Starting point, in one sentence

• How would you summarize your current photo-first claims capability in one sentence?
• How many first-notice-of-loss photo claims do you process per month for repairable passenger and light commercial vehicles? Options: <1,000, 1,000–5,000, 5,001–20,000, 20,001–100,000, >100,000
• Which parts of the estimate and repair workflow are already automated versus handled manually by adjusters or partners? Options: Photo intake and triage, Preliminary damage estimate, Adjuster desk review, Parts sourcing, Repair shop scheduling, Supplement handling, Total loss valuation, None of the above
• Tell me about the last claim where a photo-based estimate materially missed, what happened and why it stood out?
• If leadership asked you to pick the single KPI that a 20% improvement would trigger an immediate pilot approval, which KPI would you name and why? Options: Cycle time to first estimate, Loss adjustment expense per claim, Supplement rate, Customer satisfaction on claims, Total loss accuracy, Other

Where the process frictions show up most

• Where in your claims flow do you most frequently see unexpected cost or delay that roadblocks straight-through processing?
• How often do supplements increase the original estimate by more than 15%? Options: Almost every month, Monthly, Quarterly, Rarely, Unsure
• Which vehicle segments, claim types, or damage patterns generate the highest variance between initial photo estimate and final payout? Options: Late-model vehicles, Heavy front-end damage, Undercarriage or alignment issues, Multiple impact points, Commercial fleet vehicles, Other
• Walk me through a recent claim where a photo estimate would have caused an overpayment risk, what indicators or missing data pointed to that risk?
• Name the single downstream failure, for example chronic supplement spikes or shop rejection, that would make you refuse a vendor-led pilot right now. Options: Chronic supplements, Shop network refusal, Inability to access claims data, Regulatory exposure, No measurable accuracy parity, Other

Who decides and who drives execution

• Who has final approval authority for running a pilot and who must sign production contracts? Options: VP of Claims, Head of Auto Physical Damage, CIO/CTO, Procurement, Legal/Compliance, Shared approvals, Other
• Describe how budget owners and operational leaders trade off faster cycle time against any tolerance for estimation variance.
• How many full-time adjuster equivalents would you realistically reassign or expect to change role if straight-through processing met your target? Options: None, 1–5 FTE, 6–20 FTE, 21–50 FTE, 50+ FTE
• List the teams and roles that must participate in weekly governance during a pilot, and who coordinates that cadence.
• If your executive sponsor pulled support mid-pilot, what specific trigger or missing result would most likely cause that? Options: Missed accuracy target, Regulatory concern, Integration failure, Budget overrun, Shop network backlash, Other

Integration, data, and the practical gates

• Identify the core systems that must integrate before a pilot can run, and specify the owning team or role for each (claims system, shop management, parts catalog, payment rails).
• How accessible are your historical claims photos and paired final estimates for model calibration, and who approves extraction for a pilot? Options: Fully accessible and approved, Accessible with approvals pending, Partial access only, Not accessible, Unsure
• What percentage of your claims management workload is served by systems with API access versus batch file transfer only? Options: 0–20%, 21–50%, 51–80%, 81–100%
• Do you have test environments and anonymized datasets ready to support a vendor-led pilot, and if not, what is the blocker? Options: Test environment and anonymized data ready, Test environment only, Anonymized data only, Neither ready, Unsure
• Name the one integration failure that would force you to halt the project before pilot completion, for example inability to write estimates back into claims or missing shop acceptance. Options: Write-back failure to CMS, No parts catalog mapping, Shop scheduling integration failure, Authentication/API access blocked, Other

Alternatives on the table and why you might stay

• Who else are you actively evaluating for damage estimation, repair workflow, or total loss valuation, including incumbents and internal projects?
• List the incumbent or external options you have reviewed and one specific strength and one specific weakness you observed for each.
• Describe the measurable condition that would have to be true for you to keep your current approach instead of switching, for example a supplement rate below X or implementation cost under Y.
• Has anyone inside your organization proposed building this capability internally, who would lead it, and what timeline did they suggest? Options: Yes, short timeline (3–6 months), Yes, mid timeline (6–12 months), Yes, long timeline (12+ months), No internal proposal, Unsure
• Name the single factor that would make you choose an internal build over an external partner. Options: Cost advantage, Control over IP/data, Existing engineering capacity, Speed to market, Regulatory reasons, Other

