Using Computers to Produce and Profit
Just about every aspect of a repair – from the moment a customer makes a decision about which shop to use to the time a car exits the shop – can involve computerization. What’s the point? Besides speeding up cycle time, computers can make your techs better at what they do and your shop easier to manage.
Stop! In the Name of Estoppel
Ever been told by an adjuster after you’ve agreed on a price for a job and begun repairs that, “We made a mistake, and this isn’t covered – so we’re stopping payment on your check”? Did you respond back that the insurance company is estopped from doing that? If not, you should probably read this article.
Giving Customers the Whole Story: Educate Them
Consumers who’ve been in an accident often only know what they’ve been told by their insurer – and what they’ve been told often puts your shop in a negative light. What can you do? Educate them on the repair process so they have all the information they need.
Should I Stay or Should I Go Now? Choosing a New Paint Brand?
It takes more than a coin flip to decide whether to choose a new paint brand or stick with the one you have. Sure, a new paint product with all sorts of new bells and whistles may entice you to jump ship from your current brand, but make sure you do your homework before taking that leap.
Constructing the Ultimate Shop Design
No matter what the scale and scope of your shop, you just may benefit from having another pair of eyes examine your layout and procedures.
Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Estimators
Technicians have enough to worry about, so when they spend a lot of their time checking P-pages and writing their own supplements because the estimator didn’t know everything to ask for, the whole shop suffers.
How Feds Dodged the Consent Decree in ’93
A group of shop owners – armed with reams of documentation and the 1963 Consent Decree – visited the Department of Justice in ’93 to provide what they considered proof of insurance industry wrongdoing. For whatever reasons, the DOJ dismissed their allegations, sweeping the Decree back under the rug. But how long can the dirt remain hidden?
Point and Click for Parts
Buying crash parts online may save a lot of shops a lot of time. But as the Internet continues to grow and online parts dealers continue to pop up faster than long-lost cousins at a lottery winner’s mobile home, the question of whether or not the industry is ready remains. The technology seems to be there, but does that mean it’s a good idea?
What’s Up?
Your profits are…if you learn to upsell!
Target Practice
Picture this: It’s late one evening when you finally finish the last of the day’s repair work. Realizing you skipped lunch to get some extra work done, you get the hankering for a big sandwich – loaded with corned beef and condiments. As you’re about to return the now empty jar of mustard to the lunchroom refrigerator, you hear a noise. A loud noise. A really, really loud noise.