Hammer & Dolly August 2025 by Thomas Greco Publishing, Inc.

BY CHASIDY RAE SISK

The Tough Get Going Together MESSAGE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S

BY JORDAN HENDLER

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” But, where do they go? Or, who do they go with?

Being in any position in collision repair is the toughest job I know. To make it around here, you have to be a communicator, leader, therapist, negotiator, technical specialist, educator, and all on top of being present in a personal life, hobbies and family. Depending on your position, you could be all of those things at once. You’re tough by default.

Being tough means dealing with the hard things. When you’re overrun constantly, it’s exhausting. Exhaustion often leads to hopelessness. We can think, ‘How is this ever going to get better?’ Having moments of weakness can look like living only in each day, in survival mode, with a fire extinguisher in each hand. It feels like being paralyzed by too much to do, so you just do what’s in front of you. It’s too hard to look up for the horizon sometimes. As hard as it is, it’s what I’m asking you to do.

We just held a WMABA Workshop and Member Meeting in Richmond, VA, and no matter how many come – who I commend – it’s never enough of you. Even those who could have gotten to it in less than 30 minutes’ drive time. I’m happy if even one person receives the information

WMABA OFFICERS

PRESIDENT Kris Burton kris@rosslynautobody.com - 703-820-1800

VICE PRESIDENT Phil Rice price@bapspaint.com - 540-846-6617

TREASURER John Shoemaker john.a.shoemaker@basf.com - 248-763-4375

and changes themselves by one degree, but I’d be a heck of a lot happier if it were a hundred or more! I don’t know why it isn’t, especially in a slow market; isn’t that the time it would be easier to attend and learn?

It’s not the time to hunker, it’s the time to go hunting!

So where do the tough get going when they want strength?

They go to meetings, conferences, tradeshows, networ with other repairers, or participate in education. They make ways to keep “going” by growing their knowledge and community. It’s where they learn how to walk forward, be innovative and share burdens. It seems basic to say, but what it takes is intentional planning and seeking of your opportunities both locally and nationally. Sometimes, the national ones may come close by, too!

Who do the tough go with?

Many repairers have a natural competition mentality. It saddens me when a market has 25 shops in it, and none of them talk to each other. You’re all doing the same things, just in geographically different

SECRETARY Barry Dorn bdorn@dornsbodyandpaint.com - 804-746-3928

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Steven Krieps steve@gregclineauto.com 304-755-1146

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Rodney Bolton (boltonconsulting61@gmail.com) 443-386-0086 Tom Brown (thbrown@ppg.com) 703-624-5819

ADMINISTRATION

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jordan Hendler (jordanhendler@wmaba.com) 804-789-9649

WMABA CORPORATE OFFICE

P.O. Box 3157 • Mechanicsville, VA 23116

places. We learn so much more from each other, and when a community comes together, it’s so much more of a defense against pushback. It becomes offense.

Taking initiative to know your local and state market leaders and creating relationships with them - and learning from one another - is key in negating false or deceptive information. If calling your neighbor feels a first step too far, call WMABA and get a member name of someone who we know would support you in making initial inroads. Meeting your market players is a perfect reason to come to WMABA meetings, and a great way to get connected on neutral grounds.

We know you can’t be tough 24/7, but with continued steps to keep going and with people you can lean on, we know you’ll find growing in the going. Then getting tougher means not doing it alone.

H&D

Jordan Hendler

(804) 789-9649

jordanhendler@wmaba.com

HAMMER & DOLLY STAFF

PUBLISHER Thomas Greco thomas@grecopublishing.com

SALES DIRECTOR Alicia Figurelli alicia@grecopublishing.com

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Alana Quartuccio alana@grecopublishing.com

SENIOR CONTRIBUTING Chasidy Rae Sisk EDITOR chasidy@grecopublishing.com

Torchy Chandler (torchy.chandler@gmail.com) 410-309-2242 Tracy Dombrowski (tracy@collisionadvice.com) 571-458-0648

OFFICE MANAGER Donna Greco donna@grecopublishing.com

PRODUCTION Joe Greco COORDINATOR joe@grecopublishing.com

www.grecopublishing.com @grecopublishing

WHAT IS ADAS CALIBRATION?

