Over the past several years we have visited with thousands of different types of automotive service related businesses; everything from single owner operators, new car dealerships, to companies with 2500+ technicians out in the field. No matter the size of the company, or the type of services being provided, one topic always makes it way to the forefront of the discussion…WORKFLOW

WORKFLOW is a term for your business process. Most organizations that we meet with have little time to examine the current challenges associated with their manual paper based workflows. You can think of these workflows as the various paper chasing activities that need to be completed in order for your business to run properly.

Let’s dig a bit deeper, and pick a paper based workflow to examine…a simple estimate. Estimates are one of those processes that are wholly the same no matter the kind of company that is providing them.

The first step in the estimate process is some simple data collection. Typically this is data about the customer, the vehicle, and includes collecting customer contact information, insurance information, and the type of vehicle that needs to be repaired. Once this information is written onto a paper form like the one shown in the below video, the vehicle next needs to be inspected for damage. At this point the inspector, service advisor, technician, sales person, etc. will examine the vehicle, identify necessary repairs, as well as document prior or existing damage. Depending on what kind of services are being provided this estimate is either delivered to the customer, entered into another system (ie. CCC Pathways), or brought to the dealer manager for approval.

All of which sounds normal right?

Here is the problem, it isn’t that your business won’t function if you are utilizing paper, it’s just more work to enter, track, follow-up, correct, and share this information without mistakes, to everyone that needs it. Think about your business and all of the processes associated with the initial estimate being created, transferring that data to a work order, completing the work, creating the invoice, delivering the invoice, and tracking if you have gotten paid. If your organization is anything like the companies we have talked to, there are some common problems that occur during this process.

Here are some examples:

Data Entry Errors – Writing down the wrong VIN on an invoice could cause delays in getting paid, and create confusion for your customer, especially a dealership.
Identifying Work Performed – On paper, it’s almost impossible to see if you have already created an estimate, work order, or invoice on a particular vehicle.
Duplicated Efforts – Having to manually go back and enter all collected customer, insurance, and vehicle data can waste you and your customers time!
Missing Paperwork – Losing estimates, work orders, and invoices, really does happen, and you don’t want it to happen to you.
Missed Opportunities – Missing the ability to capture customer contact information, and other related data can result in lost sales, and ultimately hurt your company’s revenue

To address these challenges AutoMobile Technologies (AMT) has developed a complete system to help reconditioning professionals, new and used car dealerships, and collision centers to eliminate paperwork, increase productivity, increase profits, and differentiate you from your competition!

Workflow, it really does make a difference!