Video is one of the most powerful customer communication tools in automotive service. It’s even more impactful when it’s done well. Every inspection video shapes how customers perceive your brand’s professionalism, care and expertise. Once you’ve reached your target for volume, your focus should be on ensuring that every video meets a high standard for quality.

Some of you may have had a harder time than others incorporating video at your dealership. Maybe you initially faced resistance from technicians or advisors. Or maybe you had to reconfigure your work processes to get it up and running. And now that everyone is finally on board, you’re just happy that customers are getting videos from your service department on a regular basis.

But, as a dealer myself, I’m here to tell you that sending a bad video is worse than sending no video at all. A bad video can ruin years of customer trust in a matter of seconds.

Analyzing inspection videos gives leaders a method to identify gaps, train more effectively, and connect technician behavior to business performance. Reviewing and scoring helps answer your most important questions:

• Are technicians following the right process?
• Which behaviors drive approval and revenue?
• Where are inspections incomplete or inconsistent?
• Which missed steps are costing the business money?
• How should managers coach for better performance across teams?

So what exactly makes one inspection video better than another? How do we know what qualifies as good customer communication and what could damage the relationship you’ve built? We’ve broken it down into three main categories:

1. Objects Detected

Your inspection videos should show key components like tires, brakes and filters as well as the suspension, battery, undercarriage and exhaust system. The best videos inform and educate the customer about their vehicle, so that they understand the technician’s recommendations and approve them.

Just showing a license plate or a tire or, even worse, just a repair order, doesn’t make the customer feel like you’re really on their side.

2. Keywords Spoken

Does the technician mention critical terms such as “brakes,” “filters,” “tires” and “fluids,” and is there any profanity you need to worry about? Language is so important in an inspection video. Naming each item you show, even if it seems elementary, is crucial to the success of the video.

You can’t assume that your customer knows the difference between brake pads and rotors and taking the time to explain what each one does could go a long way toward getting that RO approved. If you don’t show it and you don’t say it, you won’t sell it.

3. Message Delivery

Think about the best videos you’ve seen recently. They are long enough to tell a good story, but not so long that they lose your attention. A good inspection video should run between 90 and 150 seconds. Length, words per minute, frame rate, average and peak volume are all things that should be considered when evaluating an inspection video.

I understand that all these KPIs and metrics may seem daunting and that creating consistently high-quality inspection videos may seem out of reach. Many dealers choose to partner with a provider that can provide instructions, advice and scoring data. Whether you take the DIY or third-party approach, it starts with training: Your employees need to know what constitutes a good, effective video, and they need to know whether they are meeting that standard.

This should likely be a part of a broader post-training onboarding program, since reinforcement and refinement over time are crucial to successful process implementation, especially with video.

Yes, making video quality a priority takes some work and effort. But, rest assured, there’s a big payoff. After analyzing 300,000 videos across 20 OEMs, our internal data shows that improved inspection videos lead to stronger conversion and higher revenue outcomes. We found:

• Dealers who maintained consistently high-quality videos earned an average of $59 more per RO.
• One dealer saw a $124 per RO increase, along with measurable changes in technician behavior.

We also discovered that presentation quality materially impacts conversion percentage against total ROs where parts were not presented in the video:

• Brakes: 15.12% to 28.49%
• Wipers: 19.23% to 36.52%
• Tires: 8.55% to 13.96%

At one of the largest dealer groups in the U.S., we found that filters were only shown 6% of the time — an estimated revenue opportunity of $3 million per month across 200,000 ROs.

The facts are clear: Video quality drives revenue. Something as simple as consistently showing a clean air filter next to the customer’s dirty filter can lead to thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in increased revenue.

Just as importantly, video quality improves customer experience. A high-quality inspection video informs and educates the customer, giving them the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their vehicle. And when customers feel like they’ve got a partner in the care and maintenance of their vehicle, they’ll be loyal to you and your dealership for a long, long time.

Joe Shaker is the owner of Shaker Auto Group and the founder and CEO of TruVideo.