Thinking Long-Term

Jan. 1, 2020
Collision repair facility operators across the country make crucial decisions to overcome the daily challenges common to the repair process.
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.

Sponsored Recommendations

Best Body Shop and the 360-Degree-Concept

Spanesi ‘360-Degree-Concept’ Enables Kansas Body Shop to Complete High-Quality Repairs

How Fender Bender Operator of the Year, Morrow Collision Center, Achieves Their Spot-On Measurements

Learn how Fender Bender Operator of the Year, Morrison Collision Center, equipped their new collision facility with “sleek and modern” equipment and tools from Spanesi Americas...

ADAS Applications: What They Are & What They Do

Learn how ADAS utilizes sensors such as radar, sonar, lidar and cameras to perceive the world around the vehicle, and either provide critical information to the driver or take...

Coach Works implements the Spanesi Touch system

Coach Works Uses Spanesi Equipment to Ensure a Safe and Proper Repair for Customers