Associated Collision Center wants you to be safe and aware, this blog contains great info on Implementing a Flex work schedule could help your shop boost productivity and employee morale.

Time to Stretch Out—Implementing a flex work schedule could help your shop boost productivity and employee morale.

The concept of a flex work schedule isn’t new by any stretch of the imagination. Data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows that more than 27% of full-time salaried employees in the country in 1997 had a schedule different than a typical 9 to 5.
As technology has gotten better and as the nation’s workforce has seen a major change in how it prioritizes family and other personal needs, the desire for a flexible schedule is growing.
Kurt Barks, CEO of Complete Auto Body and Repair in St. Louis, Missouri, says even the auto repair industry is starting to see the transition.

“We’ve learned that if you don’t dictate an exact start time and allow them to figure out on their own and do a little time managing, they manage themselves on their own and are a whole lot happier,” he says.

Even though the auto repair industry can’t offer what people might see as a typical flex work schedule—namely working from home—for obvious reasons, giving employees a little more freedom in their work hours could help boost productivity and morale in your shop.

Trust your employees

Barks says he understands that some shop owners might be hesitant to implement a system that allows employees to show up a little later than usual, arrive early and leave early, or otherwise work unusual hours, which could mean they’re working without a supervisor for part of their day.
Having that level of trust is key, though. It makes employees feel respected and trusted to do their job, which in turn provides motivation to do better work.

“It has to be that way. Our culture is built around providing a work environment that they want to come to,” Barks says. “They can feel comfortable not having a boss over their shoulder micromanaging them. We give them enough free reign to be themselves and make decisions, and because of that they take a lot more pride in what they do.”

The most common type of flex work schedule in the auto repair industry is letting employees work a full day at unconventional hours; for example, an employee who has to make sure their kids are dropped off at school will work 8:45 to 5:45 instead of the typical 8 to 5.
Wendy Ott, co-owner of Autobody Concepts in Gainesville, Texas, has also had a flex work schedule in both of her shops for “quite a few years.” She says employees still put in a full week’s work even if they’re coming in a little later or are leaving a little early because they have family business to attend to.

“They’re happier at work because they’re happier at home, and that works out best for everybody,” Ott says. “If that works for them and they’re able to get their work done, we want them to be happy here because we consider them family.”

Plan ahead

Complete Auto Body and Repair has seven locations throughout the St. Louis metro area with nearly 200 employees across the business. Barks says the company implemented a flex work schedule about seven years ago, and in that time, they’ve been able to refine their approach into a successful scheduling system.

“Our technicians and office staff don’t necessarily make their own schedule,” he says, “but we can be as flexible as they need us to be as long as the work gets completed.”

Barks says his seven shops see about 700 cars during any given week. In order to handle that weekly intake, each shop is scheduling out appointments nearly two months in advance. That kind of advanced notice makes it a lot easier to plan out schedules ahead of time and make sure that all the work is covered.

“A lot of it is pre-planning, a lot of communication with the team, knowing who can be where and when, and allowing them to manage themselves from a local level,” Barks says. “That allows them to understand the workload coming in and adjust their schedules accordingly.”

That level of planning can go beyond just the amount of cars coming into a shop, too. Ott says work in Texas summers can get dangerously hot—because of that, some of her employees choose to come in around 4 a.m. and leave at noon to avoid working during the hottest part of the day.
Like with Barks’ shops, Ott says it takes a lot of planning and communicating with employees to make sure that everything is covered.

“It makes it a little difficult, but they get their work done and they’re happier,” she says.

Have patience

When Complete Auto Body implemented its flex scheduling seven years ago, it had two locations. Even at that point, Barks says it took some time to get it running smoothly.

“It took a good year and a half to two years to really understand what everyone’s needs were, and for us to realize that we could not manage it from a high level,” he says.

Each store has to have a certain level of autonomy and be able to manage its own schedule, he says.

“When we first started … it just wasn’t personalized enough. There were bumps, and customer service did drop, which is why we had to fix it,” Barks says. “That’s when we went in and localized it, and it’s turned out quite well. By empowering those local store managers or location managers, it became a whole lot easier.”

Since implementing flex scheduling, Complete Auto Body has expanded to seven stores and has seen turnover rates fall to around two percent.

“Flex schedule has a lot to do with that,” he says. “By having a culture and environment where you care for your team and don’t treat them like numbers … it truly keeps them energized.”

The transition isn’t necessarily easy, but Barks says if your shop can be patient enough to navigate the switch to a flex schedule, the results are well worth it.

