As more advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) features appear in newer vehicles, repairers have become more aware of the need for proper calibration. But as with any vehicle technology, repairers need guidance and support for both everyday technical questions and what it takes to implement a calibration center. Revv has started its online ADAS Empowered Community to address these needs. We sat down with Joel Adcock, director of partnerships and business development at Revv, to learn more about the community in this FenderBender-exclusive Q&A.
Why did Revv start an online community? How is it benefiting and/or how do you plan for it to benefit users?
After almost 15 years in the industry, you find yourself having the same conversation connecting with colleagues in the collision repair and ADAS community. It always circles back around to one thing: there just aren’t enough real-world resources and everyday education out there to support repair shops when it comes to ADAS and fixing cars properly.
This is why at Revv it’s been so important that we create a central resource the ADAS community could look to for answers for everyday issues and questions. So that pretty much led to the creation of the ADAS Empowered Community.
The community has been live since mid-December of 2024 and we’ve got hundreds of members already active and helping one another. And it’s one central hub, too–not disparate groups across different platforms. It’s all the brain power together in one place, and we’ve seen the community really show up and help one another.
My favorite thing to see is that almost daily someone runs into an error code or looking for help on a failed calibration they don’t know how to solve or are looking for a recommendation on a solution. Within seconds, a community member is there helping them. It’s amazing to see how quickly our community ambassadors and other community members get involved. It’s almost in real-time and showcases exactly why we wanted to launch this forum.
Why not just have, say, a Facebook or LinkedIn group? What advantages does such a platform as you are using offer to Revv and the community members? Have you seen a similar community being used before by a different industry segment (or different industry altogether)?
You'll find several ADAS-focused support channels on Facebook, but they don’t fully align with the vision and value we believe this community can provide. It’s not just scheduling posts and talking to our members. Our approach goes beyond that. On any given week, we’ll be sharing regular updates on industry news, hosting monthly webinars, and sending email newsletters to keep everybody informed about everything happening within the community. This platform allows us to do all of those things and keep our members in one place so they don’t have to click around through multiple platforms.
Additionally, we’ve appointed a group of dedicated Community Ambassadors, experts who have stepped up to provide leadership and guidance. I feel like this commitment sets us apart from some random group or another on your usual social platforms. It’s been a big part of helping our members truly engage and support one another.
Can you talk about how it’s a nonbranded community and the benefits that brings?
We believe everyone in the industry should have access to knowledge and information. Whether you’re new to the ADAS community, not doing your own calibrations, or even working with a competitor, our goal is to foster a sense of community and inclusion. By bringing industry leaders together to share their expertise and experiences, we can collectively help this group within the industry grow and thrive.
What type of topics have you seen discussed in the community forums, and are they what you expected? Do they lean toward technical or to general questions about what it takes to get started in ADAS calibration?
We have two main discussion boards in the community in addition to a main feed. The content centers around the group sharing the latest news or articles they find valuable, while the other centers around help on a specific topic or ADAS calibration request. We love all these posts. What is especially great to see is that as soon as they’re posted, there is almost an immediate response from several members wanting to help.
The community is here to serve the members and what they are looking for — we just wanted to give them a platform to do so.
We’re excited to see how the content and engagement with one another evolves as the community further grows.
I understand it’s designed to appeal to users of varying experience levels, so please expand on that.
Our data shows that there’s somewhere in the range of 500,000 different combinations of ADAS components within cars. Everybody is running into at least one problem for the first time. It’s so important for our experienced leaders in the ADAS community to help teach and show the new generation coming into the ADAS industry the proverbial ropes. Sort of a “pay it forward” or “send the elevator back down once you get to the top” mentality.
There is a huge demand for more ADAS techs. We don’t have enough to calibrate all the cars now–not even close. This industry will only continue to grow.
Please talk about your first webinar and the relationship with it/future webinars and this community.
We ran a webinar in mid-January that was focused on setting the stage for where ADAS is going in 2025. It was a prelude to our webinar series we’ll be hosting on the ADAS Empowered Community throughout the year.
The webinar covered trends in ADAS technology, regulatory and compliance strategies, and also discussed a myriad of different topics important in their own right.
Future webinars will be more specific on these topics and will include real-world data, testimonials from industry leaders, and experience helping showcase the positive impact we can all make.
We had hundreds of community members join us live– it was extremely interactive, and we are excited for the rest of the series to come!
How do you look for the community to evolve as it matures?
A main focus for us in 2025 is to continue to push the ADAS industry forward through educational and valuable content for the industry. The community is not only a place for the industry to connect and support one another, but this group will be at the forefront of helping shape what content is going to be created.
We are excited that every day members are joining, asking questions, and engaging with one another. The more people who are in there, the more valuable it will be for the industry overall.
Editor's note: to check out the Community or sign up for free, click here.
