Capturing digital photos to document vehicle damage and work performed is a must-have administrative process that can be time-consuming. Shops might generate dozens of photos for every job, and daily efforts to transfer, organize and store them can lead to wasteful tasks for your office staff, says Brandon Tripp, shop manager at Tripp’s Auto Shop & Collision Centers in Lansing, Mich. Although there are several possible solutions to the problem, Tripp has identified one new strategy that works best for his location.
Tripp discusses how his shop has streamlined the photo management process using a digital photo smartphone application, which is an ideal solution for shops that don’t have an integrated management system.
We have a thorough process for digital documentation of every vehicle. We capture an average of 10–15 photos for each job. We also shoot a one-minute video to illustrate the state of the vehicle, warning lights and pre-existing damage during a quick walk-around before the estimate process begins.
We conducted that process using a basic digital camera in the past. But that required several wasteful steps. After taking the photos, we had to manually plug the camera into the computer, download the images, categorize them into the appropriate files, and upload them to specific repair orders. The process required roughly five minutes per job. With 70–80 weekly repairs, that generated about six to seven hours worth of administrative work every week. I had to stay late at the shop every night downloading, categorizing and filing photos.
We streamlined the photo management process by implementing a system called Eye-Fi two years ago. It’s a free smartphone app that eliminates several manual tasks by allowing users to automatically save and organize photos while they are being shot. It’s one of the simplest improvements we’ve ever made.
Our photo management process is now extremely simple and efficient. Estimators and technicians capture digital photos during estimating and teardown processes using smartphones. (Check out FenderBender’s October 2013 article “Best Practices for Collision Repair Photography” for 10 tips to improve your photo documentation.) Eye-Fi automatically categorizes the images by date and sends them to specific files housed on the shop’s server. The photos are transferred instantly, and appear in the server files within five seconds after being captured. Then we attach the photos from the server into the repair order within our management system. That requires one mouse click, and only about 10 seconds of time. The Eye-Fi app has eliminated every manual task associated with downloading and categorizing photos.
Eye-Fi is a very easy program to navigate and implement. Here’s how to implement the app in any shop:
1. Purchase smartphones. Eye-Fi is a smartphone app, so every employee responsible for capturing photos should have one. Our shop has supplied a smartphone to each estimator and technician in the disassembly department. I bought used smartphones that include great cameras off Ebay, Craigslist and Facebook for $20 each. I added a screen protector and $4 protective case to keep them safe. Any late model smartphone is capable of taking photos with high-quality resolution to send to insurance companies.
2. Connect the smartphone to Wi-Fi.
3. Download the app. Visit the app store to download Eye-Fi. It’s compatible with any smartphone or tablet device. The program must also be downloaded to the computers where photos will be housed. Shop owners only need to provide an email address to download the app.
4. Connect smartphones with the computer. After the program is downloaded to your computer, any smartphones in the shop that have the program are automatically detected. The program guides users through a set of instructions to integrate the smartphone with the computer.
5. Create files. The program provides step-by-step directions to set-up and organize various directories where photos will be saved. Shop owners can specify where certain photos should go. We have created three separate files—estimate photos, disassembly photos, and videos.
Time management and efficiency is the biggest improvement that has resulted from this. We’ve reduced administrative time to manage photos from five minutes to 10 seconds on each repair order, and images never get misfiled due to the automation. This saves time across the board for everybody who works on the vehicle, including estimators, technicians and office personnel. It’s so much easier for everybody.