“Don’t get discouraged,” he says. “It will have some bumps and bruises, but if you follow the process, it will ultimately come up with employee satisfaction and the customer experience being the best.”

What to know more? please visit our last month’s The increased demand for equipment and know-how. All Blog listing can be found here.

Associated Collision Center wants you to be safe and aware, this blog contains great info on The increased demand for equipment and know-how needed to repair an ever-increasingly complex vehicle parc is undeniable.

The increased demand for equipment and know-how needed to repair an ever-increasingly complex vehicle parc is undeniable. The two single-location shop owners FenderBender interviewed for this article face many of the same issues as do the more than 300 respondents to the 2023 FenderBender Industry Survey, including staffing shortages and the training and equipment needed to repair the latest technology. These two shop owners have approached the problem with some common methods and some notable differences.

One trend, a move away from direct repair programs (DRPs), has remained constant throughout the history of the survey. The number of shops reporting no revenue from DRPs in 2018 was 30%, and five short years later, that number is up to 44%. Both Rob Grieve, who owns Nylund’s Collision Center with his wife, Carol, in the Denver suburb of Englewood, Colorado; and James Wilson, principal owner of ICS Collision Center, in the Wichita, Kansas, suburb of Derby, Kansas, have eschewed DRP agreements from the start and concentrated on following OEM repair procedures and using only OEM parts.

Survey respondents indicated an increased focus on meeting the needs of newer technology, such as a majority (80%) reporting being equipped to repair aluminum and a healthy minority (28%) capable of repairing advanced structural composites or carbon fiber composites. Keeping up with the equipment and training needs can be overwhelming.

“The technology of the vehicles is ever-changing, and it’s changing so fast that unless you’re engaged in this industry, you’re not going to be fixing the vehicles correctly,” Grieve says. And every day, you’ve got to make the effort to educate yourself.”

Specialization and OEM Certification Help Simplify Complicated Repairs

For Grieve, although his shop does fix other vehicles, the sustainable business model is to specialize in a few makes and models to ensure safe and proper repairs.

“Understanding what really needs to go into the repair takes an enormous amount of research and education on each vehicle,” he says. “We can no longer fix every car that comes through the door. We have to specialize. If I have a Ford, Chevy, a Lexus, Mazda, Volvo, and Porsche in the shop, how can any of my people know everything they need to know about each one of those cars? That is a big hurdle, so let’s narrow it down.”

For many newer models, Grieve says, guests are referred to shops that are certified for those makes and models if those repairs don’t fit into his repair mix.

Nearly 45% of survey respondents reported having at least one OEM certification, with those reporting having six or more (17.19%) taking the lion’s share.

More than half of Nylund’s business is for Lexus vehicles, followed by Toyota, Grieve says, while Subaru and the German marques make up the bulk of the remainder. His shop piloted the Lexus Authorized program, which is offered to independent repairers, and it’s been authorized since December 2020 (the distinction is that Lexus Certified shops must be majority-owned by a Lexus dealership) and is the only Lucid Authorized repair facility in Colorado.

“Both programs are valuable to us,” Grieve says. “Lexus, because of our longstanding reputation for being the experts in repairing these vehicles and taking care of these guests, and Lucid, because they bring a different guest demographic to the shop and are upping our game in the repair of very complex vehicles. Both bring a different level of excitement to the shop floor.”

More than a decade before his shop became Lexus Authorized, Grieve realized his technicians needed additional training to tackle the increasing levels of technology in the new vehicles. He turned to the dealership he buys parts from, who got the ball rolling for his staff to take Lexus certification courses. The brand was already the shop’s mainstay, so when the Lexus Authorized program rolled out, his shop was well positioned to take the next step to become authorized.

“Being part of the Lexus collision program has the added value of much of the training crosses over to Toyota vehicles and their guests and we are currently exploring the Toyota Collision Program as well.”

Reaching the $1M Mark in Kansas

For Wilson, who with his wife, Tera, started ICS Collision Center from the ground up in 2013, the challenge was how to grow his business to reach $1 million in annual sales out of a 10,000-square-foot facility. The shop began by doubling its sales each year but had remained in the $700,000 to $800,000 range, he says. What worked may seem counterintuitive, he says, but it worked: reduce the car count and focus on working with fewer clients “who truly care about safe and proper repairs.”

“We serve our clients’ needs, not insurers’,” he explains. “So, if they want the vehicle repaired properly – it doesn’t matter if it’s a luxury car or a run-of-the-mill 10-year-old car or a fleet customer – they understand that insurance doesn’t cover everything. If we manage those expectations on the front side and do that well, then you know basically we’re educating them so they can make an informed decision, whether or not they choose us. I’m there to serve them, right? We shifted our focus to clients who understood the direction we were going, which was a focus on them receiving safe and proper repairs, not their out-of-pocket expenses.”

