What I don't understand is the lack of participation from shops in an industry initiative launched in late 2007 that only has an upside. I'm talking about the Data Enhancement Gateway (DEG), which was created, funded and is being maintained by the Automotive Service Association, the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists. Anyway, DEG is a means for you to make input to information providers for the purpose of improving the quality and accuracy of repair estimates. Visit the DEG Web site (www.degweb.org) to read a brief explanation of the process and see tips for submitting a clear and complete inquiry.
For those of you who haven't jumped on board, maybe it's because you're taking a wait-and-see attitude. Or maybe you think DEG is the flavor of the month destined to be a short-lived fad. Well, OK, but you have to admit it's a pretty cool idea, not because it's the hip thing to do but because it addresses a pressing need. Anyone who has worked in this industry for a period of time knows that despite the endless stream of available data, every possible repair scenario can't be accounted for in real world practice. Not that the information providers aren't on top of things, it's just that DEG is one more way of making the estimating process even more scientific by applying the results of field studies.
In a perfect world, all shops would participate in DEG and continually feed information into the system. If you are committed to making the best repairs you can, as well as control costs and be paid fairly for your repairs, you should have a system in place to report estimating discrepancies routinely. This can't be an occasional effort, but one that you are committed to if you're going to reap the full benefits.
How difficult can this be? It's not. It's just a matter of discipline and procedure, which is the backbone of any shop. Not only should a specific time be carved out for the DEG task to be done but also a specific person should be assigned to do it – as part of his or her job.
When an estimating inquiry is made and answered, it should be communicated to the entire estimating staff. Moreover, the outcome of all other DEG inquiries made by other shops should be routinely communicated to your estimators. Inevitably, this will keep estimators on their toes and probably will lead to more inquiries. More inquiries will build a more comprehensive and accurate database that will help everybody. Ultimately, better estimates lead to better repairs and happier customers. Who can argue with that?
No matter how much sense DEG makes, participation is going to lag for a while. It makes me think that the associations should have made it harder to participate in DEG by marketing it as an exclusive program. Maybe it should have been limited to certain sizes and types of shops. Maybe participation should have been by lottery. Being shut out might have driven shops' interest and desire. A good old-fashioned uproar could have ensued: "It's not fair! Why am I not able to participate?"
A crazy thought, yes, but it's crazier to think that some shops won't participate in this free, easy-to-use program. That's just foolish and bad business. And that ain't cool. You DEG?
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