Today, I want to refer to my last article related to damage calculation systems. To better illustrate how both DMS and damage calculation systems cooperate, one should understand the basic workflow between both applications.

In cases where insurers supervise their own estimators usually, the process starts in the damage calculation system. On the other hand, many car dealers have already ‟won” the trust of insurers, and repair estimates are performed in their direction. Let’s look at each one in turn.

Workflow from the DMS side.

A service advisor creates a new repair order with customer, vehicle, and repair order scope (1.). The DMS Repair order is ‟connected” via a function to the damage calculation system (2.). This step enables a creation of the repair estimate (3./4.) which complies with insurers’ standards.

‟Harmony” between DMS and damage calculation system can be easily broken with problems related to data diversity. For example: by different formats of part numbers (677711 and A677711).

Workflow from the DMS side

To ‟bridge” similar situations, the DMS must have a clever way to ‟translate” and convert data into the DMS database (5.).

Labour, parts, painting material + other items including sales price are loaded to the original repair order for further processing (6.).

A final service invoice prepared according to an already approved repair estimate may significantly speed up the settlement of the invoice with insurers (7.).

Now see the scenario from the opposite angle.

Workflow from the Damage Calculation Systems

Workflow from the damage calculation systems insurers uses to ask their own or external technicians to prepare repair estimates which comply with their standards. In such cases, the creation of a repair estimate starts after visual vehicle inspection and mostly without direct dealer assistance out of the DMS.

A new case with the vehicle, customer, and finding details is being created in the damage calculation system (1.).

A repair estimate is edited, processed, and later provided by insurers to dealers for realization as a part of the newly created repair order in the DMS (2.).

Workflow from the Damage Calculation Systems

Service Advisors can load a repair estimate into the DMS either as a file or using the ‟Call Damage Calculation System” function as part of an interface solution (3.).

Finally, the repair estimate is converted into the repair order (4.) with all details related to labor positions, parts, etc. including approved sales price information. Now service advisors are ready to check and proceed with a repair order (5.) according to an approved repair estimate directly in the DMS (6.).

For a car-dealer to have on hand such an interface between damage calculation systems and DMS offers a great ‟accelerant” of the whole apparatus of claim settlements on collision repairs.

I hope you drew insight from the article. Looking forward to your feedback and genuinely interested in your opinion of it.

Dr. Juraj Hanus, hanus@taxapa.com

Data Analytics & Automotive Applications Expert for Dealerships