Collision
repair facility operators across the country make crucial decisions to
overcome the daily challenges common to the repair process. But far too
few operators take the time to pause and examine how their operations work
in the long-term and to consider the goals they need to set to ensure
growth and continued success.This lack of long-term planning is
understandable. Collision repair facility operators run lean operations
with little in the way of extra staff, leaving little time to think about
the future. The typical repair facility manager is an owner/operator and
every day faces the challenge of keeping the work coming in and moving
through the facility. Damage must be examined and estimated. Parts must be
ordered and checked. Vehicles must be scheduled for repairs and their
progress monitored.Throughout, myriad problems keep shop
managers focused on the tasks at hand, such as getting the job done and
delivering the vehicle to the customer on time. Given the challenges
created by the insurance industry to decrease repair cycle time, it's no
wonder repairers must keep on top of production in their facilities every
minute of the day.What gets lost among the cacophony of
daily trials, however, is the ability to look beyond the needs of just one
job or one week's worth of repairs to the needs of the facility, its
customers and the people who will work there a week, month or year from
now.During the past 12 years, I have had the
pleasure to meet and befriend many repair facility owners. I have watched
as many have grown their businesses, expanding single facilities and
acquiring second, third and fourth stores. The repairers who have had the
greatest success have a focus spread across three crucial areas: quality,
future industry trends and current financial performance.Quality, customer -pleasing repairs are
without a doubt the first priority for all successful repair facility
operators. Without quality and customer satisfaction, no business will
succeed. Recruiting and retaining a qualified technician base and keeping
them up to date with the latest repair techniques is a necessary part of
every repair facility operator's skill set.But quality and customer satisfaction by
themselves do not bring success.Understanding the probable future of the
collision repair business so that you can prepare today to face tomorrow's
challenges keeps you one step ahead of the less-thoughtful competitor.
Every month, events from around the U.S. and the world have an effect on
your business and your community. Understanding the potential impact of
current events for the long-term health of your business is a skill
successful repairers use to further their progress.What sets the really successful shop
operator apart from those who merely get by is a constant focus on key
operating benchmarks. The most successful shop operators track their
numbers religiously and ruthlessly pursue better performance.The act of measuring regularly and
communicating performance with those being measured alone influences the
result. Having a steady flow of meaningful numbers to work with, you can
focus on improving your operation with an eye towards the long-term.In this month's issue, Contributing Editor
John Yoswick provides a thorough examination of how repair facility
operators like yourself have put key operating benchmarks to use in their
stores, increasing their profitability. If you have never given operating
and financial performance benchmarking a try in your facility, give
Yoswick's article a read. It contains a wealth of real-world usage tips
for the financial analysis process as a whole.Taking into account these three key
operational areas that successful repairers heed in their planning will
benefit your business in the long run. You'll even find that getting the
work out the door every day will become a little easier and certainly more
rewarding.