GM announced a new digital experience that helps customers navigate what they do following a vehicle collision during a Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit at SEMA last week. 

“I am thrilled to announce today here at SCRS that we have launched GM Collision Assistance, and we are now in the market,” John Eck, GM Collision Assistance head of product, said Thursday. “We have been for a couple of weeks now with a new digital product that helps customers after a collision.” 

Eck said Collision Assistance provides additional support to consumers following their OnStar experience, including providing information on GM-certified repair shops. He said the presentation follows one given by Andrew Rose, OnStar Insurance president, during the 2023 OEM Summit. To watch the presentation click here.

“It’s another typical day,” Eck said, describing a scenario. “It’s a nice fall morning. Days are a little darker. The air’s a little crisper. The roads are a little wetter because of a light rain. The car is full with the kids. You’re on your way to take them to school. You’ve got your errands to run; everything’s great. Your favorite song has come on the radio. You tap on the steering wheel, and out of nowhere, bam.” 

Following a collision, the driver is faced with a range of emotions including panic, dread and confusion about what to do next. 

“Who do I call?” Eck said. “Am I collecting the right information? I’m disoriented, the kids are screaming. These are real customer emotions. Everything’s discombobulated. I have to figure out how to get a rental car. What is a VIN? I don’t even know what a VIN is. And now I’m gonna have to repeat it 12 times in 10 different ways to the same person.” 

Eck said when OnStar completes, the consumer still has important steps to take such as document damage and possibly find a repair shop. 

“What do I do?” Eck said. “Where am I going? My insurance company wants to send me to this facility. I don’t even know who these people are. Are they able to work on my car? Do they understand these ADAS technologies and these fancy gadgets that I have? Can they fix those things? I don’t understand how to find the right shop. In today’s world, with today’s vehicle, these are real moments that matter.”

GM has been dissecting the post-collision journey for consumers to understand the process and emotions, Eck said. He said the company focused on solving consumer pain points. 

Eck said the journey can be stressful, confusing and frustrating. He said this can trigger unwanted behaviors and downstream defection. 

Collision Assistance helps consumers document appropriate information, such as what type of collision occurred and information from other parties. 

The next step is to provide drivers with a list of certified repair network facilities, Eck said. 

“You can choose wherever you want,” Eck said. “We actually put a note in there saying, ‘Hey, it’s your choice of where you go to get your vehicle repaired.’” 

Eck said the consumer has the ability to download a report with all the data collected at the scene. He said the information is not used internally by GM. 

“We only see aggregate numbers,” Eck said. “I don’t see customer data. Nobody does. Nobody gets to use it for any purpose. It’s not sold. It’s not utilized for any other purpose for the customer. They would have to download the report themselves in a PDF and then they could email it off to their insurance company.” 

Collision Assistance is able to track how often certified repair shops are viewed. He said it also tracks how often customers follow-through with an appointment. 

“This is something that the repairers have been asking for from the OEMs,” Eck said. 

Eck said GM will provide this information to shops via reports in its electronic commerce systems. 

“I’m happy to report that I found a few shops this week that I was able to tell, ‘We sent you an assignment.’” Eck said. “I had one of our repair professionals come up to me last night and said ‘I got two assignments from you.’ So this has been really cool.” 

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Feature and embedded photos screenshots from GM slide OEM Summit presentation on Collision Experience during SEMA Nov. 7