CVW caught up with Martin Brown, director, Repairify Innovations to discuss what role diagnostics has to play in the CV sector and how the right diagnostics solution can save your business time.
Q. How would you sum-up diagnostics in the CV arena at present?
Martin Brown (MB): CV diagnostics is a constantly evolving area with a multitude of different diagnostic solutions on the market today. From tablets to dongles to remote services, the CV arena is awash with competitive and effective diagnostics options. One common issue in diagnostics is the need to use OEM equipment to be able to complete work. A lot of work requires bypassing secure gateways, coding in new modules, or reprogramming vehicles, all of which count on OEM tools. We believe we have the answer to this issue, without having to spend copious amounts on more equipment and licensing.
At Repairify we’ve created an all-in-one tool that will put your workshop ahead of its competition. A tool that does all the local diagnostics functions with ease, but also gives the customer access to a wealth of OEM equipment and IMI qualified technicians. The remote services available on the diagnostics tablet allow the user to connect to our network of OEM tools over-the- air and have dealer-standard, exclusive work completed on their vehicles.
Q. What do CV technicians want from diagnostic calibration systems?
MB: There are several qualities that technicians look for in a complete diagnostic calibration system. The first, and most important, is that the tool reduces key-to-key times in their workshop. This will bring costs down whilst boosting efficiency, leading to higher customer satisfaction rates.
Second, and also very important, is the speed at which the diagnostic system operates. A high-speed and nimble tool makes the day-to-day diagnostic scanning and dynamic calibrating a breeze for the mechanics. Technicians also look for a diverse variety of functions in a diagnostic tool. Being able to not only read and clear faults, but to also engage in special functions such as DPF regens, steering angle sensor resets or calibrations, and ABS bleeding, is essential for a diagnostics tool.
Finally, the latest sought after capability that’s important for technicians is the ability to keep otherwise outsourced OEM work in their repair lanes thanks to the diagnostics tool. If a system can provide remote expertise for jobs that otherwise require dealer-only equipment, on top of the local use, then it kills two birds with one stone.
Q. How do Repairify’s diagnostic systems reduce key-to-key times?
MB: We design our tools to minimise lead times and maximise workshop productivity by helping technicians get to and through the scan faster. The speed and agility of our tools means the user can save time and get back to the business of making safe, quality repairs.
However, the most valuable weapon in our diagnostic system’s armoury to reduce key-to-key times is the remote service. Typically, the workshop would have to send vehicles to the main dealer or use a subcontractor to complete work requiring OEM tools. This can take weeks, especially if the dealership is backlogged, but using our tool you can book in a session usually the same day and have the work completed as soon as possible. Having OEM tools and trained technicians able to get jobs done the same day can shave weeks off the key-to-key times.
Q. What after-sales support does the company offer?
MB: At Repairify, we pride ourselves on our customer support and have a dedicated support team ranging from qualified technicians to IT specialists. Our customer support team are on call from 8:30am to 5:30pm every weekday and are trained in IT and workshop support. We bolster our phone-line support with our direct technical support option, which gives our team the ability to control the software on any tablet and fix issues themselves, providing customers with a complete support service.
As mentioned before, we also offer remote diagnostics services post-sale. These provide customers with access to our entire collection of OEM tools and technicians which allows for OEM work such as pre- or post-scans, coding, and calibrating to be offered post-sale.
