A new piece of software called AutoWatch is allowing customers to check up
on their vehicle in for service at a repair shop over the web. Repair shops who shell out the $995 setup fee and pay up
to $310/month for the service spend a half-hour each morning taking pics of repairs in progress and uploading them to
their own site maintained by AutoWatch. Customers get a code that can be used to view the updates online, which cuts
down on phone calls to the shop that ultimately interrupt repairs and lead to longer turn-around times. What’s great
about AutoWatch is that it’s free for the customer yet worthwhile for the repair shops. The next step should be live
streams of repairs, perhaps with a one-way mic so you can cheer on your mechanic from the comfy confines of your
cubicle.
[via Patriot Ledger, hat tip to Alex]