Blog - Kimoby

Video MPIs: The Tool That's Adding $1,993 Per Repair Order

Written by Marjorie Latulippe | Mar 13, 2025

Let's be honest, dealership service departments and customers have a trust problem. Customers walk in defensive, armed with horror stories about unnecessary repairs and inflated costs.

Meanwhile, technicians who genuinely want to keep customers safe find their recommendations met with suspicion.

This trust gap costs dealerships thousands in declined services every day. But what if you could bridge that gap in just 30 seconds?

Meanwhile, technicians and service advisors are caught in an impossible position: they genuinely want to keep customers safe by recommending necessary repairs, but each suggestion comes with an invisible asterisk of suspicion.

This trust gap costs dealerships thousands in declined services every day. But what if you could bridge that gap in just 30 seconds?

Meanwhile, technicians and service advisors are caught in an impossible position: they genuinely want to keep customers safe by recommending necessary repairs, but each suggestion comes with an invisible asterisk of suspicion.

This trust gap costs dealerships thousands in declined services every day. But what if you could bridge that gap in just 30 seconds?

That where video multi-point inspections (Video MPIs) come in to end those awkward moments and replace skepticism with trust.

Table of Contents

  1. What is Video MPI?
  2. Do Dealership Customers Actually Care About Video MPIs?
  3. Advantages of Using Video MPIs
  4. Kimoby Simplifying Video MPI for Dealerships

Video Multi-Point Inspection (MPI) is a digitized and visual presentation of the recommendations after the inspection. Technicians or service advisors record videos highlighting areas that need attention—tires worn thin, brake pads close to gone, fluids dripping where they shouldn't—and share these visuals directly with customers.

What makes video to customer  special isn't just the video itself—it's how it flips a mundane vehicle inspection into something resembling an interactive shopping experience. Your customers don't just hear what's wrong; they see it, understand it, and can approve repairs instantly, typically via text.


Do Dealership Customers Actually Care About Video MPI?

Short answer: Yes, and the numbers back it up.

When customers receive photo or video documentation of recommended repairs, they're significantly more likely to say yes and approved ROs. In fact, according to industry statistics, visual evidence more than doubles customer approval rates, increasing them from 24% to an impressive 51%. Clearly, showing videos and images is a proven method for significantly boosting service approvals. But currently only 23% of customers receive visual documentation with their MPI. It's a great opportunity for fixed ops departments for growth and improvement in practices​.

When we talk about Video MPIs boosting approval rates by 51%, we're not just talking about numbers on a spreadsheet. We're talking about:

  • Service advisors who can finally sleep at night, knowing they've given customers all the information they need to make safe decisions
  • Technicians who feel respected for their expertise rather than questioned at every turn
  • Fixed Ops Managers who no longer have to defend their department's integrity in tense customer conversations
  • Customers who drive away with peace of mind, knowing they made informed decisions about their vehicle's safety

The deeper benefit isn't just increased revenue—it's repairing the broken trust ecosystem of automotive service.

It’s not rocket science—it's transparency. When customers see with their own eyes that the brake pads really are worn down to a sliver, skepticism vanishes.

OEMs, such as Subaru, have begun requiring dealerships to use video recordings during inspections. Customers themselves overwhelmingly prefer it: 31% report higher satisfaction with their service advisor after receiving a Video MPI.

In summary, yes, your customers genuinely care about seeing these videos. It's more reassuring and relatable than technical explanations.

Advantages of Video MPI

Video MPIs aren't just some trendy tech toy—they deliver real business results and transform your customer relationships.

  • Higher Approval Rates: Customers are two to three times more likely to approve recommended services after watching an inspection video.
  • Improved Customer Trust and Satisfaction: Using photos or videos during multi-point inspections significantly boosts customer satisfaction. According to J.D. Power, customers whose service advisors share visual proof of inspection findings are much more satisfied (scoring 911) compared to those who don't receive visuals (scoring 880), a difference of 31 points on J.D. Power's scale.
  • Increased Revenue: On average,  when customers receive their MPIs via video it increase revenue by 35-60% with Dollars per Repair Order (RO). In fact, one of our client saw their repair orders increase by an average of $1,993.58 compared to those without videos.
  • Operational Efficiency: Videos eliminate miscommunications and misunderstandings, reducing back-and-forths and saving valuable time. they also improve the response time bringing them to minutes only.
  • Less Anxiety, More Convenience: Customers appreciate transparency, and videos help eliminate that nagging feeling they're being upsold unnecessarily.

How Your Team Will Actually Love This Change

Let's address the elephant in the garage: new technology often means resistance. Your technicians might worry that video creation adds another task to their already packed day. Your service advisors might believe they don't have time to manage a new communication channel.

But here's what we've discovered from dealerships that have made the switch: the initial resistance typically dissolves within days, not weeks. Why? Because Video MPIs actually make everyone's job easier:

  • Technicians spend less time explaining complex issues to service advisors
  • Service advisors spend less time defending recommendations to skeptical customers
  • Managers spend less time mediating disputes or handling complaints

This is exactly why we created Kimoby. Make Video MPIs simple enough that your team will actually want to use them.

You might be thinking, "This sounds great, but isn't it a hassle? How will I get my team onboard?" That's the challenge we set out to solve with our platform.

Kimoby Simplifying Video MPI for Dealerships

You might be thinking, “This sounds great, but isn’t it a hassle? How will I be able to get my team onboard?” Good question. Technicians often see this technology as a double-edged sword: another task added to their already busy day, and another tech hurdle to jump over.

But our platform, Kimoby, is designed to tackle these very challenges:

  • Easy-to-Use Video Messaging: Kimoby allows your technicians to shoot and share with the fixed op team clear, concise videos straight from their mobile devices or tablets. No fancy equipment needed. It simplifies the tech experience and makes adoption a breeze. Service advisors can then send the video directly to clients phone.
  • AI-Generated Estimates: Kimoby uses AI to instantly generate accurate, professional service estimates based on video inspections. This saves time, reduces human errors, and helps your team produce clear, reliable quotes quickly.
  • AI-Powered Subtitles and Noise Reduction: To ensure clarity in your Video MPIs, Kimoby automatically adds AI-generated subtitles and reduces background noise. Your customers won't struggle to hear or understand what's being said—even in busy shop environments.
  • Built-In Training: Worried about technician resistance? Kimoby comes with integrated training resources that simplify the learning process, ensuring technicians feel comfortable and competent from the start.
  • Efficient Internal Collaboration: Kimoby's Conversations interface ensures smooth team communications. Instant messaging, internal notes, and easy assignment tools ensure everyone’s always on the same page. Once technicians record MPI videos than can share them with other team members that can take over.
  • Easy Management of Customer Information: All conversations, multimedia files, and customer histories are neatly organized and easily searchable, allowing teams to respond quicker and provide a truly personalized customer experience.

Kimoby allows your dealership to fully leverage Video MPIs without the headaches.

Conclusion

Dealerships using Video MPIs aren't just selling more services—they're completely changing how customers feel about their service department.

Imagine this:

  • Service advisors sending you visual and clear recommendations without that familiar tension
  • Customers understanding, thrusting and approving services in minutes rather than saying "let me think about it"
  • Repair orders increasing by up to $2,000
  • The CSI scores steadily climbing month after month

This isn't a fantasy scenario—it's the everyday reality for dealerships using Kimoby's Video MPI solution.

The question isn't whether Video MPIs will become the industry standard—they already are. The only question is whether you'll be ahead of the curve or playing catch-up.

Don't just take our word for it—see how Kimoby's Video MPI solution can transform service departments in a personalized demo.

Book Your Free Demo Today