Let Your People Grow
When properly motivated and directed, employees drive the processes that result in quality, innovation, efficiency and customer satisfaction … a.k.a. your shop’s success.
Paradise By the Dashboard Light
The Americans’ love affairs with their cars
United We Should Stand: A Voice in the Collision Industry
about it — including me.
Investing in These Uncertain Times
In more than 60 years of American history, in good times and in some very bad times, the stock market has always bounced back — and the Sept. 11 attacks will likely be no exception. Until then, don’t panic, and don’t go yanking all your money out of the market.
An Allstate Exec Wrote this Article
Don’t turn that page! Regardless of how you feel about the insurance industry, try to objectively read this article. Why should you? Because few repairers know what it’s like to work on the insurance side – yet this perspective can give you insight into situations you encounter daily and help you run your business better.
The Fraud Triangle
Anticipating possibly getting something for nothing – and convincing themselves they’re entitled to it – repairers, insurers and consumers commit fraud on a daily basis, assuming that if they don’t get caught, no one gets hurt. But nothing comes without a cost.
Consent Decree: Enforceable or Forgetable?
In 1963, 265 insurers signed a Consent Decree drafted by the U.S. Justice Department and Attorney General Robert Kennedy. By signing, they agreed to abide by the Decree’s terms: no more demanding discounts, setting hourly rates, boycotting repair shops and using specific appraisers. It’s still a binding agreement today … but will it ever be enforced?
Your Mission: Educate Consumers
"How can we better educate our customers so they can make more informed decisions about choosing a repair facility?" — Timothy Kilkeary, v.p., Kilkeary’s Auto Body, Inc., Eighty Four, Pa. Since I took over my family’s business in 1984, the collision repair industry has been on a roller coaster ride of changes, twists and turns.
Class Action Re-Action: Snider vs. State Farm Verdict
The Snider vs. State Farm verdict got the attention of repairers, insurers, consumers … and many, many lawyers — who didn’t waste any time filing copycat lawsuits. But with the spotlight now on insurance companies, should shops also be concerned?
Auto Repair at Autobahn Speeds
Germans are known for their engineering prowess, which is reflected in the vehicles they produce — Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, Volkswagen — and the speed limits they post. And though Germans’ love for their automobiles has lessened and insurers love of meddling has grown, collision repairers are still finding business profitable.