How to Import CCC and Mitchell Estimates in ZartonAI
One upload turns an EMS or BMS export into the customer, job, vehicle, insurance claim and a line-by-line draft estimate — and supplements update it instead of starting over
Your estimator writes the repair in CCC ONE or Mitchell because that is what the insurer wants. Then somebody in the office types the same customer, the same car, the same claim number and a long list of parts and labour into the system you actually run the shop on. Every supplement means doing it again.
That double entry is slow, and it is where mistakes creep in: a wrong VIN digit, a missed sublet line, a total that is off by a few dollars nobody can explain. This guide shows you how to import CCC and Mitchell estimates in ZartonAI. One upload builds the customer, the job, the vehicle, the insurance claim and a draft estimate with every line, and later supplements update that same estimate instead of starting a new one.
What one import creates
ZartonAI reads the industry-standard estimate export that collision estimating systems produce: an EMS export (a zip file, or the loose files inside it) or a BMS .xml file. From that single file it fills in everything below.
| Record | What comes across |
|---|---|
| Customer | The vehicle owner, or the insured if no owner is listed. If a customer with the same email already exists, that customer is reused rather than duplicated. |
| Job | A new job for the repair, linked to the customer. |
| Vehicle | The car on the estimate, with its VIN checked. A VIN that fails the check is kept and flagged as a warning, not silently accepted. |
| Insurance claim | The claim details from the estimate, on the job. |
| Draft estimate | Every line: parts with their type (OEM, aftermarket, LKQ and so on) and part number; labour by type at the estimate's own rates; paint and materials; sublet and miscellaneous charges; and the estimate's tax. |
If your workspace has the auto body trade pack installed, imported labour lines are tied to the pack's matching labour rates, so they line up with the rest of your pricing.
How to import a CCC or Mitchell estimate in ZartonAI, step by step
Export the estimate from your estimating system
In CCC ONE, Mitchell or a similar system, export the estimate in EMS format (usually a zip) or as a BMS .xml file. Save it somewhere you can find it on the computer you use for ZartonAI.
Open the import screen
In ZartonAI, go to Estimates and choose Import CCC / Mitchell.
Upload the file
Upload the zip, the loose EMS files, or the .xml. You don't need to unzip or rename anything first.
Read the import result
ZartonAI builds the customer, job, vehicle, claim and draft estimate, then checks its own total against the total in the file. If they don't match, it tells you the difference instead of hiding it. Any VIN warning shows here too.
Review the draft estimate
Open the new estimate and look it over as the customer will: parts, labour, paint and materials, sublets and tax. It is a draft, so nothing has gone to anyone yet. Fix anything that looks wrong before you send it.
Send it, or carry on with the job
Send the estimate for approval the usual way (see creating and sending estimates), and keep running the job, crew, photos and claim from the same record.
Import supplements the same way
When the estimator writes a supplement, export it and import it exactly like the first file. ZartonAI recognizes it as a supplement to the estimate you already have and updates it, as described below.
How supplements are handled
What happens to a supplement depends on where the estimate is in its life, so the paperwork the customer and insurer already have stays honest.
| If the estimate is… | The supplement… |
|---|---|
| Still a draft | Replaces its lines. Nobody has seen it yet, so there is nothing to revise. |
| Sent but not accepted | Makes a new version of it, like v2. The old version and its link are retired. |
| Accepted | Creates a change order for just the difference, line by line. Lines the estimator deleted become credits. The customer signs the change order the same way, and once accepted it changes the job's value. |
Each estimate and supplement is imported only once. Uploading the same file twice by mistake won't create a second job or a second copy of the lines.
Tips and common mistakes
Tip: start with one recent estimate. Before you switch the whole shop over, import an estimate you already know well and compare the total and lines with your estimating system. Estimating systems sometimes use codes of their own; a labour type ZartonAI doesn't recognize still comes in at the line's own amount, but it is worth a look.
Tip: install the auto body trade pack first. Imported labour then links to your auto body labour rates, and the job gets the Vehicle and Insurance claim tabs. Our guide to trade packs shows how.
Mistake: retyping a supplement by hand. If you edit the accepted estimate yourself and then import the supplement, you end up with the same change twice. Let the import write the change order.
Mistake: ignoring a total mismatch. When the import reports a difference, find the line before you send anything. It usually points to a charge type worth checking.
Mistake: skipping the VIN warning. A flagged VIN usually means a typo at the estimating stage. Fix it on the job so the car is found again on its next visit and the insurer's paperwork is right.
Do it with Claude
The upload itself happens on the import screen in ZartonAI. Once the estimate is in, the owner or front desk can handle the rest in plain language through Claude and the Zarton connector. Claude reads the estimate or job first and shows you what it finds. Anything that emails a customer or insurer only works when "Allow actions" is switched on for the connection, and Claude only sends after you say so.
"Show me the estimate we just imported for the silver Camry and tell me the total."
"Which estimates are still waiting for an answer?"
"Read the change order on that job and tell me what the supplement added."
"Send the estimate to the customer for approval."
"Once it's done, split the final invoice with the insurer."
Split invoices are covered in our guide to insurance claim jobs and split invoices.
Frequently asked questions
Which estimating systems does the import work with?
Any system that exports the industry-standard EMS format or a BMS .xml file. CCC ONE and Mitchell are the most common. Try one estimate first to check that your system's export comes across the way you expect.
Will importing create a duplicate customer?
No, not if the customer is already in ZartonAI with the same email. The import reuses that customer and adds the new job to them.
What if I import the same estimate twice?
Nothing is duplicated. Each estimate and supplement is imported once, so a second upload of the same file won't create another job or another set of lines.
Does a supplement overwrite what the customer already accepted?
No. On an accepted estimate, a supplement becomes a separate change order for just the difference, with removed lines as credits. The customer signs it the same way, and the job's value changes once it is accepted.
Stop typing every estimate twice. Import your next CCC or Mitchell estimate and have the job, car, claim and lines ready in one step at zartonai.com. New to ZartonAI? Start with running jobs from first call to final invoice.
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