When the Government Comes Knocking: Changing Regulations & Inspections
You wouldn’t intentionally put your workers or the community that supports your business in danger. But keeping up with changing regulations issued by government agencies isn’t easy — some requirements seem overwhelming while others are just plain nitpicky. Regardless, you should always be prepared for an inspection.
Body Shop Fraud: A Question of Intent
A New Jersey body shop customer has some questions that no one, it seems, wants to answer.
Pick Me! Pick Me!
If you want to close the sale, you need more than a well-written estimate and a “Give us a call if you decide to schedule it.” You need to develop a system tailored to customer needs and train your estimators and front desk personnel to sell.
What to Do When Sales Suck, Part I
While there isn’t always a quick fix for sagging sales, examining volume and production will reveal what went wrong – and what needs to be done to pull your shop out of the red.
Dealing With Mr. “I-Can’t-Pay-My-Deductible”
It may be tempting to do your customers a favor when they threaten to take their business elsewhere. But when you see how this adversely affects the industry and your own shop, you’ll realize that you’re a moron if you allow some whiner with a eductible problem to peer pressure you.
From Classroomes to Computers
Employee education has evolved from printed manuals to virtual classrooms. But is virtual as good as the real thing?
Pointing Fingers: DRP Agreements Attempt to Shift Liability
Recent concern has developed in the aftermath of Avery v. State Farm that a DRP agreement attempts to shift liability from the insurance company to the shop in the event of a lawsuit brought by an unsatisfied consumer – or, worse yet, an entire class of unsatisfied consumers. Is this concern valid? Are shops becoming scapegoats?
Taking the Cycle Time Challenge
You’d think the simple solution to developing shorter cycle times would be to have everyone work faster. Ahh, Grasshopper, things aren’t so simple. First you have to define, measure, standardize and reward – and each one of these steps is a challenge to achieve. But the long-term gain is worth the short-term pain.
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.
When the Government Comes Knocking: Keeping Up with Changing Regulations
You wouldn’t intentionally put your workers or the community that supports your business in danger. But keeping up with changing regulations issued by government agencies isn’t easy – some requirements seem overwhelming while others are just plain nitpicky. Regardless, you should always be prepared for an inspection