“We are committed to having the latest technology, innovative repair processes and best-trained technicians to provide the best auto body repair available. The employees are dedicated to customer satisfaction as well as industry training and ongoing education,” explains owner Joe Maslanka.
“We provide the outstanding care and concern for our customers and their vehicles before, during and after the collision repair process. We do live by our trademarked phrase, ‘Relax… We’ll Take It From Here.’”
“One of the biggest advantages is being involved with other owners,” Maslanka points out, recounting his decision to sign on with CARSTAR’s founder shortly after the organization was established. “Lirel Holt and my involvement with the early 3M ARMS system was a game-changer for me: At that point I became a businessman and not just a self-employed collision tech,” he says.
With the assistance of a partner, Maslanka established Accurate in 1975 at the tender age of 20 after taking auto body repair classes at Lane Technical High School and studying business at Wright Junior College.
“When I opened my first shop it was a small location so I didn’t need a lot of work to keep me busy. I initially repaired the cars of friends and family and eventually developed a good reputation. Little by little my business grew, allowing me to buy out my partner and move to a better location,” Maslanka recalls.
“Our customer philosophy is to give the customer what they ask for and more by providing a quality repair with a completed repair check on each delivered vehicle that leaves the shop. This ensures that the vehicles are repaired correctly and all the bells and whistles are checked.”
A second location in Elgin, Ill. was opened in 1994 when Maslanka purchased an existing facility in need of some serious upgrades.
“Within two months I began making changes, and little by little I got the awesome shop that I have now,” he says. “I hired a progressive architect who came up with beautiful plans, and with the help of my production manager Butch Lenart we created the best laid-out shop we could imagine.”
The 8,450-square-foot endeavor with 22 bays netted a nomination as Elgin’s best structural rehabilitation project. Lenart had started working with Maslanka at the Chicago shop, and he remains a valued company leader 30 years later. “He was a great fit to manage Hy-Tech. If we identify something to do, it gets done.”
Don Maslanka, Joe’s brother, manages Chicago’s Accurate Auto, encompassing 17 bays in 7,500 square feet of space. “Don’s very efficient; he’s all over these guys to get the right part and provide the best customer service.”
As the owner, Joe Maslanka is a big believer in management by walking around, he reports. “The most important person working with me is my dear wife Julie,” Maslanka asserts. “She gave up her career in nursing to help me market my business. She has done an outstanding job with relationships with the insurance community, she takes care of all the loose ends and gets to all the little things that I cannot manage to accomplish in my busy work day.” Julie also sits on the CARSTAR Business Group insurance committee.
“It’s so important in this industry to have good conscientious employees that you can trust to be there for your customers year after year,” Maslanka emphasizes, stressing that he does not consider his family members and other staffers to be mere employees. Quite the contrary, they are all integral to company’s success and he looks forward to when his son Joe eventually assumes ownership of the business. Maslanka also cites the importance of setting aside specific times in which to “talk shop” to avoid infringing upon family events.
The non-family members of the enterprise are held in equally high esteem, complete with boating excursions on Lake Michigan, house parties, pig roasts and other affirming activities. Free lunches are occasionally provided during the work day to further encourage company camaraderie. “I retain my employees by being supportive of their needs, providing training and paying them well,” he says.
Making an impression
“I use many different approaches to recruit good employees,” says Maslanka. “Sometimes it’s as easy as someone coming in to fill out an application and the first impression is good. I think I have a keen sense in what kind of employee will work out best for my shop: I appreciate a young person who comes in well-dressed with a smile and a good attitude. I have been known to hire people even if I don’t have an opening at the time if they impress me.”
Recruits are oriented by taking the CARSTAR University online program to learn the repair and management systems in place and obtain a solid background in how to utilize them. “By making the new employee comfortable in his or her job they will undoubtedly turn out to be a good and responsible employee,” Maslanka points out. “We make them aware initially of what is expected of them. We believe that a good orientation is the best tool for keeping an employee, and many of them have been with me for more than 10 years – therefore I can easily have them orientate the new employee,” he adds.
“The biggest changes we face on a daily bases is keeping our technicians trained in all the new processes and having enough office staff to meet the demands of the insurance companies and customers. So many tasks are now part of our day-to-day operations that we need to employ more office personnel than ever before,” Maslanka continues.
Consistent change is a constant, and the concept embraces all of the operational aspects. At Accurate Auto, for example, “office manager Maggie Czubeck speaks fluent Polish and is our line of communication with our Polish-speaking clients. This neighborhood has evolved, though, and we try to cover all the bases.” Hence George Flores, the parts manager, is fluent in Spanish to better serve a shifting demographic. “Maggie speaks Polish, George speaks Spanish and I, um, speak English,” quips Maslanka, displaying a robust sense of humor that is part of the company’s culture.
In discussing the reaction to the company’s conversion to waterborne paint, Maslanka remarks, “You can’t print that!” He goes on to recount that “outside of some resistance from the staff it went pretty well.” Personnel from BASF assisted with the switchover as management set the tone that this type of change was inevitable. “When you commit to something you do it,” Maslanka declares. “It’s the finish of the future.”
In addition to being amendable to the shifting strategies and standards that emerge through the nationwide CARSTAR systems, Maslanka describes the challenges brought about by dealing with insurance companies. “The way work arrives at your door has changed. Insurance companies have really been controlling it. Traditional marketing has lost its affects.”
With 15 direct repair program (DRP) affiliations, “the game has changed considerably,” he says. “If you score well you get a lot of work.” Maintaining the shop’s Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) of 95 percent requires constant diligence, as does addressing cycle time issues and negotiating with the carriers.
“We always maintain honesty and integrity at all costs to continue our good relationships with our insurance partners, and we expect them to do the same in return,” says Maslanka, noting that a firm stance comes with the territory. “We stick to our guns. When we have an estimate we stand by our times; once you establish that stand and rapport you’re pretty well respected and established.”
Standing out
Several marketing campaigns have been implemented over the years. “We have tried a lot of different things,” he says. Newspaper advertisements, radio spots and cable television commercials have met with varying degrees of success. “It’s difficult to stand out or make an impression in a market as large as Chicago, and it’s very expensive also. We were involved in our ad campaign with CARSTAR and in spite of a huge spend it made very little impact on sales.”
What has worked well is word-of-mouth. “We make sure all of our existing customers are satisfied and ask them to refer family and friends. We have a ‘Refer a Friend’ program going on in which if a customer refers a friend they each receive a gift card. We also ask the customers to write either a Google review or Yelp review. We also pursue fleet accounts such as glass companies, lock smiths, mechanical contractors, etc.”
Customers posting online reviews have been ecstatic in their praise: “The car looks brand new again and the entire process was hassle-free…” says one.
“This place not only did a perfect job on the repair and in a timely fashion, they also make it a seamless process with your insurance and rental car…” says another.
“I hope I never need a body shop again, but if I do, I will be going back…” says yet another.
And then there was “Sandy D.” making this assessment: “I don’t trust my Audi to anyone, but now I will never go to anyone else! My car looks like new! And it was waaaay more affordable than going to the Audi-recommended body shop… Also the office and guys are super-professional. I completely recommend them! Thank you guys! I love my car again!”
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