Car dealers automate repair orders with camera-based inspection systems
Thousands of U.S. car dealers now have access to high-speed vehicle-inspection technology on their dealership management systems (DMS) to help improve customer satisfaction and streamline service-department operations.
UVeye vehicle-inspection data recently added to CDK's Fortellis DMS platform, allowing dealers to automatically create repair orders. The new process can save up to 45 minutes or more for dealership service advisers and their customers. Service personnel will have immediate access to UVeye reports that include photos of potential problems. The system allows dealers to share the information with their customers and automatically create repair orders.
CDK serves more than 15,000 dealerships in the United States. Other DMS providers, such as Tekion, are expected to add a UVeye-created interface on their dealership operating systems within the next year.
UVeye provides automakers, dealers and fleet operators with automated high-speed inspection systems driven by artificial intelligence and machine-learning technologies. A drive-through UVeye inspection takes seconds to complete and can spot and record problems ranging from damaged tires to defective underbody parts.
Jonathan Briggs, a Midwest regional sales manager for UVeye, said dealers and their customers have given top marks to UVeye-based systems. Customers, for example, can see problem-area photos and quickly decide if repairs are needed. Service-department productivity also gets a boost. The time for a vehicle to pass through a UVeye inspection line to the completion of a repair order totals 15 minutes or less.
Briggs described how a repair order is written on the Fortellis DMS system:
- A service writer using the UVeye interface brings up a series of photos and a list of problems detected as a customer's vehicle passes through a UVeye inspection lane.
- Serious problems are red flagged on the service advisor's computer screen. Issues can range from defective exhaust-system components to missing parts and worn tires.
- With customer approval, the service representative automatically translates information from the inspection report into a repair order, with pricing to save the dealer, and the customer time and effort.
Dealerships already using the new system include McCluskey Chevrolet in Cincinnati and the 16-store Jeff Wyler Auto Group in Ohio.
"I remember when we were showing a McCluskey service adviser how the system worked," Briggs said. "He turned to me and said, 'You just cut my time in half.'"
According to UVeye, a recent CDK survey indicates that most dealers and their employees try to improve operational efficiencies with smoother workflows. CDK's goal is to use technology to eliminate redundancies, such as the need to reenter information.
UVeye's vehicle-inspection systems include:
- Helios – An underbody scanner that detects a wide range of problems from frame damage to oil leakage and corrosion.
- Artemis – A tire system that quickly identifies tire brand and specifications, air pressure, tread depth, sidewall damage and even whether a vehicle's tires are mismatched.
- Atlas – A system that provides a 360-degree exterior scan of sheet metal and other external body components such as bumpers, mirrors, door locks, grilles and windows.
UVeye said that Volvo was one of the first automakers to recognize the value of UVeye's technology and invest in the company. Volvo now hopes to have a majority of its more than 280 U.S. dealerships equipped with UVeye inspection systems.
A recent survey of UVeye customers showed that automated inspections can identify 96 percent of existing vehicle defects compared to just 24 percent for much more time-consuming manual inspections.
"The DMS plug-and-play pioneered with CDK Global makes sense to UVeye because of the benefits it provides to dealerships and their customers," said Amir Hever, UVeye's founder and CEO. "We can add value to a variety of systems, whether they are dealership or customer focused."
