WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, Canada --- Because of a successful pilot program, Gerber Collision & Glass has decided to use the Librestream Onsight remote wireless device in its damage estimating process.

The test, dubbed the Centralized Appraisal Program (CAP), let appraisers at the company's facility in Elmhurst, Ill., collaborate with repair center employees remotely.

Using the Onsight mobile device, repair employees can show and discuss the car damage and generate a damage appraisal in real time. Appraisers, sitting at their PCs, can take control of the device remotely to zoom in, save still images, and record video to include with the damage estimate and for future reference.

"When we launched our CAP initiative with Librestream, our goals were to improve appraisal accuracy and customer service, and increase our workforce flexibility and operational efficiency. I am pleased to say that we were able to achieve all of those goals by using the Onsight solution to centralize our appraisal processes," said Tim O'Day, president of Gerber. "We hope to extend this collaboration opportunity from within our own enterprise to include insurance companies to further drive productivity advancements in the future."

The CAP pilot initiative at Gerber resulted in the following:

- 7 percent increase in appraisal accuracy

- 3-4 percent increase in capture rates

- 15-minute reduction in client wait times

- A measurable increase in repair vs. replace labor and alternative parts utilization.

"We were truly impressed with how quickly Gerber's team was able to drive the process change initiatives and deliver on the CAP goals," said Kerry Thacher, CEO of Librestream.

Gerber Collision & Glass is a wholly owned operating division of The Boyd Group (US) Inc.