Mitchell 1 introduced three product innovations at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX).
The company demonstrated the new products in its booth every two hours during the show, which concluded on Nov. 2.
Descriptions of the new products follow.
Manager SE Connected Car Interface: Mitchell 1 is now able to help automotive repair shops take a proactive approach to solving issues for their customers before they have arrived at the shop. The company has enabled Manager SE to work with a network of leading telematics devices, allowing the repair shop to be alerted through the shop management system when a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) is triggered on their customer’s vehicle. The alert shows up as a new icon in the Manager SE dashboard, and when clicked, shows the vehicle VIN, mileage and the DTC that has been triggered. With that information the shop can start their diagnostic process with a quick look up in ProDemand to identify common repairs related to the DTC. At the same time, the service writer can contact the vehicle owner to assure them that they are aware of the situation and are ready to confirm the diagnosis and start the repair as soon as the vehicle arrives in the shop.
ProDemand with 1Search Plus: The company says 1Search Plus streamlines the user experience with an easy-to-use graphical layout and intuitive workflow to help auto repair technicians work more efficiently. The new interface takes repair information to a new level of intelligence with advanced search technology that scans the vast database of Mitchell 1 content and returns only the specific information the technician needs. The user selects a vehicle, enters a search term, and 1Search Plus returns information in a unique graphical layout, organized in the same flow that auto technicians use when approaching a diagnosis and repair. OEM and SureTrack real-world information are more tightly integrated and returned together in a single location, with no switching between tabs or scrolling through long lists of articles.
SocialCRM LocalSearch: LocalSearch complements the SocialCRM auto repair marketing services with premium features to help make auto repair businesses more visible online. Key features include a professional business website that is optimized for search engines, built-in website tracking and reporting, call tracking to monitor and record consumer calls, and additional sources for consumer reviews. Mitchell 1 says the new service will help repair shops build their brand and expand their selling and marketing opportunities with the ultimate goal of increasing their bottom line.
Mitchell 1 will mark its 100th year of providing repair information solutions to the motor vehicle industry in 2018. Mitchell 1’s roots go back to 1918 with the first edition of the Reed Electrical Manual of Starting, Lighting, Ignition published by Service Engineering Company. Many years later, the automotive repair data was added to the vast database comprising the Mitchell Manuals content library. That content evolved to become the foundation of ProDemand online repair information software.
