Mitchell's FirstEstimate Celebrates Its Anniversary With Kudos
SAN DIEGO--April 5, 2001--Users Praise Professional-Looking Estimates and Pay-Per-Use Structure
of Industry's First and Only On-Line Estimating Product
On the six-month anniversary of its nationwide release, Mitchell's groundbreaking FirstEstimate product, the first - and still only -- Internet-based estimating system for the automotive collision repair industry, is rapidly growing its customer base and receiving accolades from body shops and independent adjusters around the country.
Body shops praise FirstEstimate as a great tool for creating estimates more readily accepted by insurers, while independent adjusters enjoy its anytime, anywhere accessibility via the Internet. Both commend its pay-per-use structure, ease of use and creation of professional estimates backed by Mitchell's widely accepted P-page logic and industry standard parts and labor database.
FirstEstimate can be accessed at www.firstestimate.com. It requires no subscription fees and costs only $13.95 per estimate. Specially priced packages, which include free estimates, are also available and significantly reduce the overall estimating cost.
"To me FirstEstimate is a money maker for a shop because it helps you prepare a more accurate estimate," said Jerry Anderson of Andy's Auto Body in Marina, Calif., who used to do all his estimates by hand. "When I was handwriting estimates I might miss some things, additional operation items like bag fees, hazardous waste disposal or corrosion protection restoration. But it's like FirstEstimate gives you a mental note to include those things." Anderson estimates that he averages $100 to $300 more in repair costs per estimate by being more thorough with FirstEstimate.
FirstEstimate, which became available nationwide last October, is designed to allow independent adjusters and collision repair shops of any size to easily write professional and accurate repair estimates. All a user needs to begin estimating is Internet access and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 to go to the FirstEstimate.com site. Once there, parts are selected from convenient click-on graphics and text lists provided. Users can adjust labor rates before clicking on the "calculate" button. FirstEstimate uses Mitchell P-page logic to insure estimate accuracy and is linked to Mitchell's industry-leading parts and labor database.
Joby Wolff, of Wolff Auto Body in Hibbing, Minn., was one of many users interviewed who enjoy FirstEstimates' pay-per-use structure. "There isn't a big investment in software or a monthly subscriber fee to pay," said Wolff. "You use the estimates as you need them, you pay for them as you go."
Gary Faletto, of Gary's Auto Body in Orange, N.J. says that's really beneficial for shops who don't do large numbers of estimates or who go through a slow time now and then. "Suppose you have a slow month and only write three estimates, you don't have to pay the subscription fee," he said. "It also picks up all that little stuff, like clear coat, the kind of thing you might miss on an average estimate. And that compensates for the cost of using First Estimate. It don't miss nothing...It's a winner."
All users interviewed noted that insurers more readily accept FirstEstimate's professional-looking printed estimates over handwritten estimates. "The insurance companies like it," said Jeff Osborn of J & D Body Shop in Gothenburg, Neb. "The printouts are easier for them to read and understand."
Bryan Rayburn of Rayburn's Auto Body & Towing in Greenwood, Miss. noted that insurers are used to and feel comfortable with Mitchell estimates since many already use Mitchell's UltraMate CD-based estimating software. "FirstEstimate is in line with what the insurance companies are already using," he said.
"They (insurers) know that the labor times and parts are correct," added independent appraiser and FirstEstimate user Don Wilson of San Juan Solutions in Montrose, Colo., explaining that insurers know this information is electronically generated through a link to Mitchell's database.
Jerry Anderson and several other users noted that insurers are less likely to question items generated by an electronic estimating product like FirstEstimate. "It's (items on the estimate) part of the database," Anderson explained. "Are you going to argue with the database? It's part of what needs to be done."
Other users said FirstEstimate significantly reduces estimate preparation time because parts numbers, labor times, prices and special considerations like overlap are generated automatically.
Bryan Rayburn agrees. "It saves me time. With FirstEstimate, you just 'point and click' and you've got an estimate. You can get it done quickly and then get back to doing your work."
Jim Wieber, an independent adjuster with Able Claims Service in Spokane, Wash., enjoyed saying good-bye to running and attaching calculator tapes to estimates.
"Before when I hand wrote them, it was a pain if you discovered you missed something," he said, explaining that one mistake can require multiple adjustments.
"Say you missed the front bumper cover. You have to add it back in, then put in two hours of paint time, which then adds in more clear coat and more paint and materials. Consequently, you have three things to adjust. With First Estimate, you don't run through your big eraser. The computer does it for you."
FirstEstimate is one of a suite of Mitchell on-line products and services available at eMitchell.com, Mitchell's open and interactive Internet workspace and marketplace for all parties in the collision repair industry.