A significant impact

Jan. 1, 2020
911 Collision Center continues to look for ways to improve its business, the industry.
Anyone in collision repair who hasn’t heard of 911 Collision Centers and owners Mike Quinn and Patrick O’Neill probably hasn’t been in the business long.
An average 350 customers pass through 911’s doors each month. Those who might have difficulty paying for repairs can get help through the shop’s Rental Car Assistance Program. Click here for more photos.

Quinn and O’Neill have spent much of their careers working to improve the industry. They provide leadership at the national level, working with groups such as the Collision Industry Conference (Quinn started a two-year term as chairman in November 2010) and National Auto Body Council (Quinn is a former board member and director). They also lead charitable efforts that raise public awareness of the good works performed by those who choose automobile service for a living. Their contributions to the industry are so significant, it can be easy to overlook their business and how it serves as a conduit for the kind of industry transformation 911 ownership wants to provide.

The company opened its first facility in 1998. Instead of being built on concrete and mortar, the business was founded on the idea to provide ethical services in an industry too often fraught with mistrust, says Michael Mars, operations manager. Mars cites Better Business Bureau numbers registering more complaints with auto repairs than any other industry. So, 911 decided to counter mistrust with transparency, opening lines of communication wherever possible.

For example, the company requires employees to provide clear responses to all customer questions and comments. When a vehicle is delivered back to its owner, an employee reviews a detailed damage report line by line with the owner to ensure the customer understands everything that took place during the repair process. After the company began instituting these procedures, it didn’t take long for customers to show their appreciation. In 2002, a customer nominated 911 for the newly created Ethics Award from the BBB of Southern Arizona. The company won in the business category.

911 has worked to build on this accomplishment for the past eight years.

“We train daily,” Mars says. “We remind ourselves and our staffs this is how the company was built and this is how we’re going to move forward.”

The company serves two customer types – vehicle owners and insurance companies. Employees believe they can serve the ethical and repairs needs of both better by making all company transactions as transparent as possible and going one step further – providing benefits both should expect but may not receive if they conducted business elsewhere. For its insurance or DRP customers, 911 searches for ways to cut costs.

“We continually do cost analysis on repairs and parts,” Mars says. “For example, we look at repair vs. replace because we can save someone money if we’re able to repair a part instead of just ordering another one.”

Recently, one of Mars’ long-serving techs has begun mentoring younger staff members about performing specific repairs to emphasize this point.

“This shows people like our DRP partners what we’re about,” he says. “We can save you money going this route vs. another company, which may not be looking at doing something like that or is just looking to replace parts.”
From its beginnings in 1998, 911 has sought to change the perception of auto repairers and build trust in the industry. Click here for more photos.

For vehicle owners, the company makes certain to be as specific as possible about the repair and the schedule a vehicle will be put on to set proper expectations.

“It’s important for them to know exactly when their car will be repaired,” Mars says. “Right now, in the current economy, parts can me more difficult to get a hold of. We’ll tell customers we can’t say when their vehicle will be fixed until we get the parts. Once we secure them, then we can give an accurate time.

“Customers appreciate us being up front,” he adds. “When they see we’re going to be honest, they know there won’t be any surprises.”

Some customers enter the shop already aware of the company’s commitment to their values. This stems from 911’s prolific contributions to communities in Arizona and Nevada (and the national collision community), which is tied directly to the business’ ethics philosophy.

“It’s another way for us to show the community and our employees how important integrity is to us,” Mars says. “It shows what we’re about.”

All levels of the company’s staff are involved. Upper management has taken the lead with vehicle extrication training and Hurricane Katrina relief. On the local level, 911 management works with organizations such as the Casa Adobes Rotary Repairers and painters, and other employees get involved directly with efforts that provide free automotive services.

In 2009, 911 Collision Centers donated five vehicles to the National Recycled Rides Program of which Quinn is the chairman. The company participates in Project Graduation, a program in which employees donate their time and effort to refurbish a vehicle that’s given away each year at a local high school the morning after graduation.

More recently, the company instituted a new program called “Rescue My Ride.” Once a month, 911 repairs – at its own cost – a vehicle for an owner in desperate need of help. The company also instituted a rental-car assistance program, which helps families unable to afford repairs because of a lack of funds or rental coverage.

The company’s involvement in the industry and community has a significant impact its recipients, as it maintains a course intent on transforming the identity of the entire industry one repair and one customer at a time.

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