Just as Grieve says his staff will refer his guests to another facility certified for a different make, Wilson recognizes certain situations call for a different shop to care for certain would-be customers’ needs. This requires some time upfront at the point of intake, explaining how his business model differs from that of many area shops.

“If I cannot manage your expectations on the front side, it’s going to be a train wreck on the back side,” he says. “We slow down on the front side and make sure we actively listen to our client and what they’re looking for.”

A would-be customer more concerned about his or her $1,000 deductible and having a free loaner car is probably not going to be an ICS customer, he explains.

“It’s my job to educate the consumer about what they should expect from us as their chosen repair facility, what the manufacturer states is required and necessary for a safe and proper repair and provide them that documentation as far as knowing your consumer rights here in the state of Kansas. That way, they can make an informed decision.”

Within the first 18 months or so of setting the $1 million goal, Wilson says, the shop hit its goal. It now produces between $1.2 million and $1.3 million per year.

What to know more? please visit our last month’s Each wrong part costs our employees a minimum of 30 minutes. All Blog listing can be found here.

Associated Collision Center wants you to be safe and aware, this blog contains great info on Each wrong part costs our employees a minimum of 30 minutes..

For many shops in the country, missing or wrong parts are found in the repair process or during assembly. Following well-defined processes is one the primary keys to the high profitability kingdom. My lean sensei taught me, “Our processes need to be so well defined that a monkey could do it.” Granted, our people are not treated like monkeys, but when our processes are created by the people who are doing the work and are defined in a simple way, the less variation (problems) we will have. It’s as certain as the sun rises!
When the parts arrive for a fully blueprinted vehicle, they must have a thorough check-in process the day of arrival. We call this process our “Mirror-Matching” process. This written process must be followed line by line & word for word every time. Here is our abbreviated version:

1. Receive parts invoices from vendors.
2. Mirror-match old parts to new parts side by side/upside down.
3. Remove all stickers after part confirmation.
4. Transfer all bulbs, hardware, modules etc. from old parts to new parts.
5. Re-box all cores and attach credit slips.
6. Trash ALL old parts and packaging.
7. Apply any necessary seam sealer to new panels and photos for the file.
8. Pre-build all non-painted truck bumpers, grilles, washer tanks etc.
9. Plug in new headlamps/taillamps to confirm they work.
10. Install all SRS components and cooling now except for vehicles needing front structure repair.
11. Move car to visual next up queue to start body work.
12. Pre-close job.

Any needed photos for the build process of wiring harness routings and emblem locations are taken during Blueprint. Otherwise, there is not one good reason to keep the old parts. NOT ONE! Be a leader and slaughter those sacred cows. Disclaimer: My state doesn’t require us to keep the old parts. Old bumper ends are attached to new bumpers for painters to use as test panels for color match when we’re not painting the fenders or quarters. Mirror-matched parts are placed on the R&I cart and this cart then follows the car through the process. Our entire shop is clock hour with a global bonus program. Anything that can be done upstream to speed up reassembly MUST be done. Why? If we find a problem in Mirror Matching, we have just prevented the money-printing conveyor belt from stopping printing $ when a car can’t go home. Five out of my nine employees are trained in mirror-matching parts. This cross-training helps eliminate the expense of a designated parts person.

There is a crucial KPI that should be tracked by every shop. This metric is the Parts Return Ratio, which is the percentage of the parts we order must be returned. A good benchmark is no more than 5% returns in dollars of total parts purchased per month, excluding cores, of course. I know we are in crazy times trying to get parts from multiple dealers, strikes, etc., but stay focused here. The Parts Return Ratio is a good bellwether of a shop’s high or low profitability. If your shop’s part returns are above 5%, that is a red flag that the processes of estimating, blueprinting, and more need a major overhaul. The problem could lie in ordering parts off an insurer’s parking lot estimate, front-end estimators just winging it, poor Blueprinting, and not reading OEM procedures. Most shops, unfortunately, have no clue of the cost in time of each returned part. Most management systems are set up for Part Return Reasons, and by applying a Pareto chart (roughly, 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes), you can conquer the biggest problem first.