Pilot design that proves value quickly

• Would a pilot that demonstrates estimation accuracy within 5% to 10% of your desk adjusters accelerate your decision to sign production agreements? Options: Yes, immediate acceleration, Yes, but needs legal and commercial closure, Maybe, needs additional evidence, No, accuracy band insufficient
• Outline the financial acceptance criteria you would apply to the pilot, for example target LAE reduction, supplement rate change, or net savings per claim.
• How long do you view as a reasonable pilot window to produce statistically credible results for estimation accuracy and cost metrics? Options: 2–4 weeks, 1–3 months, 3–6 months, 6+ months
• Provide the KPIs you require instrumented and available in near real time during the pilot, and indicate which must be owner-reviewed daily versus weekly. Options: Estimation accuracy vs adjuster, First pass straight-through rate, Supplement rate, Cycle time to estimate, Shop acceptance rate, Customer CSAT, Other
• Assuming the pilot hits your acceptance targets, who must approve the move to production and what is the maximum legal or procurement review window that would allow contract signing within 30 days?

Operational risks, controls, and shop adoption

• What operational guardrails must be in place to prevent overpayments when automated estimates are used in production? Options: Confidence thresholds with manual review, Caps on auto-payments, Dual-approval for high-value claims, Post-payment reconciliation audits, Other
• How will you introduce, train, and incentivize body-shop partners to accept photo-based estimates and reduce rework?
• Outline the monitoring cadence and metric thresholds that would trigger a rollback or expanded manual review during rollout.
• Provide the number of adjusters you plan to include in early adopter groups and the role that decides inclusion. Options: Pilot core group only (1–5 adjusters), Small cross-functional group (6–20), Large adopter group (21+), Not yet decided
• Identify any regulatory or state approval that, if not obtained, would stop you from deploying virtual photo-based claims at scale. Options: State-level photo estimation rules, Data privacy approval, Customer consent mechanism, Other, None

Commitment signals, contract essentials, and next steps

• If your CFO had to name the top two commercial terms that would accelerate a signed agreement within 60 days, what would they be?
• Which commercial terms do you view as non-negotiable for moving forward, for example implementation credits, indemnity limits, or performance-based milestones? Options: Implementation credits, Performance SLAs, Indemnity limits, Termination terms, Data use restrictions, Other
• How soon after pilot acceptance would you expect to begin phased rollout, and what internal milestone starts that clock? Options: Immediately after pilot acceptance, After contractual close, After integration validation, After shop readiness confirmed, Unsure
• What resources or evidence from the seller would make your legal and procurement teams comfortable shortening their review cycle to meet your desired timeline? Options: Standardized data sharing agreement, Prebuilt integration spec, Sample test data, References and case studies, Other
• What would be the single decisive next step, if completed this week, that accelerates the project to a pilot kickoff within 30 days? Options: Signed data sharing NDA, API access enabled, Pilot scope approved by ops, Budget committed, Other

• success_criteria
• current_state
• decision_readiness
• stakeholders
• gaps
• desired_state
• gaps
• success_criteria
• stakeholders
• desired_state
• current_state
• decision_readiness
• stakeholders
• decision_readiness
• current_state
• desired_state
• success_criteria
• gaps
• success_criteria
• current_state
• decision_readiness
• gaps
• desired_state
• decision_readiness
• decision_readiness
• decision_readiness

• Photo-Based Damage Estimation
• Virtual and Photo Appraisal
• Automated Claim Triage and Routing
• Repair Order Generation and Estimate Export
• Parts Sourcing and Alternative Parts Recommendation
• Supplement Tracking and Management
• Total Loss Valuation with Real-Time Market Pricing
• Claims Management System Integration
• Body Shop Management System Integration
• Payment and Settlement Integration
• Repair Facility Onboarding and Connectivity
• Rental Car Authorization and Coordination

