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To have their windshields repaired, clients can reach out to Carglass® through their website, by calling, or by visiting the service centre. When opting for the first two methods, clients are required to send photos of the damaged windshield themselves. Carglass® specifically requests high-quality images to properly register the case and, if necessary, facilitate consultation with the insurance.
When a client takes photos of the damaged windshield and sends them to Carglass®, there is a possibility that the pictures may not be of sufficient quality, which means Carglass® needs to ask for photos again or the client needs to visit the service centre in person. The tasks related to collecting and analysing these photos are time-consuming for Carglass® employees and could be automated with the assistance of image collection and damage detection software. This is where DriveX comes in to assist Carglass® in streamlining this process.
How did Carglass® manage windshield claims and repairs before?
We sat down with Sven Freiberg, the CEO of Carglass® Estonia, and Sirve Siniroht, their Contact Centre Manager, to discuss their business bottlenecks and how DriveX helped resolve them. As mentioned, clients can submit the windshield damage incident to Carglass in three ways: via homepage, by calling, or by visiting the service point. After the incident details have reached Carglass, they will register the case in their internal system. A Carglass employee will investigate the incident and make an offer for the repair or replacement of the glass. If it’s a replacement case, Carglass will need to consult with the client’s insurance provider and wait for the compensation decision. If it’s a repair case, the job will be done instantly.
In windshield claim management, Carglass always needs photos of the damage for proof. When a client submits the incident details through the homepage or by calling, the client must take photos of the car themselves.
Photos sent by clients might be of poor quality because they might need some guidance on how to take the photos, some angles may be missing and when attaching the photos to the email, some are often forgotten. It is also a lot of redundant work for Carglass employees to download the photos sent by clients to their computer and upload them again to their internal system. Going through the photos and analysing them also takes up a noticeable amount of time.
If the photos sent by the client are insufficient to analyse the incident, the Carglass employee invites the client to the service point and will take the photos themselves. This is time-consuming for both the client and the Carglass employee. Not to mention the gas money for driving to the service point. So why not get the photos right the first time?
How does windshield claim management work now with DriveX?
When clients contact Carglass® remotely, they receive a text message containing a DriveX link for capturing photos. Using DriveX ensures correct, high-quality images on the first attempt. DriveX also eliminates the possibility of photos being photoshopped and the security risks associated with uploaded photos potentially containing malware. The implementation of DriveX software has significantly reduced manual work for both Carglass® employees and their clients.
Employees will no longer need to exchange numerous emails with clients and insurers concerning poor-quality photos or handle the task of uploading them to their internal system, as photos taken with DriveX are automatically uploaded. As employees get a good overview of the damage right away, they can plan the repair works and schedule their technicians more efficiently. Carglass® employees can automate a significant portion of their process related to photos of cars, thus managing more clients simultaneously and focusing on activities that create more value for the company.
From the client’s perspective, the implementation of DriveX software has reduced the waiting time for windshield damage cases, allowing clients to have their windshields fixed more quickly. The process with DriveX software is more convenient, as clients can skip reading a guide on how to take photos of their car and can immediately start capturing images with their smartphone, thanks to built-in instructions. Moreover, if a photo is taken incorrectly, the software notifies the client and provides instructions for capturing a better image. The DriveX software process is also more convenient for clients, eliminating the need to upload photos to a computer and send them via multiple emails due to email attachment restrictions.
Let’s talk numbers: how much time exactly does Carglass save with DriveX?
Carglass® Estonia’s contact centre manager, Sirve Siniroht, shared that in the previous process, it took an average of 142.8 seconds to send the photo-taking guide to a client, review the photos, and forward them to the insurance company. Currently, Carglass® employees can send clients a text message with a DriveX link for photo-taking. After the client captures images of their car, employees manually review the photos. The time spent on activities related to photos for one case is now reduced to 61.8 seconds. This results in a time-saving of 81 seconds per case. Using the DriveX software, Carglass® currently saves 20 hours per month and 240 hours per year of their employees’ time.
What’s next?
In the future, DriveX links will be automatically sent to clients, eliminating the need for any photo reviews, as all repair or replacement decisions will be made by the software. In such a scenario, as stated by Sirve, Carglass® employees will spend just 12 seconds on all activities related to photos. This translates to a time saving of 130.8 seconds per case. With an average of 1500 insurance cases per month, this implies that by using the DriveX software in the future, Carglass® would save 54 hours per month and 648 hours per year in employees’ time.
