4 minute read

CCC Intelligent Solutions

from October 2021 Shop & Product Showcase

from October 2021 Shop & Product Showcase, page 50

WD-40

by Autobody News Staff

CCC is well known in the collision repair industry for helping auto body shops by providing robust data and technology they can use to improve their businesses and succeed at a high level. From the minute a customer calls or walks into a shop to when the customer receives the vehicle back in pre-accident condition, CCC’s software plays a role in almost every aspect of every repair.

However, what many in the collision repair industry don’t know is CCC offers consulting services outside of technology. CCC’s ELEVATE Services is like having an expert consultant on your team dedicated to making you a better company.

Since 1990, collision professionals have used CCC technology to run a shop, but now ELEVATE is teaching them how to succeed by driving meaningful, sustainable outcomes.

Chesapeake Collision, a mini MSO with four locations in the Baltimore, Anne Arundel County and Southern Maryland areas, has been using CCC’s ELEVATE for the past year.

Chesapeake Collision is highly regarded for being a veteran-owned company that runs its facilities as a well-oiled team. Its owner, John Botek, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. The company proudly calls itself “Collision Heroes” and actively supports the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association, Wounded Warrior Project and Hero Dogs (Service Dogs for America’s Heroes), among others.

Another graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy is Lyle Burnham, the go-to guy at Chesapeake Collision when it comes to coordinating the overall ELEVATE program. To keep everyone in the loop and tap into all of the program’s benefits, Burnham holds weekly meetings to discuss ELEVATE and how his management team can optimize it.

ELEVATE offers a highly personalized, practical consultation service to help reach business goals and optimize shop operations, as well as improving customer satisfaction, according to CCC’s website.

Advisors complete a comprehensive analysis to identify unique challenges for individual shops and strategies to address them. Their formula includes reviewing staff roles and responsibilities, standardizing and improving processes and documentation and finding ways for each shop to deliver an excellent customer experience.

One of the best parts of using CCC ONE is being able to work with CCC’s local representative, Kevin Bennett, Burnham said.

“As a former body shop owner, he’s about as real as they come,” said Burnham. “I could tell right away Kevin is not just another software salesman, but he knows this industry inside and out. We sat down and concluded our company was using only 30% of the tools provided by CCC ONE, so we began talking about how to do more with the program. Kevin then mentioned ELEVATE and we were instantly interested.”

Another major advantage of using ELEVATE is the fact Burnham and his management team receive advice and direction from Neal Bobzin, one of CCC ONE’s ELEVATE advisors.

“It’s like having your very own in-house expert,” Burnham said. “Tapping into Neal’s knowledge is invaluable and is why we access it as often as we can. He’s committed to making us a better company and knows how to do it. Neal is very direct and if something we’re doing does not work or needs improvement, he’s not afraid to tell us about it.

“The best part is he brings us great ideas and solutions designed specifically for us because he realizes every shop has different needs and different goals. It helps to be able to review our procedures with someone who will bring an outside perspective to the process and then identify ways where we can streamline our operations.”

Bobzin is delighted to work with Burnham and his management team because he can clearly see the MSO wants to improve, especially in the area of customer service.

“Most of my ELEVATE clients are already on the right path, and usually just need a little direction to get where they want to be,” Bobzin said. “When I work with a client, I take it personally and become emotionally entrenched. I have held this position as an ELEVATE consultant on and off for the past four years, and every time I see a shop improving their CSI score or succeeding in some area we’re focusing on, it’s very satisfying.”

Burnham said, “Within a very short period of time, our CSI numbers at Chesapeake Collision increased 2.5% just by doing a few of the things Neal suggested.”

The CSI improvement coincides with a 7% increase in the number of surveys returned since Chesapeake Collision began working with the ELEVATE team. Chesapeake Collision has grown its bottom-line gross profit margin thanks in part to more than $136,000 in opportunities from photo estimating, as advised by Bobzin.

By using CCC’s three most important assets—its people, technology and network—Bobzin has been able to define Chesapeake Collision’s expectations through ELEVATE and then measure its performance. They are reaching their goals and exceeding their expectations, and credit much of this to ELEVATE by CCC.

Chesapeake Collision with three locations in the Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington, D.C. area uses CCC’s ELEVATE to improve every aspect of their customer service.