There’s a fair amount of information, both here and in the press, about our Reconditioning Management System, Repair360. We could re-create another laundry-list of features and capabilities, similar to the one here, but the measure of any tool is its utility – What does this tool do to improve my productivity and results? So here is a shorter list of 5 typical challenges that Repair360 will address in your operation.
Where is the car? – It takes too much time and effort just to locate a vehicle in the reconditioning process.
In Repair360, every vehicle is tracked as it progresses through recon, and each has a Direct Responsible Individual designated for each process step. A simple look at the app identifies where the car is in the process, and who’s got custody. If it typically takes your team 5-8 minutes to locate a car, think of the hours saved each week when that task is accomplished in seconds.
Where’s the Approval? – The estimates are done, but nobody signed off on the expense.
Approvals are fast and reliable in Repair360. Since all the information is in a single system, estimates are immediately available for management approval. You can set thresholds for automatic approvals under a certain cost, so the work can proceed right away. For any estimates over that amount, the system will alert approvers so they can review and approve or reject work items on their computer or mobile device. No more wayward sticky notes or paperwork sitting on somebody’s desk.
Accountability vs. Finger-pointing
In business, things don’t always work out as desired. Surprises happen, and they’re not always good. Many organizations waste time and energy trying to assign blame or defend themselves in the face of bad outcomes. Eventually, when the finger-pointing is done, better teams examine how the outcome occurred, and make corrections for the future. Repair360 tracks and monitors all the steps in the process, so you know what was done, who did what, and when. There is accountability at every step and stage, and every stakeholder knows what is expected of them. Process enforcement is built into the software, allowing you to not only know who goofed, but more importantly, to improve your process to prevent future errors.
Getting Un-stuck
Does your current solution require you to manually move a vehicle from one repair stage to the next (whether the vehicle moves location or not)? Do cars sit idle waiting on that intervention? That’s a drain on your attention and, in most cases, completely unnecessary. Repair360 automatically advances the vehicle to the next stage as soon as the previous work is completed, and can alert the appropriate stakeholders of the change. No more waiting to start means less time waiting to finish. And that means better throughput and better margins.
Too Many Systems to Manage
Many operations are using multiple systems to facilitate reconditioning – different systems for workflows, parts management, vendor management, timekeeping, work approvals, service requests, and more. This kind of setup can be exhausting as managers have to ‘swivel-chair’ from one system to another just to complete the process for each vehicle. Repair360 puts it all in one software system accessible to all stakeholders, so teams and departments have access to real-time status for every vehicle from acquisition to frontline-ready. Your entire operation is managed with a single tool!
If your reconditioning operation doesn’t struggle with one or more of the 5 challenges above, congratulations! Keep doing whatever you’re doing. If, however, the list above is all too familiar, schedule a call with one of our product specialists to learn how Repair360 can eliminate the headaches and help you improve your results.