GlassMatix
GlassMatix Case Studies
Car Magic
1st July 2009
Key facts Customer: Car Magic
Location: Chesham, Hertfordshire
Business type: Non-fault crash repair specialists
Estimate output: Approximately 20 per week
Glass's products used: GlassMatix and Glass's Guide Evaluator
Primary benefits: Speedy generation of accurate estimates supports the firm's claim to provide fast turnaround of repair jobs. Parts pricing, Glass's valuation tool and Thatcham labour times in one cost-effective package helping to reduce spend and increase profitability.
Car Magic, an independent car body repair specialist located in Chesham, Hertfordshire, is a satisfied user of the new version of GlassMatix. The company promises competitive pricing of repair jobs, aiming to get cars back on the road quickly and efficiently and offers free estimates to its customers.
Martin Beale at Car Magic, believes a key advantage of GlassMatix over rival solutions is the ability to generate fast and accurate estimates for its customers without incurring a cost.
"Providing a positive experience for the customer is very important to us. Quite frequently I deal with people who have just been involved in an accident and are understandably shaken. It is, therefore, very important that I can produce an accurate quote quickly for them, minimising the amount of time they have to wait to get their car back on the road. With GlassMatix we can turn around the estimate in a short amount of time and print a report for the customer to have there and then, without us being charged in the process."
Operating Evaluator alongside GlassMatix is particularly useful to the business when processing a claim with an insurer on behalf of the customer. Martin explains: "In the event that a vehicle is written-off by the insurer, it is often the case that the customer wants the repair job carried out, rather than accepting the write-off as a fait accompli. The car is worth more to the owner back on the road. Using Evaluator to access up-to-date and accurate vehicle values gives us the ability to adjust our pricing and labour rates to make an economically viable repair. This flexibility enables us to get the job done at the most cost-effective price and return the car to the customer quickly and efficiently."
Producing a quote on demand relies on the system being easy to use. "Each stage of the estimate generation process is straightforward, reducing the number of potential errors made and minimising the amount of time spent producing it. The system is now so intuitive to use that as long as you have a basic familiarity with Windows-based applications, you can work your way through things very easily."
Car Magic currently completes around 20 estimates per week and around 40 per cent are generated through GlassMatix. "The flexibility of GlassMatix is key to helping us achieve a service which is of value both to our business and our customers. The fact that it offers Thatcham repair times and parts pricing and integrates with Evaluator means we don't need to buy separate products. So we can maximise our profitability and offer very competitive rates," concludes Martin.
Auto Inspections
1st July 2009
Key facts
Customer: Auto Inspections
Location: Morpeth, Northumberland
Business type: Consultant engineers
Number of employees: Seven
Estimate output: Approximately 40 per week
Glass's product(s) used: GlassMatix and Glass's Guide Evaluator
Primary benefits: Cost to produce estimates is low, thanks to GlassMatix cost-free estimate generation and free VRM look-up facility. Ease of use and professional reports ensure Auto Inspections complies fully with guidelines laid down for expert witnesses.
When vehicle repair claims and post-accident valuations are contested through civil proceedings in court, it is often necessary to help resolve the dispute by engaging the services of an independent expert witness. The witness will be called upon to provide an informed, considered and fully-independent perspective, and their data and analysis will often have a significant influence over the court's final deliberations.
Cliff Fairhurst, founder and Managing Director of consultant engineers firm Auto Inspections UK Ltd, is one in a small and select group of automotive engineers who is a Member of the Expert Witnesses Institute. Membership requires Cliff to comply with Part 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules, which stipulate that their input in civil proceedings must be honest, independent and not subject to influence or bias.
Cliff is justly proud of Auto Inspections' independent status, and the company attracts work from for an equal balance of claimants and defendants. Founded in 1995 and based in Morpeth, Northumberland, Auto Inspections has grown steadily and has developed a specialism in diminution - the process of measuring any loss in a vehicle's value resulting from an accident, after repair work has been completed.
Auto Inspections is a long-standing user of the GlassMatix repair estimating solution, using it to produce around 40 estimates per week. "We were working happily with our existing GlassMatix system but, when an insurance engineer recommended we take a look at the new version, I got in touch with Glass's," explains Cliff. "The new application was installed quickly in March 2009, and since then we've got used to its new features and have been delighted with its usability.
"The interface is now very intuitive, and it's helped us exploit more of the functionality. We use the free VRM look-up facility to establish the true identity of the vehicle, ensuring we avoid the kind of simple estimating and valuation errors that could all too easily compromise our hard-won reputation. The revised reporting functionality is particularly valuable as it makes it much easier to produce the detailed reports that feature in our formal submissions in court proceedings."
Cliff is quick to highlight one of the most significant benefits of the new system for the Auto Inspections team - low operating costs. "Unlike other solutions out there, with GlassMatix we don't pay the system supplier each time we generate an estimate," explains Cliff. "Given that the majority of estimates we generate are not issued to an insurer but are instead investigatory, or developed for formal court reports, it is hugely beneficial that we do not have to incur additional incremental costs."
Where a diminution calculation is requested, Auto Inspections investigates in detail the nature of the accident, the full extent of damage caused, and the method and quality of the subsequent repair. To then generate the post-repair valuation, Auto Inspections uses Glass's Evaluator, a PC-based valuation tool that contains 40 per cent more values than the paper version of Glass's Guide.
Cliff adds, "Combining GlassMatix with Evaluator means we have an end-to-end solution for our diminution reporting. GlassMatix in particular has proved to be fantastic, giving us the functionality we need and generating clear and accurate estimate reports that are always respected by the court. That it gives us all this in the most cost-effective package available is a major bonus."
