Let’s face it — Digital vehicle inspections are the future of vehicle inspections for auto shops. It makes a world of difference for shop owners, technicians, service writers, and the shop’s customers. This type of vehicle inspection has a number of advantages over traditional, paper-based inspections that rely on manual methods.
DVIs have a lot of advantages over paper inspections. They're super quick to complete, and you can send them straight to the customer via email or text. Plus, with digital software (like Shopmonkey), you can attach photos and videos of the issues to the inspection items. This helps build trust with your customers so they know exactly what's going on with their car. When customers can see the photos and videos, they're more likely to agree to additional repairs they may need. For example, if you show them a picture of dangerously low tire tread, they'll know it's time to replace the tires.
The rise of digital vehicle inspections parallels that of shop management software. All well-built software solutions include the ability to perform these inspections. With the ability to create things like store inspection records, customized inspection checklists, and reports generated on demand, automotive digital inspection software is here to stay, and will likely be required by customers of shops in the near future.
The History of Digital Inspection Software
Digital vehicle inspections are largely a by-product of auto repair software because they use many of the same technologies. Auto-shop software lets shops communicate with customers via text and emails, send them supporting documentation of their cars by photo and video, and replace paper processes with digital ones.
Shops now use technology to conduct vehicle inspections. This became possible thanks to software developed in the early 2010s. Over time, more features were added to allow shops to digitize their inspection processes as time passed. Nowadays, Shopmonkey and other shop management softwares offer these capabilities, including the use of digital vehicle inspection apps, to help shops streamline their inspection procedures.
Digital Vehicle Inspection Features
Shops that perform DVIs experience several advantages that let them make the most of this procedure for servicing cars and trucks, not to mention upselling repair services and increasing Average Repair Order (ARO). The software enables shops to tailor the individual items on their checklists so they can put however many line items they need in the inspection, like items specific to truck repair software. This flexibility makes it easy to create different inspection checklists for different types of vehicles and for other departments in the auto shop. Another significant feature is that the software supports adding photos and videos to comments, which technicians can use to emphasize critical areas that need service.
These visual capabilities are some of the most convincing for customers. Instead of telling vehicle owners that their brakes need to be replaced, shops can use automotive digital inspection software to show customers pictures and videos. These visual tools help shop ARO and keep customer trust because of the transparency. Showing them what is going on might not be possible if the person paying for the car or truck is far away and unable to come into the shop, making the photo and video capabilities a timesaving and profitable win for the shop.
Other features include digital storage of all inspection records, allowing shops to stay organized and pull up customer and vehicle information at a moment’s notice. Shopmonkey’s DVIs show on-demand results from varying inspections so technicians, service writers, and shop owners can pull up all the details about an inspection and better communicate vehicle condition with customers while also protecting the shop. DVIs allow for transparent customer relationships and better communication around additional service opportunities.
Benefits
There are numerous digital inspection software benefits. These tools are instrumental when it comes to selling repair services and building customer trust and loyalty. Also, the digital approach used in digital vehicle inspections is much more efficient than manual paper inspections, empowering shops to get cars in and out faster.
Additionally, because these inspections verify findings with photos and videos, they're more accurate than traditional vehicle inspections are. These objective forms of documentation go a long way with customers because they create a sense of transparency about their vehicles. Customers are more likely to trust the results of DVIs, which increases their trust in the shop and their likelihood of giving approval for additional repair services to be performed. Interested in learning more? Check out our guide to digital vehicle inspections.
The Way Forward
A digital vehicle inspection app for technicians is the way forward for auto shops. These tools are far more efficient, transparent, and reliable than their paper counterparts. Don't just take our word for it — experience it for yourself by booking a demo today.
