Could bodyshops take the FNOL lead?

A new app has been launched that could enable bodyshops to be notified first in the event of a collision.

Auto Logistic Solutions (ALS) has introduced the fully integrated 4Sight dashcam app, available on both Android and Apple, which will automatically notify a support centre in the event of an accident, providing instant video footage.

Within seconds a team member will call the driver to guide them through the post-accident process or, if necessary, alert the emergency services that help is required.

But for bodyshops, the app could also secure long-term relationships with customers while at the same time offering new revenue streams. Apart from benefiting from initial subscription revenue from any customer that downloads the 4Sight app, bodyshops could also secure secondary accident-related revenue.

Kyle Harris, managing director at Auto Logistic Solutions, said, ‘We have handled thousands of incidents over the years. Industry stats suggest that 40% of all claims are disputed, usually on liability issues. It is therefore no surprise that dashcam usage has soared over the past five years.

‘However, our vast experience tells us that time between accident and the notification is crucial, not only to the person involved of course, but also in terms of both customer retention and maximising revenue opportunities.

‘We therefore concluded that the only way to solve these problems was to create a product that provided not only vital video footage, but also an automatic alert to a response centre. Instant access to an accident notification allows immediate assessment of the clients’/drivers’ needs and requirements and provides evidence with which to establish liability.

‘Additionally, good quality third party information, regarding vehicle damage including photographic evidence, for example, is vital to bodyshops, Being the first to know an incident has occurred puts the bodyshop in the driving position. They can be the first in line to make contact with their customer to offer their services, thus securing any repair work required to rectify the damage caused by the accident. This, in addition to revenue gained from referred subscriptions to the app could prove hugely beneficial to bodyshops across the UK.’

Client retention for repeat bodywork has long been a major problem in the repair industry, particularly with clients bouncing from one insurer to the next, or one vehicle brand to the next. By offering the 4Sight Dash Cam App, a repairer can secure future retail repair work directly from the client for years after the app has been introduced.