Defining authorization in repair approvals

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Updated Nov 16, 2017

TMCThe concept of authorization snagged conversation during the S.16 study group Service Event Data Transparency task force meeting Monday at the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting in Nashville.

In the service industry authorization regularly means “customer approval,” but not every approval comes from the end user, says Bob Bullard at Empire Truck Sales.

For warranty work in particular, approval is needed from OEMs, suppliers and customers.

Attendees in Monday’s meeting were split on how to add that authorization step into the document. One side believes the OEM step needs to be included so customers see what’s holding up their repair, and why. Conversely, other attendees believe that step is covered by direct interaction between the customer and the OEM.

Both sides made compelling cases for their side, and task force co-chairs Bruce Love of DP Solutions and Mike Payne of Lonestar Truck Group noted they will take the conversation into advisement for the next meeting with their RP writing team.

The task force meeting also briefly discussed what data customers can provide a service provider at the genesis of a service order. A vehicle history is a great resource, says Rush Truck Centers’ Brian Mulshine, and it’s something service providers can use to get more information about the vehicle in their bay.

Transparency at the outset removes additional steps later in the repair, he says.

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