You’re staring at what looks like a bullish first-time fix rate — 88%, even 90%.

Congrats … well, not so fast.

Here’s the hard truth: that metric may be masking your most expensive blind spot. It’s not the number of vehicles fixed—it’s what’s happening behind the scenes.

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The mirage of fix rates.

At best, the first-time-fix-rate (FTFR) is about responsiveness. 

At worst, it’s a vanity metric.

One that doesn’t account for:

• Missing documentation.
• Botched jobs.
• Claims that fall apart under scrutiny. 

Yet, the real damage lies hidden. 

Imagine this: a technician begins a job, resolves a case, and closes the ticket. 

On paper, it’s a first-time fix. 

But when the warranty claim arrives, the paperwork is incomplete or incorrect. The OEM loses the claim. The customer waits. The shop revisits. That “fix” suddenly looks costly.

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The cost of gaps in execution.

Each repeat visit costs operators between $200-$300 per dispatch. 

What if your 90% fix rate still includes 10% invisible failures? 

At 1,000 jobs, that’s 100 repeat visits — and $20,000 in margin loss. That quickly adds up. Moreover, poor FTFR isn’t just about repairs—it corrodes customer trust, tarnishes CSI scores, and compounds workload inefficiencies.

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Why your FTFR can’t tell the full story.

• Missing documentation: Without media-rich evidence capture including photos and/or videos, many claims fall apart. Your system might label a job "complete," but you'll still lose the claim.
• Lack of real-time visibility: Repairs often go unseen by supervisors until after the invoice lands, you have no traceability. ERP and MES systems miss the execution moment entirely — especially from partner networks or service bays.
• Untracked reworks: Many systems count work as complete even if it’s done poorly, leading to more hidden fuel for rework costs and inefficiencies.

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The real measure of a fix.

It’s time to redefine what “first-time fix” actually means.

Not just job closure, but confidence, compliance, and proof. With a connected workforce platform like Atheer, you can:

• Deliver step-by-step digital work instructions and media-rich SOPs straight to mobile devices.
• Capture photo/video evidence in real-time, tying it reliably to the job record.
• Monitor progress in real time and escalate missed steps before they become costly.
• Auto-generate audit-ready logs to increase traceability and full transparency.

This transforms first-time fix from a checkbox to a safeguarded outcome.

Proof from the field.

Here’s how Atheer users are reshaping their operations:

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This isn’t theory—it’s what effective execution clarity can unlock when paired with a connected worker strategy.

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Why closing the gap matters now.

You’re out of time.

With technician shortages, rising vehicle complexity, and thinner margins, invisible failures are no longer tolerable. 

Dealers and OEMs need to know beyond a doubt that a fix was done right the first time — and they need to prove it in real time. FTFR is too superficial by itself. Execution clarity is the new competitive moat.