VW and DAT are rolling out mobile damage reporting

VW and DAT are rolling out mobile damage reporting

Since October 2021, the option of the simple damage reporting function, which was originally developed at Audi with the support of DAT, has been an integral part of the newly created Roadside Events Platform (REP) and has since been used across the Volkswagen Group.

With the damage reporting function, it is possible to start a claims process on the go and then transfer the data to the brand workshop. The REP platform has two orientations: the view of the call center and that of the dealer, who receives the order into his SilverDAT 3 via FastTrack/myClaim server.

Activities in the event of damage

In principle, a driver of a vehicle from the Volkswagen Group can either confirm a proactive pop-up in the vehicle after a minor accident (not an emergency call), use the online breakdown call button or call the brand's call center directly. When contacting the breakdown call center, the VIN and the damage zones and severity are automatically transferred to the call center via the SIM card installed in the vehicle. If contact is made purely by telephone, the driver must provide the VIN. The VIN is required for vehicle identification.

In the call center, the employee opens a software mask that allows them to see hit zones, damage levels, warning lights and error codes using connected car technologies. With the information provided by the driver, the call center employee can record the roughly visible damage in more detail or - if no damage has been reported by the vehicle via the interface - record the damage completely.

DAT’s FastTrack technology is used in the background. "Using a catalog of possible damage to the individual components developed with DAT, the call center employee can further specify the type of damage and the damaged parts. For example, there are only three specified types of damage to a bumper: scratches, dents and cracks. Call center employees do not need any special 'expert' training to record the damage," explains Kathrin Harrer, AUDI AG.

Pre-calculation

Based on the collected data, a preliminary calculation of the recorded damage is created with the required parts and an average hourly billing rate for the working time. The call center employee then assigns the damage process with owner and location data to an authorized workshop of the respective brand. The workshop receives the preliminary calculation into SilverDAT 3 with the damage pattern.

She receives the calculation either with the average hourly billing rate or, in the case of using SilverDAT myClaim in combination with the VW claims network, with her own hourly billing rate stored in SilverDAT 3. This means that the workshop has all relevant data about the process available before a damaged vehicle arrives. She has the opportunity to plan the order into her processes and order the necessary parts. After the damaged vehicle arrives at the workshop, the order can of course be further refined and supplemented by the experts. If the calculation only contains glass parts, then the workshop can convert the K&L process into a glass process.

The damage reporting function is available to all Audi partners in Germany. Of these, around 250 partners use the functions of SilverDAT 3 / MyClaim. The system is already in productive use for Audi in the Swiss, French, Italian and Irish markets. The function is now an integral part of the Group solution Roadside Events Platform (REP), which, in addition to Audi, is also used for the brands Seat, Skoda, Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The platform has already been successfully rolled out in Italy and the rollout to other European markets is in full swing.