carexpert manages all of its field agents from a centralised dispatch centre located at the company headquarters in Walluf near Wiesbaden. About 250 auto experts are on the road across Germany to meet client needs quickly and cost-effectively. All experts are graduate engineers or master auto mechanics with many years of experience and ongoing professional training. carexpert employs 330 people overall. The company posted revenues of €31 million euro for fiscal 2004.
For more than ten years, carexpert Kfz-Sachverständigen GmbH has been using mobile solutions to record vehicle damages and prepare expert reports right at the scenes of accidents. Their mobile devices run a special calculation program by Audatex which indicates the appropriate vehicle model. Once the auto expert enters the damages, the program immediately shows the prices for the required spare parts.
This mobile solution has obvious advantages: electronically recording data on location simplifies and accelerates processes, and the job — including calculation and billing — can be done faster than with a paper-based solution. Via UMTS, the experts can also access their e-mail and conduct internet research.
To accommodate continuous improvements, new developments, and more demanding applications, carexpert upgrades the hardware used by its mobile agents every three years. “The previous model had a display that was very hard to read when it was bright outside. Easy readability in sunlight was therefore our main requirement. In addition, the hardware needed to meet our demands for the next three years,” said Jürgen Hoffmann, one of carexpert’s project leaders.
“The key feature that sold us on the Motion M1400 Tablet PC was the size and quality of the display. With 12.1 inches, a resolution of 1024×768 pixels, and its View Anywhere display technology, the display allows our agents to use the device anywhere, even in direct sunlight,” said Mario Kunz, second project leader in charge of introducing the new Tablet PC generation. Furthermore, carexpert was impressed by the strong performance, the above-average battery runtime, and the user-friendly handling of the ultra mobile Motion M1400, as well as by the excellent customer service provided right from the start by the Motion Computing sales staff.
View Anywhere display technology reduces unwanted reflection and glare by a factor of ten and improves translucency by 15 per cent. The result is lower energy consumption and more efficient heat dissipation. View Anywhere enhances display readability by raising the contrast ratio (by 225 per cent) and extending the viewing area (viewing angle is 180 degrees).
“We had to make sure that all data was transferred from the old computers so that the new, fully functional equipment could be handed out within just two days,” said Jürgen Hoffmann. The sheer amount of material and the coordination between several suppliers also presented a big logistical challenge. “We were able to successfully jump this hurdle thanks to the close cooperation between our IT staff, carexpert’s own training department and Motion as well as other partners,” explained Jürgen Hoffmann.
carexpert KFZ-Sachverständigen GmbH is very pleased with the M1400 Tablet PC. “Operations with about 250 configurations are running smoothly. In case of questions or occasional minor error messages, the knowledgeable support staff at Motion Computing are on hand to provide quick and straightforward assistance,” said project leader Mario Kunz. Tablet PCs from Motion allow the auto experts to provide car-related services with the utmost efficiency. Vodafone’s UMTS card provides them with dial-up access to the internet and the company intranet while they are out in the field.
The new Motion Tablet PCs have been very well received. “Some of our clients noticed this solution and wanted to learn more about our project. We’ve already recommended the Motion M1400 several times, and some of our clients have already selected this product,” said Jürgen Hoffmann.