DRPs: Our Business Skills
Stop the finger pointing. How well we do in this trade has a lot more to do with our business skills than with how “bad” insurers are. In fact, direct-repair programs have, dare I say it, made many shops more efficient and profitable. It was more than 40 years ago, but I still remember sitting
Check It Out: Quality-Control Inspection
If you want happier customers (and less headaches), perform a systematic quality-control inspection before
releasing the vehicle.
Stuck: Adhesion
I LOVE GLUE DEAR… I love glue, too… Sounds like a sticky situation to me. When I was assigned the task of reporting on the current state of adhesive use in the vehicle repair process, I had no idea where the story might lead. For the easy, logical side of the story, I talked to
Aluminum Is Coming
Conceptions and Misconceptions
Why I Drug Test Employees
er hired a private investigator who administered polygraph tests to determine how the pump disappeared and who was responsible. One employee – the most likely perpetrator – promptly quit. During the course of the investigation, however, it was learned that 16 out of 25 employees were regular drug users. And this shop had been suffering
Damaged Goods
Fact: Consumers won’t pay as much for a vehicle that’s been wrecked and repaired as they will for a vehicle that’s never been in an accident. This market condition – or stigma as some like to call it – diminishes the vehicle in value, regardless of how expertly repaired it may have been.
Cars to Come
SUVs, sedans, coupes, minivans – sometimes all rolled into one. They look futuristic, but you could be seeing some of them on the road – and in your shop – as early as next year.
No Fear: Developing New Business by Asking
Learn the right way to ask for business, and you’ll not only lessen your chances of being shot down, but you’ll increase shop profits, too.
Rear Clipping: Does It Deserve Its Bad Rap?
We’ve all heard horror stories about rear full body sectioning, which has lost its favorable status with insurers, repairers and consumers. But was the problem the procedure – or the people performing it?
The Jury’s Still Out: the Debate about Aftermarket Crash Parts
Two years after the landmark $1.2 billion State Farm class-action verdict, the debate about aftermarket crash parts still rages. What does the future hold for these OE counterparts? If you thought the controversy ended when the verdict came down, think again.