A properly executed digital transformation offers many benefits to any organisation. The advantages of digital reporting, however, are quite often still overlooked. While having access to real-time data insight can be a game-changer for many companies, most are not yet exploring its full potential. According to a NewVantage Partners report, over half of today’s companies do not drive their innovation based on data.
Naturally, companies dealing with car damage repairs are also part of this statistic. While many fleet- and claim managers already use various digital tools and management systems, their periodic reports are usually still made and maintained in the old-fashioned manner - manually. Reporting is often a time-consuming process filled with extensive excel sheets that are not always accurate or kept up-to-date.
This article, based on our whitepaper "How digital automation transforms car damage repair", highlights how fleet- and claim managers can use automated digital reporting to their benefit and unveils some of the unique value it offers.
In a nutshell, digitalisation offers organisations a data-driven approach that helps managers understand individual situations better and optimise the organisation’s decision-making process.
However, many organisations are still hesitant to embrace new technology and let go of their traditional ways. The main obstacle is often not the lack of technical capabilities or resources as one might think. It is merely a human factor - a lack of understanding of how much data can improve overall operations. To help fleet- and claim managers see the advantages of digital reporting, we’ve created an overview of its main benefits.
Save time
Usually, preparing a report is quite a time-consuming task for fleet- and claim managers. It requires keying in information on vehicles, drivers, car damage, repairs, and keeping track of all resources spent during all the different steps. To do this, managers usually have numerous tabs open, several spreadsheets to work in, and different formulas and terminology to remember.
With digital reporting, relevant information can be gathered and presented in an easy-to-understand format with the click of a button. For instance, fleet- or claim managers can easily view the average duration and costs for repairs, keep track of driver satisfaction and network performance without having to look up invoices, checking calendars, ploughing through emails or even picking up the phone.
Eliminate human error
Gathering and interpreting data from different sources to present and analyse results requires a great deal of attention. But with the amount of data that needs to be collected manually, there is a high chance of one or few numbers being put in incorrectly by mistake.
Small errors like these can affect the overall results of the report, which, in turn, can influence the vital decision-making process. With digital reporting, data is gathered from different sources and results are calculated with up-to-date numbers automatically.
Monitor live
No one wants to spend all their time checking in with different stakeholders to see if everything is going according to plan. With technology, companies can monitor real-time information. This allows managers to keep track of each repair from start to finish. Instead of always running behind the facts, managers can now rest assured when all is going as planned or intervene to solve any issue at hand.
Connect the dots
Quite often, traditional reports are focused on all kinds of specific metrics yet do not show how they affect operations or impact each other. As a result, managers have access to totals and averages yet have to connect the dots themselves, making it easy to overlook something important.
By having reports highlighting important KPIs and showcasing relevant connections, fleet- or claim managers gain actionable learnings and the full picture.
For example:
- How long was the average vehicle downtime this month, and how does it compare to other months?
- By how much were total cycle times reduced this week, and how much could they’ve been reduced if complex car damage was steered directly?
- How high were the direct repair costs last quarter? By how much have the costs been lowered, and by how much could they've been lowered further had repairs been allocated differently?
- How satisfied are our drivers, and why? Which body repair shop performed best in our Northern region, and why is our former Western region top-5 repairing less volume lately?
Increase transparency
Digital reporting decentralises the traditional process of creating and receiving reports and increases transparency within a company. Previously, to analyse results or receive status-updates, managers would have to look in multiple files and ask different departments for their input.
But now, digital reports are created, obtained and reviewed fully online. Because dataflows are centralised and accessible, reporting is a lot more transparent, up-to-date, and valuable learnings are only a few clicks away.
In conclusion
The traditional reporting approach is long overdue for a change. With all the possibilities that digital automated reporting has to bring, it’s time for fleet- or claim managers to catch up and start reaping the benefits. Next to automated reporting, digital car damage repair handling has also proven to increase driver satisfaction, lower costs, and accelerate repair cycles tremendously.
Fixico's repair management platform provides fleet- and claim managers with a variety of automated reporting possibilities. Fleet- and claim managers can cut out manual work, save time, ensure data’s accuracy, and never miss any valuable information to optimise operational efficiency. Let's see how we can help you, request a demo today!