Photo-Based Damage Estimation

• Do you accept photo-only estimates for low-complexity bumper, fender, and glass claims? Options: Yes, No, Only after QA review
• What is the minimum acceptable estimation accuracy versus your human adjuster baseline (for example within 5% of parts and labor totals)? Options: Within 2%, Within 5%, Within 10%, Custom—describe below
• Which claim groups should be excluded from photo-only straight-through processing (e.g., commercial fleet, salvage candidates, rental claims)? Options: Personal private passenger, Commercial / fleet, Salvage candidates, Rental-involved claims, Other (describe)
• Describe the photo submission standards you will require from claimants (minimum resolution, required views, VIN visibility, odometer photo).
• Who will own final sign-off on AI-produced estimates for repairable claims during rollout (title or role)? Options: Desk adjuster, Field appraiser, Claims manager, Third-party appraisal vendor, Other—specify role

Virtual and Photo Appraisal

• Which roles in your organization should be enabled to initiate guided video or live virtual appraisals (desk adjuster, field appraiser, vendor partner)? Options: Desk adjuster, Field appraiser, Network shop estimator, Third-party vendor, Customer service agent
• List the appraisal artifacts you require per virtual inspection (photo angles, sequential video, inspector notes, VIN capture, mileage).
• How do you currently record supplemental damage found in-shop and how should the platform capture in-shop supplement evidence (photo timestamps, technician notes, line-item additions)?
• Are there state regulations or insurer licensing rules that affect use of virtual appraisals in any of your operating states? Options: Yes, No, Not sure—need review
• Specify the mobile OS versions and minimum camera capabilities you expect claimants and adjusters to use for guided captures. Options: iOS 13+ / Android 9+, iOS 14+ / Android 10+, Custom list—provide below

Automated Claim Triage and Routing

• Identify the claim attributes that should trigger straight-through processing versus desk review (for example: low estimated repair cost, single-area damage, photo quality score).
• What thresholds for estimated repair cost or severity should route claims to field appraisal rather than desk processing? Options: <$1,000, $1,000–$2,500, $2,500–$5,000, Custom threshold—specify
• Do you require automatic tagging to distinguish commercial versus personal auto and to capture policy limits or deductibles at triage? Options: Yes, No, Only for certain product lines
• Who will manage and approve routing rule updates and business logic changes for claim queues (title or team)? Options: Claims operations lead, Automation owner, IT integration team, Third-party administrator, Other
• List the integration endpoints where triage events must be posted (claims management webhook, audit log, notification queue).

Repair Order Generation and Estimate Export

• Select the repair estimate export formats required by your shop network and claims system (standard repair order, OEM-compliant estimate, CSV export, PDF only). Options: Standard repair order (RO), OEM-compliant estimate, CSV/line item export, PDF export
• Is alignment required with a specific labor time guide and version for line-item hours (for example a particular labor guide edition)? Options: Yes—provide guide/version, No—use platform defaults, Custom mapping—describe below
• Describe the field mapping you require when exporting parts, labor, operations and labor rate to your claims management system.
• How should supplements be appended to an existing repair order in your workflow (add line items, create separate supplement RO, or attach supplement packet)? Options: Add line items to same RO, Create separate supplement RO, Attach supplement packet only
• Are there file size or attachment format limits for estimate payloads into your claims system? Options: Yes—specify limits, No limits known, Unsure—need to confirm

Parts Sourcing and Alternative Parts Recommendation

• Provide the parts catalogs or vendor classes you expect the platform to query (OEM dealers, aftermarket distributors, salvage pools). Options: OEM dealer catalogs, Aftermarket distributors, Used/salvage pools, Local parts warehouses, Other
• Define the part matching rules you require for recommending alternative parts (price delta threshold, OEM equivalence, fitment allowance).
• Are remanufactured or aftermarket parts permitted by vehicle class or policy on your book, and if so which classes? Options: Allowed for older vehicles, Allowed for non-structural parts only, Not allowed, Policy-dependent
• How should parts lead times and estimated arrival (ETA) be surfaced on the repair order and to the claimant?
• Identify the owner for parts vendor onboarding and API credentialing within your organization. Options: Claims vendor management, Procurement, IT integrations, Network operations
• What business rules should govern automatic substitution of alternate parts (max price delta, required approvals)? Options: Auto-sub if <10% price delta, Require adjuster approval, Disallow substitutions, Custom rule—describe

