insurers. bodyshop spoke to estimating giants Audatex, as well as Inter-est and Glass’s.
Glass’s
David Murby, bodyshop and insurance sector interim director for Glass’s, believes the key developments in the estimating field are more around how people are using estimating over and above the innovation in estimating itself.
When electronic estimating was introduced it was around the insurers needing certainty and consistency from bodyshops and the repairers needing the information to enable them to professionally and efficiently estimate on an ever expanding model range with increasing vehicle technology complications.
Many years down the line we are now looking at different benefits. For example, estimating to support the proper application of methods given the introduction of PAS 125 and the close connection of Thatcham methods and eScribe to Thatcham times-based estimating is a major benefit to those systems using TTS.
The introduction of electronic estimating systems has lead to opportunities around the estimating field – for example electronic integration with management systems has given seamless links for better management visibility and control of the workshop – and these process efficiencies were the second wave of benefits that were available from estimating. The availability of management information and the integration of electronic review software such as GLASSaudit has assisted with the process savings that the industry craves.
Audatex
Paul Sykes, Audatex UK’s sales and operations director, explained that data development is an ongoing priority for Audatex, with model coverage now extending to 1,438 passenger car, light commercial vehicle and motorcycle models and approaching 300,000 derivatives. In response to popular demand, with effect from February 2012, Audatex has also extended the data available within AudaEnterpriseGold to cover selected Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).
For the Audatex technical committee, work on estimating and claims process efficiency remains high on the agenda as it seeks to further improve the estimate creation process and the activities that surround it. The latest versions of AudaEnterpriseGold have introduced Dynamic Display graphics which improve the damage capture process, colour coded graphics for more accurate material type identification, plausibility functionality to validate vehicle model and option selections, and access to methods information through links to Thatcham Integrated Methods (TIM).
Customer feedback remains a strong driver in the decisions made on the next generation system changes. Next phase developments include the ability to freeze parts prices when re-calculating and enhanced authorisation status management to improve MI (Management Information). Further down the line Audatex users can look forward to the launch of 3D graphics, stronger links with third party systems, enhanced vehicle identification facilities and a range of new innovations, all of which will enable improved estimating efficiency.
Inter-est
According to Inter-est, its estimating system is now the second most widely used estimating system, with over 1,000 users, who have now all migrated to the new Insight platform which utilises cloud computing technology. Data can be accessed anywhere, at any time, including from Smart phones and web pads. It allows greater visibility for privileged parties who can view everything in the assessment including who’s got to do which job next. Relevant people can be alerted to any job that requires attention. If details change, such as more damage is found or if there is a change in a parts price perhaps because a salvage part is sourced, Insight can automatically send a message to interested parties to inform them of the change.
Importantly, because the TTS repair times are calculated from the method, not the other way round, there is no discrepancy between the times calculated for the job and the method of repair.
Michael Nixon, managing director, Inter-est said: ‘It is truly a web application so you can see your work wherever you are; it isn’t something that is installed on a PC, so you are not restricted in the way you can use it.’
A good management system is an investment for a more profitable business model. bodyshop spoke to Advance (from Pinetree), AutoFlow, BodyNet, BMS and EMACS.
Advance
The Advance Bodyshop Management System is an award-winning bodyshop management system that’s designed to cover every stage of the automotive crash repair process. Detailed here is a recent install of Advance at Alton Cars.
Advance was installed across all five sites with over 40 administrative staff trained in three weeks. This was made possible by Advance central which enabled Alton Cars to have the Advance configuration, workflow and reporting requirements managed by a central location. All sites are set up identically.
The Advance Central feature enabled Alton Cars to manage all the admin, reports and documents centrally. This gave Alton Cars the opportunity to standardise its processes, and make sure best practice was adopted across the group through improved management control.
Using the workflow features in Advance and the proactive workflow capability which actively alerts managers and employees when a job is held up or ready for its next stage, Alton Cars could analyse and reduce repair cycle time whilst gaining better control on costs and increase customer service.
Alton Cars Group has also installed Activeweb; the Pinetree claims management platform. Activeweb is considered to be the tool of choice for a number of work providers, and has provided Alton Cars with the functionality for full transparency of their claim progress to work providers, thus reducing the need for manual intervention.
Julian Milner, Group Managing Director Alton Cars, said: ‘Advance has provided us with better visibility across the group. Advance will make the group more efficient; by streamlining many tasks and allowing key personnel to be more proactive in managing the business rather than reactive to historic data’.
Autoflow
2012 will see the AutoFlow team focusing on their online suite of products (REPEX), providing industry based training courses and working with key industry partners to evolve all their product offerings.
There are several new services available through REPEX that are due for official release to the industry this summer. These products will provide work providers, bodyshops and manufacturers with the ability to analyse and report on critical management information.
From recently renovated and upgraded training facilities at the AutoFlow offices, 2012 will see the release of a set of industry based training courses designed to help train both management and key staff.
The AutoFlow 4G management system is due for several key updates this year with work that was completed last year being implemented in the coming months. One of the major developments is a structural change in KPI data management.
BodyNet
BodyNet has always believed that web and cloud technology would be the key driver to allow each stakeholder in the industry to work more efficiently and increase the levels of communication and customer service.
Since developing the world’s first web-based bodyshop management system, BodyNet has evolved for both internal functionality and external integration. Being able to implement changes and improvements very quickly and cost effectively is driven by web-based technology. The demands of customers and the changes required by the market (in particular for data sharing) can only be applied in a respectable timeframe by using the internet as the communication platform.
According to BodyNet, integration and expanding the product scope is the only way to move forward and product mobility will play a huge part in the future, such as increasing services to include claims notification software, tablet PC estimating, repair tracking/analysis tools along with consumer driven work requests. All of this technology is integrated and available as a mobile solution.
BMS
BMS has taken a gigantic leap forward and developed the first Industry Management System (IMS) which meets the data requirements of both the bodyshop and insurer/work provider, all from one central system.
Eclipse provides an integrated solution from FNOL, through vehicle repair to invoice. Being a 2012 product, it uses the very latest technology – including cloud – to produce a seamless solution.
‘Eclipse is a visual product allowing instant large screen views of critical KPI and SLA data to keep the bodyshop management fully aware of real-time performance data on each job,’ said John Driscoll, managing director, BMS. ‘Eclipse has a powerful multi-party and intelligent communications backbone – utilising SMS and email and even Tweeting – which automatically keeps all parties fully up-to-date.
WBC in Bristol was the first bodyshop to take on the new IMS system and the shop’s MD David Turner is delighted with how the system enables him to seamlessly communicate to customers and work providers, and with the intelligent data it provides.
EMACS
In essence, a management system is the communications centre of the modern bodyshop, and it was EMACS which, in 1995, was the first to market with a PC-based application designed to empower a bodyshop manager/owner to load their shop to its theoretical maximum capacity.
‘Interestingly, while the past 17 years have seen great changes in technology, formal procedures (eg PAS 125) and legislation, the fundamental principle of buying and selling time - from your productives and to your work providers respectively – remains unchanged,’ said Alan Hargreaves, EMACS.
EMACS bodyshop management software provides a minute-by-minute picture of a bodyshop’s health, and that picture enables a bodyshop to: meet their promise times; measure their KPIs; monitor their productives’ utilisation and efficiency; monitor their estimators’ performance; identify and minimise idle time; maximise the utilisation of their courtesy car fleet; capture all paint mixing costs and reduce time spent on administration tasks.
As for the future, EMACS has always kept pace with developments in ICT. Without wishing to give too much away, Alan hinted at not only web-based solutions but also Apps for hand-held devices and have product launches scheduled for later this year.