Each wrong part costs our employees a minimum of 30 minutes. Sit down with your parts and accounting department. Then write down every step on a whiteboard needed to return a wrong part and order a correct one, along with the time associated for each step. Granted, damaged and wrong parts sent by vendors are inevitable, but most returns are our fault. Of course, don’t order parts for a borderline total. If we have just three returned parts per day, that’s 1.5 hours that have been a total waste by our people. With 21 days per month x 1.5 hours, that’s 31.5 clock hours wasted per month, or 378 hours per year, just because of the wrong parts being ordered!! More importantly, having the wrong parts means the car likely can’t be put into production. And idle inventory is the queen mother of all wastes. I’ll leave you with some homework: Go into your management system and see if you are under the goal of 5% returns or less (excluding cores). If you’re above 5%, then it’s time for a constructive problem-solving discussion with the entire team. Another good metric to monitor is the number of OEM invoices per RO. Anything above one per vendor is an area of needed improvement.

What to know more? please visit our last month’s Vehicle is Almost Complete, but Autobody Shop Cannot Finish. All Blog listing can be found here.

Associated Collision Center wants you to be safe and aware, this blog contains great info on Vehicle is Almost Complete, but Autobody Shop Cannot Finish.

Every shop I have run into lately has told me the same thing, and my shop is no different: They have a vehicle that is almost complete, but they cannot finish the vehicle because they are missing a seatbelt, airbag, or a component of the ADAS/SRS system. Since they are missing a critical part to make the vehicle safe, they are telling the customers they cannot release the vehicle because of the liability risk. We are all in the same boat with these issues. But the question we need to be considering is what if the customer demands the release of their vehicle without it being complete. What should shop management do?

When I have posed this question to other shop owners and managers, I have gotten the same answer: They cannot release the vehicle because of the liability risk, and they always cite the John Eagle case. I am fine with referencing that case, but I think there are some major differences when discussing a repair that was completed incorrectly versus a repair that is not complete. As a shop, we need to be prepared if a customer demands their vehicle back, even if the repair is not completed and we deem it a safety risk to the customer and a liability risk to our shop.

Ultimately, the vehicle is the customer’s property. And if they are willing to pay what is due to the shop for work that has been completed, parts that have been ordered, and anything else owed to us, then we are going to have to release that vehicle. We cannot hold a customer’s personal property on the basis of it being a liability risk for our business; we have to have a legal reason to hold the vehicle. So, let’s talk about best practices that we can put into place to protect our shops if we have a customer who demands their vehicle back before it is complete and safely repaired.

Before I give my advice, let me preface this with you should do your best to convince your customer that the vehicle should stay till it is safely repaired. Also, if a customer is going to sue you because of an accident, they are going to sue you no matter what. Telling them the vehicle was safely repaired will not deter a customer from suing you. These are my personal opinions, and you should always consult an attorney when making decisions that affect your business and your liability risks.

My first recommendation is that shops need to pay an attorney to draft a waiver of liability for the shop. This should not be an attorney friend, but rather an attorney who specializes in drafting legal contracts. There is a difference. A waiver of liability will not protect you from someone who wants to sue, but it will definitely help detract them. In the event you are sued, a waiver of liability will not fully protect you in court, but you will be 100% better off having one.

My second recommendation is that you do not give the customer a receipt for payments with a copy of the insurance estimate. You need to draft your own repair estimate for work that you completed and for parts that were purchased. If you have ordered a seatbelt that has not come in and you want to charge the customer for the part, you need to put a line note that the part was not installed and will be delivered once it is received. There should be no labor listed for installation of the part.

Third, I would also recommend that you do not list the insurance company name or claim number on your repair estimate and the final invoice you are giving the customer. You want to separate yourself as much as possible from the insurance company’s indemnification process.

Fourth, I would make sure you have a note on the estimate and final invoice stating it is your recommendation that the customer does not pick up the vehicle due to the safety risk and that the customer is knowingly picking up the vehicle and assuming all liability risk. I would also have them initial it and make a copy for your records.

Fifth, I would make sure all Insurance checks, including supplement checks, are sent to the customer, even if you have to have checks reissued. I would have the customer cash those checks and pay you directly. Again, you’re trying to separate your shop as much as possible from the indemnification process. I do realize that a shop will probably have sent in supplements to the insurance company, which, puts themselves in the middle of the indemnification process. But without completely changing how you handle claims in a shop, that is a risk you will just have to accept if you run into an issue where the customer is demanding the release of their incomplete vehicle.
Ultimately, will all these steps protect us against a lawsuit? The answer is no. Your goal is to deter customers from picking up their unfinished vehicles. Then if the customer does pick up the unfinished vehicle and something happens and there is a lawsuit, you want to make sure your attorneys have as much supporting evidence as possible to defend you.

