That video pretty much encapsulates what CollisionGuard.com is all about: promoting safe driving. Brian Nichols, owner of three Cascade Collision Repair centers in Utah and creator of the new website, was looking for a different way to connect with customers, and to him, the answer was to show them he cares about more than just fixing cars.

"My shops repair about 600 cars a month, and we tend to look at each one as just another accident, but each of those accidents affects somebody in some way – the injury or death of a friend or family member," says Nichols. "So it became a passion of mine to spread the word about safer driving, and I realized that nobody had really gotten that message right yet."

On the Sidelines

Nichols had noticed how body shops had always been on the sidelines of the "safe driving discussion" and let insurance companies talk about it instead. He thought, "How come body shops can't get involved and maybe do a better job of it? After all, who better to talk about auto accidents than body shops?"

Nichols and his staff paid special attention to what customers were saying in his shop for about three weeks. What they realized is that people view visiting a body shop almost as bad as visiting the dentist.

"They were saying it was an inconvenience and were wishing the accident had never happened," Nichols said. "Or they would pick up the car and say, 'It looks wonderful and we're super happy, but we hope we never see you again.'"

The website, he reasoned, would be a perfect way to keep in touch with customers and keep Cascade Collision in front of them.

"Now, when someone walks in the door and says, 'I've just had an accident,' we can now not only offer to fix their car but give them some information that may be helpful," Nichols says. "That builds customer loyalty."

Getting Attention

The site caught Sherwin-Williams' attention, and the paint manufacturer decided to make CollisionGuard.com a value-added partner to its A-Plus Network. It also apparently attracted insurers. Over the last three months, Cascade has gotten three new DRPs, two of which Nichols believes he got because of the website, which officially launched on Feb. 23.

"I think it's because we were saying, 'Hey, we're not just a normal shop, we're doing things to help the industry and cure this epidemic of people crashing,'" he says.

The addition of insurance work in and of itself probably makes the more than $100,000 Nichols has poured into the site worth it.

He initially presented the idea for the site to two web companies, but neither of them built the site to his vision. He then contracted with a local computer science student who created the site as it is today. The videos are all original content and produced by a local video production company. One recurring character in some of the more humorous videos, safe driving instructor Mr. Howard, was the brainchild of a student at Oklahoma State University who was challenged by his professor, Nichols' aunt, to create a safe driving video.

Evolution

The site has now evolved into not just a provider of safe driving information but a body shop and automotive service locator with coupons offering special deals. Shops can list themselves for free and create their own coupon of choice. Approximately 216 shops representing 10 states have signed up so far.

"A lot of my competitors have called me and asked if I would mind if they put their coupons or deals on the site, and I said not at all," Nichols says. "If you're willing to support safe driving by putting a coupon on there, then I don't want to charge you anything."

However, some pay features have been added to the site due to its evolution. Just recently, Nichols launched a feature that allows shops to become "official sponsors" of a category of their choosing. For example, if ABC Auto Body sponsors the Auto Body category, it then appears at the top of the list in its given zip code and can adjust a search radius to the exact size that fits its need. The price is based on population; it currently costs around $100 to be at the top of the list in an area with a population of 300,000.

Building a Following

With more than 1,000 consumers signed up as members of the site and 6,700 Facebook followers, Nichols is now beginning talks with insurers on possibly offering additional discounts or savings on car insurance for members of the website who accumulate points for educating themselves on safe driving.

Nichols believes the next step for the site is to allow shops to send out e-mails to customers with their information and any special deals they're offering.

"I don't know where the site is going to go," he says. "I'm trying to see where the puck is going to be with it, but I also feel like I'm along for the ride and and am going to enjoy where it takes me. I don't want to stress about it – I've already stressed over having a shop for a lot of years."

Nichols' mission with this site was reinforced recently when a local boy who went swimming at a pool and then laid down on the concrete to dry off was backed over by a vehicle and killed.

"Those things are completely preventable," he says. "I'm passionate about doing all that I can to stop these things from happening. If one life is saved because of this website, I know all the effort will have been worth it."

Business partners and brothers (right to left): Dan Nichols, Brian Nichols, James Nichols and Russ Nichols, standing in front of the Orem, Utah Cascade Collision Repair center.

CollisionGuard.com