Supplement Tracking and Management

• Specify which events should spawn a supplement workflow (shop discovery during teardown, post-repair inspection, parts arrives incorrect). Options: Shop discovery, Post-repair inspection, Parts backorder, Claimant follow-up
• Define the maximum time window after the initial estimate you will accept for filing a supplement (days from FNOL or estimate approval). Options: 7 days, 14 days, 30 days, Custom—specify
• Will you require automated supplement reason codes and root-cause tags for each supplement entry? Options: Yes—standardized codes, No—free text only, Hybrid—codes encouraged
• Indicate how supplement approvals should be routed (auto-approve under threshold, adjuster review, manager escalation). Options: Auto-approve under threshold, Adjuster review required, Manager escalation required
• Assign who in your organization will own supplement reconciliation and closeout tracking. Options: Adjuster, Claims operations, Shop liaison, Third-party administrator
• What audit trail or evidence (photos, technician notes, timestamps) do you require stored with each supplement? Options: Photos with timestamps, Technician repair notes, Parts invoice, All of the above

Total Loss Valuation with Real-Time Market Pricing

• What validation criteria will confirm total loss valuations against market comps and auction data (for example allowable variance in dollars or percent and sample size)? Options: Tolerance ±5% on sample, Tolerance ±10% on sample, Custom criteria—describe
• Which market data sources do you require for salvage and retail comps (auction lanes, private-party listings, trade guides)? Options: Auction lanes, Private-party listings, Wholesale guides, All of the above
• Explain how you want salvage value and repair cost presented when determining statutory total loss thresholds.
• Provide the total loss decision thresholds by state or program you currently use (for example repair cost > 70% of actual cash value).
• Assign ownership for total loss validation process and who reviews market pricing exceptions. Options: Total loss desk, Claims manager, Salvage operations, Other—specify
• What reporting cadence and metrics do you require for total loss model performance (sampled audits per month, dollar variance trend)? Options: Weekly sample audits, Monthly reports, Quarterly executive summary, Custom—specify

Claims Management System Integration

• What connector coverage must be included for your claims management system versions and endpoints and what acceptance tests will validate each connector?
• Which specific CM system endpoints must we read and write (claim create, claim update, RO attach, notes append, workflow status update)? Options: Claim create/update, Repair order attach, Notes append, Workflow status update
• Describe the field-level mappings you will require between our estimate payload and your claim schema (parts codes, labor hours, line-item IDs).
• How should we authenticate to your claims API (OAuth2 client credentials, API key, mutual TLS)? Options: OAuth2 client credentials, API key, Mutual TLS, Other—describe
• Who owns the integration acceptance testing and sandbox signoff within your IT or integration team? Options: Integration owner, IT security, Claims operations, Third-party integrator
• Are there SLA requirements for synchronous API responses from us into your claims system (max latency in seconds)? Options: <1s, <3s, <10s, Asynchronous acceptable

Body Shop Management System Integration

• Which body shop management system classes or vendor APIs do your top network shops use and need to be supported (scheduling, RO sync, parts ordering)?
• How will shops authenticate to our platform or API (shop API key, SFTP, web portal login, EDI)? Options: API key, SFTP, Portal login, EDI
• Do you require two-way scheduling with shops (appointment booking and real-time capacity updates)? Options: Yes—two-way required, No—one-way notifications, Optional for select shops
• Describe the data elements that must sync to the shop RO (VIN, estimate line items, parts ordered, labor hours, appointment time).
• Who will coordinate API credentialing and connectivity with shop IT or shop network managers? Options: Network operations, Shop liaison, Claims operations, Third-party vendor
• What rollback or manual override controls must be in place at the shop level for estimate edits? Options: Shop can propose edits for approval, Shop edits auto-sync, Adjuster approval required

Payment and Settlement Integration

• Which settlement rails and payment providers must the platform integrate with for payouts and shop payments (ACH, virtual card, payee check)? Options: ACH, Virtual card, Payee check, Vendor invoice payment
• Describe the settlement workflow you require for final payments to claimants and/or shops (one-time disbursement, staged payments, direct-to-shop).
• Are there regulatory or tax forms tied to payments we must generate (1099, remittance advice, state-specific forms)? Options: Yes—list forms, No, Unsure—need review
• What approval thresholds should gate automated payouts (e.g., >$X requires manager sign-off)? Options: <$1,000 auto-pay, $1,000–$5,000 manager approval, >$5,000 executive approval, Custom thresholds
• Who will be the finance owner for payment reconciliation and exception handling? Options: Finance, Claims accounting, Third-party payments team
• Are there required remittance fields or attachments your AP system expects with shop payments (invoice number, repair order ID, parts invoices)? Options: Invoice number, RO ID, Parts invoices attached, Other—specify

