Aug. 15, 2014—Customer demand is changing the automobile repair industry, according to a recent survey by AudaExplore, a data-driven solution provider for insurance carriers, repairers, dealerships, fleet owners and suppliers.
More than 135 repair and insurance professionals told AudaExplore in a survey given at the 2014 NACE/CARS Expo & Conference in July that digitally empowered customers are driving them to adopt new technology and communication methods. The three most “disruptive technologies” that more than half of the respondents said their businesses adopted were mobile, social media and data analytics technologies.
In addition, nearly half of the respondents said that new vehicle technology was a worrisome issue for their business.
“It was not a surprise to learn that shops are worried about evolving vehicle technology, said Adam Vasquez, VP of marketing at AudaExplore. “Advancements in aluminum, vehicle connectivity and anti-collision technologies are forcing the repair industry to adapt and converge offerings at an increased pace. These changes can cost businesses both a significant amount of time and money.”
Other key findings of the survey included:
- 35 perce of shop owners ranked estimating accuracy their most important technology capability
- 24 percent of respondents said real-time customer communications their number-one technology capability
- 22 percent said employee productivity technology was the most important to them
- 12 percent of respondents said business analytics was at the top of the list for their technology capability needs
- 4 percent of respondents said parts efficiency was their most important technological capability
- 79 percent of those surveyed reported that their technology is up-to-date
- 48 percent described their company’s technology as cutting edge
- 9 percent of repair professionals said cloud computing played a significant role in transforming their business