What to know more? please visit our last month’s Car Problems That Can Occur After a Rear End Collision. All Blog listing can be found here.

Associated Collision Center wants you to be safe and aware, this blog contains great info on The Most Common Subaru Problems Drivers Often Face.

Rear-end collisions are one of the most common types of car accidents, making up almost a third of all crashes and almost half of all collisions involving more than one vehicle. Fortunately, this type of accident is less likely than a head-on collision to cause serious bodily harm or vehicular damage. But getting rear-ended is still dangerous, and you may experience a variety of car problems after a rear-end collision.
Rear-end accident damage can be sneaky. Depending on the speed and angle of the collision and the size of the vehicles involved, you may not even see any visible damage. That doesn’t always mean you’re in the clear.
Keep reading to learn about car problems that can occur after a rear-end collision and what you should do to make sure everything is working as it should.

What is a rear-end collision?

Rear-end collisions occur when a trailing car’s front bumper makes contact with the back of the car in front of them. These types of accidents can happen anywhere on the road and at virtually any speed.
The majority of rear-end collisions occur at lower speeds, usually at stop signs, red lights, and congested traffic where cars are likely to stop suddenly. However, they can also happen on freeways at high speeds, often as a result of a distracted rear driver or a front car having to suddenly break due to unexpected debris or pedestrians on the road.

Steps You Should Take After A Rear End Collision

Any time your car comes into contact with another vehicle or object, you need to stop to ensure everyone’s okay, exchange information, and check for damage. It’s also important to take certain steps to protect your financial and legal interests in the event that the other driver isn’t honest.
Here’s what you should do immediately following a rear-end collision:

• Check for injuries. Keep in mind that you may not feel injuries until the adrenaline of the crash has faded.
• Move to safety. If your car is blocking traffic or likely to cause another accident and is drivable, you should also move it to a safe location. Otherwise put the hazard lights on.
• Don’t admit fault. Even if you think you’re to blame, it’s important not to take responsibility at the scene.
• Notify the police. File a report and tell them the truth about everything you remember.
• Take photos. It’s important to make sure you have evidence of the scene and any damage to your car.
• Exchange information. Get the full names, phone numbers, insurance and driver’s license info, and plate numbers of all involved drivers. Also write down the makes, models, and colors of the vehicles and the location, date, and time of the accident. It’s a good idea to exchange information with any witnesses as well.
  • Call your insurance provider. If possible, try to do this from the scene. Tell them the details of the accident and ask any questions you have about filing an auto claim.
• See a doctor. Before you worry about your car, it’s important to make sure you’re okay and that you get any necessary medical treatment.
• Take your car in to check for damage. Even if you don’t see any noticeable dents, scratches, or broken parts, there may be hidden damage that can impact the function and value of your vehicle.

What Problems to Check For After a Rear End Collision

Even if you don’t see any visual evidence of damage following the incident, it’s a good idea to get your car checked out by a reliable collision repair shop to insure that there aren’t any problems, as hidden damage can still impact the functionality of your car.

Frame

A crushed or misaligned frame may not be immediately noticeable. But it can significantly impact your level of control while driving, causing your car to drift to one side of the road. Crooked frames can also put unnecessary stress on other important parts of your vehicle.

Bumpers

Bumpers are located at the front and back of your car. Modern bumpers are metal bars surrounded by a plastic frame, which is usually the first thing to get damaged in a rear-end collision. This damage most often manifests in the form of dents, and can usually be repaired without replacing any parts.

Suspension

The suspension on a car is a protective system of springs and shocks that absorb energy from your tires and maintain stability and control on uneven road surfaces. This system can be impacted during a rear-end collision and can significantly affect the way your car drives and your ability to maintain control while driving.

Check Engine Light

If you notice your “check engine” light is on after a rear-end collision, it’s possible that your engine has shifted or been damaged and you should take your car in to get checked as soon as possible.

Electrical

Modern cars are more electronically advanced than ever before. Unfortunately, one of the downsides of this is that even small collisions can loosen the wires that connect to your tail lights, brake lights, or other electrical features. These components are essential to basic road safety, so you should get them fixed if they’ve sustained any damage following a rear-end collision.

Aesthetic Damage

Even if there’s no structural damage to your car and it drives just fine, there may be cosmetic damage. Dings, minor dents, scratches, and scuffs are all considered cosmetic issues for the most part. They may not impact how your car functions, but they can lower the value of your car. Many – but not all – auto insurance policies cover the cost of cosmetic repairs.

What to know more? please visit our last month’s The Most Common Subaru Problems Drivers Often Face. All Blog listing can be found here.