A “Who Pays for What?” survey in the fourth quarter of last year found that in most shops – three out of four – estimators and repair planners are primarily responsible for researching OEM repair procedures for jobs coming into the shop.

Only 6% of shops say they leave this process to the technician doing the repair. Slightly more (7%) say the work is done by a parts or production manager. Another option, adopted only by about 5% of shops, is to have an employee whose primary job is to research the OEM information for every repair.

The first 2020 “Who Pays” survey, conducted by Collision Advice and CRASH Network and focused on billing and payment practices related to “not-included” refinish operations, is open through Feb. 1.

Mike Anderson of Collision Advice said the current survey, which will take about 15 minutes, can be completed by any shop owner, manager or estimator who is familiar with the shop’s billing practices and the payment practices of the largest national insurers. Each shop’s individual responses are held in the strictest confidence; only aggregated data is released.

Survey participants receive a report with complete survey findings at no charge, broken down by region, insurer and DRP vs. non-DRP. The report also includes analysis and resources to help shops better understand and use the information presented.

To take the new survey focused on billing and payment practices related to “not-included” refinish operations, click here.