The Word Track an Insurer Uses to Influence a Vehicle Owner to Go to a Preferred Shop
We have a list of five companies here …” Sound familiar? Like … oh, let’s say … the word track an insurer uses to influence a vehicle owner to go to a preferred shop? But what if the roles were reversed? What if, instead, it’s the word track a shop owner uses to influence a
Allstate Purchased Sterling Collision Centers
“We’ve been a PRO shop for Allstate for 15 years,” says a New Orleans shop owner who’d just learned Allstate purchased Sterling Collision Centers, a consolidator with 39 shops. Though this shop owner didn’t see it coming, he did know something was up. “Several months ago, [Allstate] reviewed our estimates written for them. After a
Market Profile: Overcoming Market Challenges
From dealing with insurer steering to getting on DRPs to trying to make a profit on current DRPs, shop owners are struggling to overcome market challenges.
Signed, Steered, Delivered — Not Yours
Many shop owners contend that insurance adjusters steer work to DRP shops. To compete, you need to educate yourself so you can then educate potential customers.
Retaining Good Law Information
Working to level the playing field between shops and insurers, Chicago attorney Patrick McGuire has created a program where he’s at the beck and call of shops in need of law advice. To the many shop owners he’s helped educate, McGuire is collision repair’s answer to Ann Landers.
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.
Forget the Decoder Ring: CIECA’s EMS System
Because information providers are no longer considering encryption or licensing agreements to limit access of estimate data as it travels along the Internet from shop to insurer, the goal of CIECA’s EMS standard can finally be achieved: No more re-keying data. No matter what provider you use, the EMS system can format the estimate so when it gets to the insurer, it looks just how they wanted it.
Reader Responses
Increasing Cycle TimeDear BodyShop Business:I just finished reading your articles on reducing cycle time (Jan. 2001 Production Issue). This leaves me extremely frustrated. Our shop employs 25 talented people, we have the latest in technology and a well-laid-out shop floor plan. But all of this means nothing if you can’t get the parts. With articles
Dealing with State Farm
“Every shop in this country deals with State Farm, and they all understand that SF can, if it wants, put them out of business. In many markets, it will be a ‘take it or leave it’ situation,” says a shop owner about SF’s revised contract for its direct-repair shops. “I depend on SF insureds and claimants about 50 percent of the time. I, like every other shop owner, have some hard choices to make.”
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.