Getting staff buy-in is key to making digital inspection technology work long-term.

There’s no question that digital vehicle inspections (DVI), have been a major game changer for automotive service providers. If executed properly, they enable customers to have a clear and concise view of the condition of their vehicle, putting the client in control of their money. Furthermore, they allow the information to be quickly and easily viewed either in person with the service advisor, via a self-service kiosk, or via text or email, saving time and adding convenience for customers.

Yet, in order to facilitate the true capabilities of digital inspections and enable the shop to build long-term retention through preventative maintenance, DVI needs to be properly integrated into a shop’s systems and procedures.

Several factors

Rob Ingram, who owns and operates Eldon Ingram NAPA AUTO PRO in Stratford, Ont., has long been an advocate of DVI as a core part of the business, but he cautions, that shops need to consider several factors when utilizing digital inspection technology.

First and foremost, he says, a DVI program needs to be seamlessly integrated into the shop management software used to run the business. Secondly, that DVI works seamlessly with the billing program used by the shop. And, when it comes to billing programs, he stresses the importance of being able to measure them. “You need to be able to do that so you can monitor productivity and efficiency within the shop,” says Ingram.

He also stresses the importance of getting buy-in from the staff, including technicians and service advisors. “There are some great programs out there,” he says, “but they’re only as good as the people using them.” He notes that if a shop can’t get buy-in from its technicians when it comes to performing DVI, those techs aren’t going to conduct vehicle inspections properly and the end result is that there’s nothing worthwhile on the front end for the service advisor to present to the customer.

Process is essential

At Hunter Engineering Company, Mike Brecht, Product Manager for Quick Check Drive inspection systems, notes that adopting a successful process for testing every vehicle that comes in for inspection is essential. “When you have a successful, and consistent process additional [service] opportunities will be found.”

Brecht says that when it comes to Quick Check Drive, Hunter’s own vehicle inspection equipment, there are two key factors to consider. Firstly, the ability to build trust with shop customers by being consistent in providing accurate tire tread and wheel alignment inspections on every visit. By doing so, says Brecht, vehicle owners can clearly see the importance of alignment and tread results and how they reflect the overall condition of the vehicle.

Quickly identified

Secondly, because every vehicle that comes into the shop is inspected, additional service work can be quickly identified and the customer can see for themselves what is required, what is recommended and the intervals needed to ensure the work gets done and the vehicle is properly maintained.

A key part of making it all work is the service advisor. Providing proper onboarding and counter sales training, so that staff can walk customers through the digital inspection process and the results is essential for an efficient and successful result.

Brecht also notes that in terms of sales training and communication, it’s important for the service advisor and the customer to not only understand what their vehicle needs from a maintenance standpoint and why, but if the vehicle is well maintained and passes inspection, to “celebrate the green.” Doing so helps build trust and foster a relationship between the shop and the customer that isn’t solely built around transactions or upsell opportunities.

Everybody believes

Beyond the equipment, the process, as well as training staff to use it, are key factors in making digital inspections work long term. Furthermore, to ensure inspections and are conducted properly, the staff really make the process their own.

Rob Ingram explains that if technicians and service advisors don’t buy into the DVI program and don’t believe it will benefit everyone, things will get missed and inconsistencies will result. “You might get a situation where a battery is tested and it’s bad and this doesn’t get followed up on, or gets missed from the inspection and because of that, it later fails, causing friction between the shop and the client.” If instead, he says, “your technicians are consistent, and test every battery on every vehicle that comes in, and this information is shared with the service advisor, then these issues are avoided, and customers see the value and transparency in digital inspections.”

At Hunter Engineering, Mike Brecht says that the company’s Quick Check Drive can provide major benefits for service centres. “Quick Check Drive adds two very important service inspections, [wheel] alignment and tread,” he says, “and these can be added to any digital inspection process automatically and in a highly visual way.” He notes that not only does this give the service centre the opportunity to show the customer the value and realize other sales opportunities, but this “valuable service [also] drives customer loyalty, and when service is needed, presents it in a compelling and transparent way.”

 Self-service kiosks

In an effort to promote greater transparency and convenience for customers, more service centres are offering self-service inspection kiosks, that allow clients to review vehicle inspection results in their own time. The key to making this process successful however, is ensuring the customer can navigate through the system easy and efficiently, and that the information is presented in a way that’s straightforward for customers to understand.

“These types of sharing options enable customers to be more certain about the information they are getting and the exact service or maintenance their vehicle needs,” says Mike Brecht. He does caution however, that when setting these up, more visual results tend to be needed, since customers are doing the process themselves in most cases. Nevertheless, these self-service kiosks can be a great tool to bolster relationships between service centres and their customers and provide an opportunity for greater engagement and transparency between service advisors, technicians and customers, which over the longer term, tends to lead to better service retention and profitability for the business.