Communications
When it comes to delivering a great customer experience, communication is the driving force. According to the survey, respondents find timely electronic updates valuable, with more than one in three wishing they received these more often. In fact:
- 74 percent say they would like to better understand the work their repair shop is doing.
- 62 percent say that it would be very or somewhat valuable to receive timely electronic status updates, such as email alerts, text messages, or social media notifications during the repair process.
- Being kept informed on progress of repairs ranked highest (4.2 on a scale of 1-5) among a list of eight customer desires.
Trust
Out of five professions (teacher, doctor, law enforcement, automotive collsion repair technician and lawyer) collision repair technicians rank second to last on the trust scale. Twenty-eight percent of those polled reported trusting collision repair technicians the least. In addition:
- Only half of those surveyed believe that repair shops always or often provide the most qualified technicians.
- Less than half (49 percent) believe technicians always or often perform only repairs that are necessary.
Cost
Overall, respondents would like more accurate estimates and better premiums, and they don’t believe insurance providers are doing a satisfactory job in this area.
- Only 34 percent of those surveyed believe a fair price is charged always or often.
- Almost half (46 percent) of respondents say that repair shops sometimes, rarely or never deliver a final price that matches the original estimate.
- For insurance carriers, more than one-third (34 percent) of those surveyed say they woud like more accurate collision repair estimates.
“The research shows that there is a gap today with customer expectations that is having a negative impact on insurance carrier and repair shop business,” continued Vasquez. “By leveraging advanced data and technology to manage customer expectations, insurance carriers and repairers can keep customers informed, making repairers more trusted and helping to better manage the difficult price conversation.”
This study sheds light on some of the present issues in the collision repair industry, unveiling that ultimately, communications is the driving force behind customer satisfaction. By solving these challenges, customers will not only be more informed and trusting, but companies will position themselves to be successful in a competitive marketplace.
For more details about the study, please visit www.collisionrepairinsights.com.
Methodology
The Insight on the Collisoin Repair Experience Study was conducted by ORC International’s CARAVAN® Omnibus services and was based on phone interviews of over 1,000 U.S. adults conducted between May 15-18, 2014. There is a margin of error of +/- 3% at a 95% confidence level. This margin of error would be greater for any subsets of the sample.
About AudaExplore
As owners expect greater service throughout the life of their vehicle, AudaExplore helps businesses reimagine the ownership experience through its proven data-driven solutions. By delivering global data, easy-to-use technology and deeper insights into the ownership lifecycle, AudaExplore is leading the industry in making insurance carriers, repairers, dealerships, fleet owners and suppliers more competitive and profitable. AudaExplore is a business unit of Solera Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SLH), the leading global claims solutions provider serving the automotive industry. For more information, visit www.audaexplore.com, or follow us on Twitter at @AudaExplore_.
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