A repeat performance

Jan. 1, 2020
O'Rielly Collision Center returns to the top 10 thanks to a team approach, new software and marketing initiatives

Championship teams face arguably the toughest task in sports – repeating, which is why so few rarely do. Those who manage to repeat a championship performance do so using the same type of formula. They take all the things they did well in one season, repeat them and perform a little better.

O’Rielly’s Web site address is featured prominently on the shop building to drive traffic to the site. Click here for more photos.

The folks at Tucson, Ariz.-based O’Rielly Collision Center, a 2009 Top Shops finalist, must be devoted sports fans because they used the same blueprint to return to this year’s top ten.

O’Rielly took a basic approach to becoming a 2009 finalist. It did everything well with a small, highly motivated, veteran team. The model remained in place in 2010. O’Rielly still employs just one manager, along with one booker/clerk and a receptionist. Four estimators manage the shop’s six DRP accounts with the goal of writing $100,000 of business a month. The other employees consist of seven technicians, two technician apprentices, one mechanic, three painters, one painter apprentice and two lot attendants.

Most of these employees have been at O’Rielly for a long time. Technicians average more than nine years with the shop. Senior technician Felipe Sanchez is in his 28th year. Senior painter Bobby Souders joined the business eight days after his 18th birthday and has remained for the past 20 years. Together, this team repairs an average of 42 cars a week, which translates into $5 million annually.

Recognizing the value of the long-standing bond between team members, O’Rielly creates programs that tie the well-being of the business and team together. Manager Brian Guerrero explains estimators are given the option of being paid off the gross profit they generate individually or from the gross profit of the shop. The first option is the standard pay program at many shops but unfortunately creates a feast or famine atmosphere where estimators can be reluctant to help one another out, Guerrero says.

“This is why you have customers calling into shops for a status update and being told they have to speak to the other estimator – that’s not good for anyone,” Guerrero says.

The shop’s massive interior helps it push out on average 42 repairs each week. Click here for more photos.

With a pay plan based on the shop’s gross profit, estimators are more inclined to help each other.

“They’ll step in and help with someone else’s job,” Guerrero says. “This way, your employees are taking ownership of a job. They’re all focusing on getting a job out the door. This way you’re getting everyone involved and increasing business. The way they look at it, by helping O’Rielly grow, they’re growing their own paychecks.”

Along with the pay plan, O’Reilly invested in unique equipment to grow its business in 2010. Working with its paint vendor, the shop recently installed a Smart Track 3 software measurement system, which monitors paint usage by product category (basecoat, clear, undercoat and applied products) instead of paint and materials as a whole. More significantly, it monitors the product usage of each painter and tracks the accuracy of their usage. The system is an important step to increase shop efficiency.

Senior painter Bobby Souders has worked at the shop for 20 years. Click here for more photos.

“We used to measure the productivity of our paint department by looking at jobs completed – total labor hours,” Guerrero says. “This system is far more useful. Each painter has his own inventory, and all paint is weighed before it’s used. This system lets us know who is wasting paint or needs coaching. It also allows us to set goals for each painter.”

The system has been a great motivator for his paint department, which meets regularly to review their performance.

“They really like it,” Guerrero says. “There’s a lot of competition to see who’s doing best.”

The system is having a remarkable effect on the shop’s bottom line. Since its implementation, O’Rielly’s gross profits of paint increased 10 percent, Guerrero says.

Renewed Internet marketing efforts in 2010 could increase these profits even more. The shop continues to build on its new Web site by linking to social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube. Guerrero plans to add videos of customer testimonials, which he says are effective in building trust in prospective customers. Guerrero also hired an outside firm to aid with search engine optimization to help the shop appear at the top of Google searches for Tucson shops.

O’Rielly is feeling the impact of its new Web initiatives as customers come in with coupons they download from the shop site to get a free estimate and a car wash. The shop is working on additional Web promotions and activities that are suggested regularly by the O’Rielly team. Planning at the shop, even the Web marketing, is a team effort.

Guerrero and his team already are planning to enter the 2011 Top Shops contest. If history is any indication, count on more of the same successful model operations accompanied by fresh ideas.

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