You’re In Better Hands Without Allstate
Our 18-year relationship with Allstate as a PRO shop ended after their demands became unrealistic. Could we survive, considering Allstate was 30 percent of our business?
Parking Lot Pileup
To avoid an accident on the highway, a driver slammed on her brakes and crashed into seven parked cars instead – leaving a shop with a parking lot full of re-wrecked vehicles and a lot of explaining to do.
Letters to the Editors
Does Your Shop Measure Up? Your article was incredible [“Does Your Shop Measure Up?” March 2002, pg. 40]! I found (literally) my first UMS the same way your picture showed it in early 1980 in a Toyota dealership in upstate Vermont. I had just closed my small shop because of the recession and was amazed
Don’t Be Another Face in the Crowd
“How can I make a higher profit margin in the body shop as the insurance companies are paying less and less?” – John Thompson, shop manager, Fix Auto Mall, Auburn, N.Y. There are only two ways to increase gross profit on a given sales volume. The first is to increase your bottom line, i.e. charge
Does Your Shop Measure Up?
Techs working to beat the clock often skip the measuring process. But if you add a separate line to your estimate for the setup of the measuring system in addition to the setup of the vehicle on the frame machine, some of your techs might be more willing to knock the dust off the old measuring system once and awhile.
Lining Up Income
Spray-on bedlining service can give your business a much-needed boost.
Every Claim Is Not the Same
Insurance companies have led most consumers and shop owners to believe there’s no difference between first- and third-party claims – even though entirely different sets of laws and rules apply. And these differences can affect every aspect of your shop, from job scheduling to parts selection to liability to profitability.
Say You Don’t Want a Revolution
If you label your customers as “nuts” to brush off their repair complaints and tell them to “just bring it back” withoutaddressing the actual problem, your comebacks are costing you cash.
No Problem!
The team concept can increase morale, production and efficiency.
Hail Isn’t a Four-Letter Word Anymore
After one hail of a storm, this shop’s paint department couldn’t keep up and productivity grinded to a halt. In this month-by-month account — penned by the shop’s production manager — we hear all about the gridlock that occurred, the sleepless nights spent racking her brain for a solution and the teamwork system now in place that’s increased cycle time and boosted shop sales.