SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 26, 2013) - Mitchell, a leading provider of technology, connectivity and information solutions to the Property & Casualty claims and Collision Repair industries, today announced agreements to incorporate VIN-specific (vehicle identification number) OEM data for General Motors, Chrysler, Nissan, and Mazda into its total loss valuation and collision estimating software.
The agreements add data for the GM family of brands, including Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC; Chrysler, including Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and Fiat; Nissan and Infiniti; and Mazda, which in total account for 44 percent of all Mitchell estimates. This data will allow Mitchell's total loss valuation and collision estimating software to access the most accurate vehicle information at VIN decode.
Mitchell's VIN decoder automatically populates standard options and gives a list of optional equipment for selection. When Mitchell first introduced this functionality for all manufacturers in 2009, before-and-after usability tests showed savings for estimators and adjusters in the 10 to 15 minute range for every vehicle. The enhanced VIN decoder, now with a vehicle's build sheet data, will aid users by automatically selecting optional equipment as well as standard equipment when evaluating total loss and repair issues.
"As a part of our commitment to provide the industry with the most accurate vehicle information at VIN decode, we are pleased to announce our agreement to add GM, Chrysler, Nissan, and Mazda build sheet data and will continue to add more vehicle brand partnerships throughout 2013," said Jim Brady, Vice President, Product Management Platform Services at Mitchell. "For total loss, we know that it can be challenging for an appraiser to identify all the options on a car that impact its value. If a 2013 GMC Yukon is damaged to an extent where it is unrecognizable, the appraiser may not be aware that the vehicle has the Sun, Entertainment and Destinations Package. Our goal in integrating this data is to make the appraiser's job easier and to ensure a great outcome for the customer."
For repair situations, Mitchell will use the options data to automatically qualify parts selected on an estimate. This will ultimately help estimators order the right parts the first time, thus avoiding delays getting vehicles back into the hands of customers.
To learn more about Mitchell's current capabilities to provide detailed OEM-specific equipment descriptions at VIN decode, please visit www.mitchell.com/workcenter/totalloss.
About Mitchell
Mitchell empowers clients to achieve measurably better outcomes. Providing unparalleled breadth of technology, connectivity and information solutions to the Property & Casualty claims and Collision Repair industries, Mitchell is uniquely able to simplify and accelerate the claims management and collision repair processes.
As a leading provider of Property & Casualty claims technology solutions, Mitchell processes over 50 million transactions annually for over 300 insurance companies/claims payers and over 30,000 collision repair facilities throughout North America. Founded in 1946, Mitchell is headquartered in San Diego, California, and has 1,700 employees. The company is privately owned primarily by the Aurora Capital Group, a Los Angeles-based investment group. For more information about Mitchell, visit www.mitchell.com.