Building a Paperless Automotive Service Center
Frédéric Baroin
Global Head of Automotive Business at Anyline
Moving to a digital automotive service center is one of the most important and profit-focused steps your organization can take. It may seem challenging at first, especially if you are relying on systems you have used for years without concern. Going paperless, however, has many benefits for the majority of auto service centers, and at a time when profit margins are continuing to decline, this could prove to be crucial.
3 Proactive Steps to Move to a Paperless Automotive Service Center
Making the transition to a paperless automotive service center requires several careful steps.
#1: Register Customers from a Tablet or Remotely in Advance
This is perhaps one of the best first steps most organizations can take. That way, you do not have to have customers fill out a form with a desk service agent or someone answering the phone and inputting data into a computer. Instead, they can input that data themselves directly into your system and CRM database.
This can be done at the service center, or it could be done at home while the customer is logged into a web-based dashboard. They may even do this right at the time of making their appointment for a call. That gives the customer the ability to provide information without having to wait in line.
Integrate Anyline Vehicle Identity Number (VIN) scanning to facilitate this. You can also implement license plate scanning and driver license scanning to further reduce the time demand on this process. Everything is simply scanned and automatically added to the system. That’s going to be much faster and more accurate. It also helps your organization stand out as an innovator.
#2: Go Digital with Your Vehicle Inspection Process
Digital vehicle inspection (DVI) is a complex process in terms of what can be done (there’s so much it’s worth applying it fully!). DVI is the process of providing a digital process from start to finish. From the time the vehicle arrives to the moment it leaves, the entire process is managed digitally from a single device.
Using Anyline’s VIN, license plate scanner, tire scanning, and tread depth tools, it’s easy to capture all of this vital information within a few seconds. That helps save people time from having to check and verify this process.
All the data is also stored in one place. That way, it can be referred to as needed. With real-time functionality, it allows one person to capture the entire details of the project, reducing manpower needs and streamlining the process. More so, it can save thousands of man-hours.
In addition to this, the data is being collected digitally. That means that it is possible to categorize and manage images in a simplified manner. This can help reduce liability risks.
#3: Email Invoices Directly to the Customer’s Inbox
DVI collects all of the information. Everything is stored in a single place. This makes sending invoices effortless. It can even be set up to be done automatically. Emailing them in real-time to the customer speeds up the process and may encourage bills to be paid faster. They are also assured to be accurate. This also helps to reduce overall paper costs or concerns about lost invoices.
Utilizing Anyline’s tools is the first step for most organizations looking to find their operation and move to a digital, no-paper automotive service center.
