How can you increase your collision repair center's sales - and profits?

There are many things you can do, like running a more efficient operation or doing a better job of marketing. But not to be overlooked is maybe the best way you can increase your profits: paying more attention to your estimates. There's probably nothing that impacts your shop's bottom line more than those estimates.

Sure, you've got the help of one or more of the major automotive repair information providers: Mitchell International, Automatic Data Processing (ADP) and CCC Information Services. But you need to be keenly aware of all the operations you must perform to deliver a quality job to your customer - just in case some of those procedures are not listed. Obviously, if you go strictly by the estimate information provided and it doesn't include the costs of those operations in your customer billing, you're going to lose money.

Looking out for your interests, trying to see to it that your shop is justly rewarded for the work it does, is the goal and guiding reason driving a number of initiatives under way by the Automated Estimate Subcommittee of the Automotive Service Association (ASA) Collision Division Operations Committee.

To achieve this goal, members of the subcommittee have a five-pronged program, which includes:

1. Improving the fairness and use of automated estimates through frequent communication with ASA collision shop owners; insurers; Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair; and information providers, including those who develop the flat rate times provided in their databases.
2. Creating business tools that will assist repairers to understand and allow for not-included operations.
3. Monitoring current repair procedures and identifying discrepancies to all information providers.
4. Staying on top of discrepancies and changes within the information providers' systems and informing members of these discrepancies and changes.
5. Maintaining communication with all information providers and their advisory committees, addressing concerns as they are identified.

ASA's Automated Estimate Subcommittee works closely with electronic information providers. And members serve on the information providers' advisory boards where they can provide pertinent and critical information firsthand on questions and concerns specific to each system.

But even more than that is being done to help you increase your shop's sales and profits. For a number of years, ASA has sponsored industry coalition meetings, inviting all the entities needed to resolve discrepancies in refinish procedures and refinish of salvage/recyclable parts. It is hoped that by bringing together the various entities - information providers, insurers, paint manufacturers and the salvage industry - the entire industry will have a better understanding of the recommended and required refinishing procedures necessary to provide a quality repair.

Working with these entities, ASA developed its “Reference Chart of Not-Included Operations in Collision Estimating Guides.” This business tool, which has become accepted throughout the industry, is still available free to ASA members. Nonmembers may obtain copies for a nominal handling fee.

The chart includes general, quick summaries of “not-included” operations. When a shop receives an insurer's estimate written on an estimating system the shop does not use, there is a high probability “not-included” procedures will be overlooked. This guide will help you make a quick audit of an estimate, to ensure that all procedures are accounted for in the estimate.

Repair professionals who have concerns regarding estimating systems are encouraged to contact ASA's Collision Division at (800) 272-7467, ext. 228 or 229. Copies of ASA's “not-included” operations may be obtained by calling ASA's Membership Department at (800) 272-7467, ext. 246.

Through an 11-member Collision Division Operations Committee, and its subcommittees, ASA equips committee members with specific tasks and goals, with the ultimate goal of improving collision repair. The committee is comprised of association members from all regions of the nation and from shops of varying sizes.

Bob Anderson, Anderson's Automotive, Sheffield, Ohio, chairs the Automated Estimate Subcommittee. Other members of the subcommittee are Nick Gojmeric, Collision Plus, Swansea, Ill.; Myron Hazen, Collision Repair Center, East Moline, Ill.; Geralynn Kottschade, Jerry's Body Shop, Mankato, Minn.; Harry Moppert, Moppert Brothers Collision Center, Morton, Pa.; Ted Thornton, Parks Royal Body Works, Boise, Idaho; and Mike West, Southtowne Auto Rebuild, Tukwila, Wash.

Estimating systems have a direct impact on the bottom line of a shop, so pay attention to your estimates.

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