AudaExplore has announced that its AutoWatch collision repair tracking software has been integrated with the company’s AutoFocus body shop management system (BMS). The integration is designed to help busy repair facilities enhance communication with vehicle owners and insurers, improve customer service and save time by eliminating redundant entries.
The integration extends to the AutoWatch mobile app, allowing shops to update AutoFocus from anywhere at any time via their smartphones or tablet computers. With similar ease, AutoFocus users can now use the BMS to update the status of a repair to AutoWatch, including uploading and posting digital vehicle images that provide customers with visual insight into the progress of their repair. A single entry into one of the applications is now all that’s required to automatically update information on new repair jobs and the status of those repairs for both the shop and the consumer.
“For shops that use AutoWatch to improve communication with vehicle owners on behalf of their insurance carriers, the integration saves time and effort, allowing employees to work more efficiently as they manage their business and communicate with customers and insurers,” said Gordon Henderson, vice president of collision repair services for AudaExplore.
The integration is already producing benefits at Dave’s Body Shop in Salt Lake City, Utah. “Previously, our estimators were updating the status of their repairs in AutoFocus, and then they would have to go into AutoWatch and do the same thing,” said Stan Ware, owner of Dave’s Body Shop. “But with more than 75 cars in the shop on any given day, this duplicate task consumed too much valuable time. Now, we can accomplish both updates at the same time, making it faster and easier to keep our customers and insurance partners up to date.”
Studies continue to show that customers who receive communication about their repairs are more satisfied than those who don’t. “With this new integration, we are expanding the power of AutoWatch to provide timely repair status updates to vehicle owners,” added Henderson.
Repairers around the country use AutoWatch to upload and post digital photos and the latest vehicle repair status information to an interactive website, keeping customers up to date through completion of the job. Updates are accomplished quickly and conveniently via the AutoWatch application on their desktop computers, iPhone or Android device – and now directly through the AutoFocus BMS. At the same time, vehicle owners can access AutoWatch vehicle status updates on the Web, via email or text message, and can share updates with friends through Facebook.
AudaExplore has furthermore expanded the capabilities of AutoWatch to make it more adaptable to new global markets. AutoWatch is currently in use in Canada and South America, with further adaptations in development for the U.K., Spain and Brazil.
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