GT Motive have been the talk of the town since their emergence into the UK Market in 2020. As the first cloud-based estimating solution to hit our industry they bang the drum for technological innovation and collaboration between all motor claims stakeholders.
At the end of 2022, the GT Motive UK team announced they would be freezing their prices for the full year of 2023. I sat down with GT Motive’s Executive Director of UK and Ireland, David Vella to discuss their recent announcement and what it means for insurers and supply chain alike.
Hi David, thanks for joining us. The news of the GT Motive price freeze will come as quite the relief to many of your repair customers, as they face rising costs driven by the countries ‘Cost of living crisis’ in addition to their struggles for recruitment and challenges with part demand and fulfilment. What do you think your price freeze will mean for the industry as a whole?
David Vella: “We at GT Motive, just like the whole industry, are well aware of the challenges facing the market currently, just like our customers we are feeling the pressure of high costs. We need everyone within the insurance industry to work together to support the wider industry and minimise where possible any rising costs.
The supply chain are the beating heart of the claims industry, giving supply chain partners choice to choose their preferred solution can only benefit insurers and body shops alike, to promote healthy working relationships and sustainability.”
If insurers implement a second estimating solution what will that mean for their supply chain?
DV: “By implementing a second estimating solution repairers are able to choose who they work with, not only giving them full control over their finances thanks to our ‘pay per estimate’ pricing structure which allows repairers to predict their costs, but it also stimulates sustainability. More thriving repairers means more work completed and therefore more happy claimants for insurers.
Giving control to repairers allows them to utilise the technology that best suits their operations, their staff and their finances.”
Technology has advanced tenfold over the past decade, do you think something can be said about the emergence of new technologies into the industry?
DV: “In terms of innovation and new technologies, the automotive industry has remained static for a long time, relying on what they know, as the saying goes “If it isn’t broke don’t fix it!”. However, it may not be broken but it sure can be improved. Anything can be improved.
From the small things such as leaving terminals behind and utilising portable tablets, to the large technological changes such as API functionality to collate all your data into one single platform. If it has the ability to improve operations and efficiencies, isn’t it worth a go?”
Providing repairers the opportunity to maximise efficiency and negotiate operational frictions will present more opportunities for supply chains and bring choice, innovation and collaboration to not only provide better service for the end-user but also a smoother, more flexible process for all stakeholders involved along the way.
Providing the market with choice will only provide more opportunities for all stakeholders within the claims industry and improve the technological progression within supply chains, enabling a harmonious claims operation.
This will be an exciting year for GT Motive and we can’t wait to see what more they can bring to the market.
