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Sunday, October 11, 2009
Benefits to Writing Repair Estimates on the Interne

We at Web-Est are trying to do what no other body shop service provider has yet to master: utilizing the internet as a tool for the way body shops do business. We as a company have come to fully appreciate what the internet has accomplished for other industries and the businesses that have utilized it. The internet connects everyone with a PC to each other, creating avenues for businesses to communicate with potential customers, while also generating ways to place all operational activity on a secure, yet easily accessible system.


Take, for example, Web-Est's primary service: collision estimating. As it stands right now, major auto collision estimating providers like the "Big Three" still rely heavily on software that can only be uploaded to a single-station computer. Still utilizing yesterday's technology, other providers limit shop owners by forcing them to accept collision estimating software access to only one station. Then they charge them if they want more stations to have access. In the mean time, that single port collision estimate program requires that you pay the arm and leg it takes for those providers to create and manage that system. All the while, you as a body shop are required to do all the work that it takes to keep that system up-to-date on part prices!


Utilizing today's technology, Web-Est's collision repair software eliminates several headaches that you have in dealing with the single-port systems, most importantly of which are price and part price updating. Because of the internet, our expenses are much lower to manage the program. Our program is housed in one central location that every one of our customers has access to through the internet. We have one program to manage, all you need is internet access. A benefit of that: you don't have to pay for technical support. We have a handful of technicians on 24-hour standby constantly tending to our program. The "Big Three," on the other hand, have no choice but to put their financial resources into technical support to cover the needs of its entire customer base. And think about it, who do you think has to pay for all that technical support? Those costs are included in the monthly fees their customers have to pay. At Web-Est, because of the nature of the internet, our technical support fees remain low and our customers benefit from that.


Keeping the program updated is a lot easier to manage as well. When we get part price updates, we put it in our program and it immediately updates every customer who uses our system. Its that simple. We do all the work, all you have to do is focus on collision repair estimating. No more CD's and no more manual updating to your PC for you the customer. We take care of all the manual labor that comes with updating the part prices you need. To add to that luxury, the internet once again proves to be a money-saver. The "Big Three" providers have to send out CD's to all of their customers for updates. Audatex has recently begun providing updates via the Web, but it still raises questions about the impact of the updates to your hardware, meaning, they take the liberty of down-loading onto YOUR computer and when it creates a problem...No cheap endeavor, not for Audatex, and once again, not for you the customer. A centrally hosted system using the internet for you to connect to cuts that expensive step out of the process for us, which our customers benefit from.


Body shop estimate software on the internet is low-cost and is accessible to shop owners and managers any time and from any place. We at Web-Est fully believe that the internet can bring body shop owners new and improved ways of doing business. Start a Free Trial on our collision estimating program to discover for yourself what it can do.

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1 comment(s) for “Benefits to Writing Repair Estimates on the Interne”

  1. Gravatar of Glenn
    Glenn Says:
    I am an independent licensed Physical Damaged Appraiser in the state of Pennsylvania for 5 years now and I have used the Mitchell Est. system for approx. 15 years. I worked for Crawford and Company and several other Companies as well and I am very and I have never had so many problems with an estimating company as I do Web-Est. The main problem I have been experiencing from day one is Exporting an EMS File to one of my clients so that it can be attached to the rest of the file. The Claims Manager has loss all faith in me to the point that I am no longer permitted to write any more estimates for this Insurance Company and the will no longer accept anymore estimates done by Web-Est. I have contacted the help desk at both of Web-Est and the company that does the all the audits, which I am about to be dismissed from because I can not afford a better estimating system. I tried to explain to them that because I am a small company I could not afford another estimating company. I NO NOT feel that I should even have to pay 5 to 6 thousand dollars a year when I am paying Web-Est to at least be honest and tell me that their system is NOT capable of performing the most important task of writing an Estimate these days! Could you PLEASE e-mail me on step by step insstructions on how to send Export a completed estimate to the company I work with who uploads using JAVA? They are trashing Web-Est big time and say that the two systems are not compatible. Thank You.

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