Repair Facility Onboarding and Connectivity

• How many repair facilities do you plan to onboard in phase 1 and by full rollout? Options: <50, 50–200, 200–1,000, 1,000+
• Which shop network categories must be supported at go-live (franchise dealerships, independent shops, certified OEM repairers)? Options: Franchise dealers, Independent shops, OEM-certified repairers, Chain shops
• Who will own shop outreach, training, and onboarding logistics on your side? Options: Network operations, Vendor management, Claims field team, Third-party onboarding partner
• What minimum connectivity options must a shop support to participate (email + portal, API, BMS integration)? Options: Email + portal, API / BMS integration, Phone/manual updates, SFTP

• Subscription Agreement (Order Form)
• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Service Level Agreement (SLA)
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
• Data Sharing & Use Agreement
• Pilot Acceptance Report
• Governance & Rollout Cadence Agreement
• Security & Compliance Addendum (conditional for regulated buyers)
• Change Order Agreement
• Termination & Transition Plan

• Go-live Health Check (weeks 1-4)
• First Measurement Review (weeks 4-10)
• Acceptance Gate Review (around day 90)
• Monthly Operational Check-in
• Quarterly Outcome Review

• Create remediation tickets for any SLA breaches with expected resolution dates.
• Produce a documented acceptance decision for the program against the Pilot Evaluation criteria, with a recorded signatory or documented buyer decision.
• Confirm legacy system status and the timeline for decommissioning or retention-read-only.
• Publish the acceptance decision record and archive the meeting evidence.
• If any criterion failed, publish a remediation plan with dates and verification steps.
• Execute the legacy system decommissioning or retention plan and confirm data archival completion.
• Monthly KPI review
• Confirm whether supplement rate and body-shop adoption are stable or improving and document any deviations.
• Close or re-prioritize open operational issues and update the backlog accordingly.
• Update the operational dashboard with the month's KPI results and variance explanations.
• Reconfirm committed success criteria and owners
• Adjust the enhancement backlog priority list based on agreed operational impact.
• Quarterly trend analysis
• Validate whether loss adjustment expense per claim and CSAT are aligned with the program targets and document any gaps.
• Agree the prioritized improvement actions for the next quarter and a verification plan to measure impact.
• Publish the quarterly KPI trend report and the agreed improvement plan for the next quarter.
• Schedule model performance re-evaluation if AI estimation accuracy drift exceeds threshold.
• Update SLA thresholds or reporting cadence where governance adjustments were agreed.
• Confirm the deployment completion checklist is satisfied or itemize outstanding items with resolution dates.
• Establish a prioritized list of critical blockers and agreed remediation actions for the next 14 days.
• Publish the deployment validation summary including integration test results.
• Open tickets for each critical defect with expected resolution dates.
• Circulate user onboarding completion report and identify any training gaps.
• Present first-window outcome data
• Confirm whether average claim cycle time and AI estimation accuracy are moving toward the Pilot Evaluation targets and document the gap analysis.
• Agree a concrete corrective action plan with dates that moves the program toward the acceptance gate.
• Deliver a detailed gap analysis report showing metric variance versus Pilot Evaluation targets.
• Define and document the prioritized fixes required to address the top two root causes.
• Schedule a verification run after fixes to re-measure AI estimation accuracy and cycle time.
• Restate numeric acceptance criteria
• Deployment and integration validation
• Present outcome data against each acceptance criterion
• Compare results to Pilot Evaluation targets
• Incidents, escalations, and SLA breaches
• Persistent blockers and root-cause review
• Enhancement request status and prioritization
• Document pass/fail per criterion and capture signatory decision
• Enhancement request and backlog tidy
• Root-cause diagnosis for gaps
• Early adoption and usage signals
• Open issues burn-down
• SLA and governance cadence review
• Legacy system wind-down
• Agree corrective actions and acceptance timeline
• High-priority defects and blockers
• Agree immediate remediation actions and timelines
• Remediation plan for any failed criteria