Contents
Change Summary
Overview
On April 28, 2023, MOTOR Information Systems announced a change to Color Blend (Adjacent Panels) procedures listed within the Guide to Estimating:
MOTOR Information Systems (MOTOR), a Hearst company, announced today it will make a change to the Estimated Worktime Development Methodology for color blend of adjacent panels within the MOTOR Guide to Estimating (GTE). The change is designed to account for variations in modern vehicle paint refinishing and will be made in October 2023 as part of the company’s standard GTE update schedule.
Per MOTOR’s revision, the refinish time associated with color blend of adjacent panels will defer to the judgement of an estimator or appraiser. This change impacts both two-stage and three-stage blend procedures.
Impact
In accordance with GTE versions published before October 2023, all CCC® Estimating apps currently use a fixed calculation for panel blend. Specifically, each blended adjacent panel receives 50% of the panel’s published refinish time for two-stage processes, and 70% for three-stage processes.
MOTOR’s October 2023 revision will result in the following changes to CCC® Appraisal Platform:
- Default percentages for 2-stage and 3-stage blend are configurable in the IA Location profile
- Labor prompting preferences for Blend operations are configurable in the IA Location profile
- Insurance defined blend percentages are downloaded via the Insurance Company profile
- All refinish labor times associated with Blend operations will be underlined on the estimate
Configuration
Introduction
This section describes enhancements to support the configuration of blend rules for use with CCC® Appraisal Platform versions 40.0.0.0000 and above. This includes:
- Configuring IA Location default blend percentages
- Configuring labor prompt preferences for the Blend operation
- Viewing insurance-specific blend rules
Requirements
| Minimum App Version | CCC® Appraisal Platform 40.0.0.0000 |
| Minimum Folder Version | v2500 |
| Licensed Product(s) | CCC ONE Estimating (all licenses) |
| Permission(s) | Edit IA company profiles |
IA Location Blend Rules
Each IA Location profile has a "default" configuration for blend rules. The IA Location default blend rules are automatically applied to all workfiles created for the location.
Blend rule default settings include:
- Two-stage blend percentage
- Three-stage blend percentage
- Blend prompting preference
Blend Percentages
The blend percentages defined for your IA location are used to calculate refinish times for adjacent panel blend operations. For example:
[Default %] x [Published Refinish Hours] = Blend Hours
You can specify separate percentages for two-stage and three-stage blend procedures in Estimating Options. Default percentages can range from 0% to 200%.
To review or update your Blend Rules:
- Login to CCC® Appraisal Platform
- In the upper right-hand corner, select the Configure menu
- Select Profiles
- Double-click your IA Location profile
- On the left-hand side, click Estimating Options
Prompting Preferences
You can also specify whether Estimators will be prompted to confirm refinish time when adding Blend to the estimate. When enabled, refinish hours are still calculated based on your defined default percentages. However, Estimators will be prompted to review the calculated hours before the line is added.
Options for prompting include:
Always Prompt – Estimator is prompted to confirm refinish hours when the Blend operation is selected for the estimate
Add without Prompt – Estimator is not prompted, and the Blend operation is added directly to the estimate using the shop's configured percentages
To review or update your Blend prompt settings:
- Login to CCC® Appraisal Platform
- In the upper right-hand corner, select the Configure menu
- Select Profiles
- Double-click your IA Location profile
- On the left-hand side, click Labor Prompts
Insurance Blend Rules
Insurance-specific blend rules are downloaded via the insurance company's profile. Insurance rules are automatically applied to any workfile containing a designated insurance company. These rules take priority over the defaults configured for your IA Location.
An insurance company's blend rules are defined at the parent company level. Any secondary companies will automatically use the same configuration as their parent. A list of secondary companies for the carrier is also visible in the insurance company profile.
To view insurance blend rules within CCC® Appraisal Platform:
- Login to CCC® Appraisal Platform
- In the upper right-hand corner, select the Configure menu
- Select Profiles
- Double-click an insurance company profile
- On the left-hand side, click Company Information to view the list of secondary companies
- On the left-hand side, click Workfile Rules to view Blend Rules percentages
Blend Operation
Overview
This section describes the estimator’s experience when adding a blend operation to the estimate in CCC® Appraisal Platform. The result of selecting the “Blend” button will vary depending on the blend rules defined for the IA location (see above).
Blend Prompt Enabled
For configurations with Blend Prompt enabled, CCC® Appraisal Platform does the following:
- Open a workfile to the Estimate tab
- Select a MOTOR database part with published Refinish Hours
- Click the Blend button
Note: Estimate Line Properties displays with the Refinish Hours populated according to your company blend rules.
- Review the default Refinish Hours, and update as needed
- Click Add to Estimate in the lower right-hand corner
Blend Prompt Disabled
For configurations with Blend Prompt disabled, CCC® Appraisal Platform does the following:
- Open a workfile to the Estimate screen
- Select a MOTOR database part with published Refinish Hours
- Click the Blend button
Note: The blend line is added to the estimate with Refinish Hours populated according to your company blend rules.
FAQs
How do my blend rules impact estimates written with CCC® Appraisal Platform?
The two-stage and three-stage blend percentages defined in your repair facility’s Estimating Blend Rules settings will be used to calculate blend operations for estimates written via the desktop application, CCC ONE Touch, and on cccone.com.
How is blend calculated when the insurance company has no blend rules?
If an insurance company has no blend rules defined, or the Insurance Company profile has not been donwloaded, then blend will be calculated using the defaults for the IA Location.
Is blend time recalculated when changing the insurance company?
No, existing estimate lines with the Blend operation will not be recalculated. The Estimator will be prompted to re-evaluate existing blend lines. However, any newly added blend operations will use the latest shop configuration for the insurance company selected.
Is blend time recalculated when changing paint options?
No, existing estimate lines with the Blend operation will not be recalculated. The Estimator will be prompted to re-evaluate existing blend lines. However, any newly added blend operations will be calculated using the latest paint option selected for the workfile (two-stage vs. three-stage).
When will the CCC® Appraisal Platform update be available?
CCC® Appraisal Platform version 40.0.0.0000 will begin rolling out in October 2023.