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Digital Vehicle Inspections in the United States and Canada
Vehicle Inspections are traditionally performed using paper forms, including vehicle inspections for smog, emission, and safety tests regulated by the states.

In the last 5-10 years, Digital Vehicle Inspections, often called Digital Vehicle Health Inspections, have emerged as an incredible source of motorist education. Other than its paper equivalent, they can be emailed or texted to the motorist. Embedded are videos and images illustrating the vehicle's health conditions significantly impact the motorist's decision process on what work to approve, defer or decline.

One of the problems with paper inspections is the phenomenon of pencil-whipping. It describes the inspectors' hurry to go through an inspection, skipping topics or checking off conditions even if they have not been inspected. The inability of the system to detect these shortcuts, combined with the fact that most technicians/mechanics performing the paper inspection are not paid for the inspection time, leads to low-quality inspection results.

Digital Vehicle Inspections, on the other hand, make the motorist see what the technician sees without being on location. Inspectors are monitored by built-in tracking software, so auto repair shop managers and owners can review quality and performance data with the team.

Clear documentation reduces the long-term cost of vehicle ownership and increases approval rates by higher than double digits. The trust created with the public has made Digital Vehicle Inspections a staple in a growing number of independent auto repair shop s.

What Motorists Experience
Traditionally, customers of auto repair shops and dealerships dread the phone call at midday when the service advisor interrupts their day at home or work and describes the unexpected findings on the phone with technical terms the layperson doesn't understand. Additionally, the phone interaction leaves the impression that the car might be unsafe if the work is not performed. The fear of breaking down when not approving the proposed work is accompanied by budget-driven decisions not to approve the work.

A customer will not approve what they don’t understand and shouldn’t.

With Digital Vehicle Inspections, a new trust-building process of motorist interaction is possible. Whether the customer is at home or work, they will receive the inspection results on their phone and can research the conditions, recommendations, and proposed work on their timeline and in their control. Seasoned auto repair shops start the education when the vehicle is dropped off at the auto repair shop. In addition, the approximate time when the results will be sent is made known. Well-documented inspection results include conditions marked with one of at least three statuses (typically red, yellow, and green) as well as images, videos, recommendations, and other educational material indicating why it is necessary to perform the recommended work and what happens if not performed. If the inspection results are self-explanatory, motorists will study them, call back with clarifying questions, and approve the work.

The often-perceived sales pressure in the paper-based inspection process can be eliminated, and the approval process is based on trust through transparency and not fear.

Typical Digital Inspection Tools in the Independent Auto Repair Aftermarket
There is a significant variety of tools available. More and more providers of point-of-sale software either integrate with existing 3rd party tools for a smooth shop operation free of duplicate entry or even have created their own embedded tool (Tekmetric, Shop Ware, Mitchell1, are just a few examples). Well-established Digital Vehicle Inspection tools are provided by AutoFlow, AutoServe1, AutoVitals, and Bolt-on Technology.

Different degrees of configurability allow auto repair shops to adjust the tool to their process or use the opportunity to transition to a well-defined process. This Digital Vehicle Inspection triggered process creates significant streamlining opportunities in the operational workflow so that the same staff can increase output by 80+%.

Taking the fear out of the estimating process
Many motorists dread approving estimates by auto repair shops or dealerships because estimates lack the layperson's language on what problem will be fixed and why it is important to be fixed. Often, the fear of overpaying leads to declining the estimate because the quoted amount is seen as too high. Providers like RepairPal help customers gauge what price range can be expected for what type of repair.

This type of motorist interaction focuses on fixing an already existing problem. Due to the introduction of Digital Vehicle Inspection, a vehicle's conditions can be documented and tracked over time to detect emerging problems before they become costly repairs. Auto repair shops conducting condition-based inspections and recommended follow-up visits based on the predicted wear and tear patterns provide a Digital Inspection at every visit to determine the vehicle's health independent of the concern the customer brings the vehicle in for. This is very similar to a doctor's visit, where the first action is always taking the vital signs to help the doctor to determine the right course of action.

In summary, instead of looking for opportunities to repair a vehicle based on issues the customer is bringing the vehicle in for, an increasing number of auto repair shops use the Digital Vehicle Inspection process to lay out a condition-based plan to the customer to meeting their budget needs and saving money on costly repairs. A company connecting these auto repair shops to searching customers is AutoTechIQ. For shops to be listed on AutoTechIQ's network, the business has to have at least 100 Google Reviews at a higher than 4.5 ranking, and their website has to rank for 'auto repair' in their area. AutoTechIQ certifies a smaller selection of shops meeting these criteria by focusing on the availability of digital vehicle inspections for motorists at every visit and the right process to securing trust through transparency.