Your relationship with your digital vehicle inspection (DVI) software is like any other type of relationship—it takes a little work to make it thrive. Implementing your software will have you seeing results no matter what, but putting in the work to optimize your efforts will have you not only meeting your goals, but exceeding them.
Photos Are Key
Photos (and videos) are the heartbeat of digital vehicle inspections. We often see shops not fully taking advantage of this feature, which can diminish the overall effectiveness of the tool. Utilizing enough pictures helps increase transparency with your customers while creating a useful educational tool.
Customers benefit greatly from being able to see all the problems and recommendations with their own eyes. With photos they can not only listen to your recommendations, but fully understand them. Immediately customers begin to see the value in the services you're recommending, leading them to more eagerly accept these services.
So how many pictures should you be including per digital vehicle inspection? We recommend about 10-12. The more pictures you use, the higher your average repair order (ARO) will be.
Detailed Inspection Notes
The other critical part of DVIs are the inspection notes used alongside the photos. Writing more detailed notes further establishes clarity for the vehicle owner. They say a picture's worth a thousand words, but when it comes to educating your customers, that's not entirely true. Giving added context assists your shop in securing the sale.
Canned Jobs
Canned jobs can drastically increase efficiency while building estimates. How often have you had to input the same job throughout the day? When done manually, this can slow down the rate at which a service advisor can accomplish this task. Spending excessive time on processes that can be expedited through optimizing your software is beneficial to your efficiency. You and your employees have the ability to maximize your time through the use of canned jobs.
As you know, the estimate is the foundational piece of any vehicle service. It's important that the information is accurate as you move through the service process. By inputting a job once, you can ensure that there is consistency and accuracy when compiling an estimate no matter who is doing it. Not only is this beneficial for streamlining your processes among your current crop of employees, but it also enables you to more easily onboard any new service advisors when the time comes.
Customize Your Templates 
The great part about digital vehicle inspections is that they're customizable. Your shop is unique in its processes and procedures, and the way you use your software should reflect that. Creating custom templates can not only save you time, but much like canned jobs, can increase the level of efficiency and accuracy in your shop—ensuring that each digital vehicle inspection is done the same exact way, every time.
Technician Profiles
One of the best ways to build trust with your customers is to allow them to really get to know your shop on a more personal level. Utilizing technician profiles can assist you in doing just that by allowing you to create profiles for both your technicians and your service advisors.
Include pictures of your employees as well as a small bio about them so customers can familiarize themselves with the people handling their vehicle. These profiles give an added level of transparency to the vehicle owner, enabling them to feel more comfortable about the entire service process.
NextGear Powered by BOLT ON Technology
Looking for a simple way to schedule, perform and share digital vehicle inspections? NextGear powered by BOLT ON Technology is a web-based application that will take your shop to the next level with advanced DVI technology, appointment scheduling, and BOLT ON Pay. Discover what your shop is missing and check out NextGear today.
