+++ Added convenience for customers and dealers +++ Service consultant to perform remote diagnosis via mobile data +++ Satisfied customers, a lighter load for dealers +++

“Error! Please have your car serviced soon!” Until now, that announcement meant it was time to take the car to the workshop and waiting indefinitely until the error log had been read and a diagnosis made. Only then could the workshop tell you what the next steps would be. Depending on the service partner’s schedule and the availability of spare parts that might be needed, you would then have to make a second appointment to have the parts fitted. But all that effort will soon be over – for both the customer and the dealer.

In the future, if the vehicle display shows an error, the customer will simply call their BMW partner straight from the stationary vehicle to consent to the transmission of their data – and that’s it! Job done! The service consultant will then perform a remote diagnosis over the air. All that’s needed is a mobile internet connection and a laptop, and with the customer’s permission and a click of the mouse, the error log can be read out immediately. The service consultant will know in an instant how they can help and what to do next.

The advantages of this new solution are obvious: for dealers it saves time and money in the workshop. A pilot project in the UK showed that in 70 percent of cases, dealers were able to prepare better for customer visits. They also saved half an hour per car on average, freeing up more time for other tasks. And in the majority of cases, there was no need to provide a courtesy car either.

Needless to say, the extra convenience had a positive effect customer satisfaction and loyalty. One customer, whose car was “treated” in the British pilot project tweeted: “Brilliant service from BMW Sheffield. They hooked in to my X5, found an error diagnosis, booked my car in and fixed it! Great service, amazing tech. Well done, BMW!”