Before a shop makes any money doing a repair, an estimate must first be written, Palak Samel, Director of Product Management at Mitchell, explains. The estimate is the first step in any repair process, and since writing it does not guarantee securing the repair work, Mitchell recognized that writing estimates must be fast and convenient.
That’s why Mitchell developed Mitchell Cloud Estimating, an easy-to-use, web-based estimating platform that will not only speed up the estimate writing process, but also ensure that customers are presented with the most accurate and safest estimate possible, creating the ideal situation for all parties involved.
Ease of Use
Samel says the team designed Mitchell Cloud Estimating with simplicity in mind.
“A 10-year-old, as well as an experienced technician, should be able to log in and use it,” Samel says.
To use it, simply go to Mitchell Connect and log in. Once in, everything is right there at your fingertips. Users can search for existing jobs and claims or create a new job. The program can be accessed on any mobile device—from a phone to a laptop, making it easy for anyone in the shop to be able to write estimates wherever he or she is.
Rather than having to wait for something to download or wait for a CD with the software to come in the mail, Mitchell Cloud Estimating is available as soon as a shop decides it’s ready to use it. Simply call up a Mitchell representative, click on a link, and you’re ready to go. Updates are made in real time.
Fully Integrated
Rather than having to go back and forth between OEM websites and parts websites to get all of the necessary information for a repair, Mitchell Cloud Estimating has all of the information to write the most accurate estimate possible right there.
Mitchell Cloud Estimating integrates with Mitchell Diagnostics for easy access to pre and post scans, Mitchell Parts for simple parts sourcing information and TechAdvisor for integrated OEM repair procedures.
“We want to bring all of the relevant information to shops as quickly as possible,” Samel says. “That way, shops can get through the estimate process quicker and focus on making money.”
Mitchell Cloud Estimating automatically updates with the most current repair information, giving users the confidence that they are writing the most accurate estimate possible.
A Shop’s Take
Tired of having to wait for updates each month from its previous estimating system, Park Place Body Werks, a Texas-based dealer body shop group, made the switch to Mitchell Cloud Estimating.
Greg Cinicolo, body shop manager, and Chris Beyney, an estimator at Park Place Body Werks, say that the system is extremely user friendly and that everyone in the shop quickly picked it up.
“I feel like it gives us bragging rights that we have a system that’s so in the moment,” Cinicolo says. “Insurers are always updating [what is required]; with this, we’re able to show them that the information we’re providing was updated in real time.”
Beyney adds that the estimates are extremely user friendly, so much so that he says customers can understand them.
“There’s no confusion; they know why the cost is what it is,” Beyney says.
Cinicolo adds that the shop writes between 500 and 600 estimates per month and that Mitchell Cloud Estimating has allowed the staff to be as efficient as possible.
Another feature that Beyney and Cinicolo really enjoy about Mitchell Cloud Estimating is the fact that it seems to be more in line with how long jobs actually take than other systems out there.
“When we use Mitchell, we can provide a time study that helps us get paid for the work that we are doing,” Beyney says. “We recommend it.”