ADAS calibration is the precise adjustment of your vehicle’s sensors and cameras, essential for the optimal functioning of advanced safety systems. This process is especially critical following significant repairs, part replacements, collisions, or windshield replacements, as these events can disrupt sensor alignment. It’s important to avoid driving without proper sensor calibration. Uncalibrated ADAS sensors can compromise your vehicle’s safety features, leading to potential malfunctions and driving hazards.

• Ensures all required calibrations are performed, even with no warning lights present

• Provides fast, accurate & simple calibration identification

• Includes links to OEM Requirements; and

We are thrilled to announce that ADAS Elite customers now have free access to 1Source ADAS reporting! Simply contact us to get set up in the 1Source ADAS portal at no charge.

The calibration of ADAS can be performed in two main ways: static and dynamic. Static calibration takes place in a controlled environment, ensuring accuracy and consistency. Dynamic calibration, on the other hand, involves driving the vehicle under specific conditions to fine-tune the sensors in real-world scenarios. This comprehensive approach ensures that your vehicle’s safety systems are reliable and effective, providing peace of mind on the road.

• Your report goes to our team for a fast pre-billing estimate!

WMABA Members Gain Valuable Tools and Content in Richmond NEWS LOCAL

When it comes to delivering worthwhile practical content to its members, WMABA always comes through!

The association hosted a combo workshop and membership meeting at Enterprise Mobility in Richmond, VA on July 16. The event started off with an insightful presentation given by WMABA Board member John Shoemaker (BASF) centered on damage appraisal documentation and was followed by a member dinner meeting, which covered

WMABA activities and updates from association leaders, allowed shop owners and managers a chance to network and opened the door to new learning from local market colleagues.

Casey Wolter of meeting sponsor Enterprise Mobility provided a thorough overview of their Automated Rental

Management System (ARMS®). The ARMS® platform can serve as a secondary management system for shops, functioning to not only help repairers review and analyze cycle time data, but also to share repair status through the portal and ultimately improve communication between all stakeholders in the repair process.

Shoemaker’s afterrnoon workshop was formulated to help repairers understand the importance of documentation and how p-pages can be a vital resource in the repair process.

“People don’t really look at the p-pages as much as they should,” explained Shoemaker. “There’s a lot of information in there that can help them get those additional tenths, two-tenths or even three-tenths, which is big in the repair world because a lot of times technicians are doing those things for free.” The discussion was eye-opening for many who, according to Shoemaker, “were surprised to learn what they can include in their damage appraisal based on what the p-pages told them.”

He also walked them through various resources and tools that can help them write more accurate repair plans in order to get paid properly.

When insurance companies come back to the shop with change requests, Shoemaker says it’s most likely because they have combined too many things. He spoke to the audience about how to split things up on the repair plan in order to

better explain the repair process via more accurate line notes.

Shoemaker also demonstrated various tools available to body shops like I-CAR, OEM1Stop, the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG) and other resources that can help improve repair plan accuracy. He also offered guidance for proper refinishing documentation. Refinish time does not include the time spent to match color tints or defective finish textures or correct finish imperfections caused by improper weather conditions, application or contaminants like dust, dirt and grease.

For more information on WMABA and upcoming events, visit wmaba.com. H&D

John Shoemaker

WMABA Executive Director Jordan Hendler

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NEWS LOCAL

WMABA Helps Secure Rivian Parts Donation for Edison Academy’s Collision Program

It can surely take many hands to help make this industry better – especially for the next generation. Collision repair educational programs with limited funds can certainly use all the help they can get, so when WMABA leaders recently learned of an opportunity to get materials in the hands of local collision repair students, they jumped in to assist.

Thanks to the generosity of automotive manufacturer Rivian, which had six pallets of unused body parts they wanted to see be put to good use, the students in the collision repair program at Edison Academy (Alexandria, VA) have plenty to work with and learn from!

“Rivian had an overstock of certain body parts that were slated for recycling, and I wanted to find a better use for them,” states Kelly Logan, director of collision repair programs at Rivian. “I know that technical high schools and colleges often face

challenges in acquiring late-model parts, as the cost of parts, paint and consumables can quickly add up for their programs. With that in mind, I reached out to WMABA and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists to see if they knew of any interested schools. We were delighted to support Edison Academy with parts that their students can utilize in their autobody courses. It’s a fantastic way to give back to the collision industry, and we hope that by using these parts, students will be further motivated to pursue a career in collision repair.”

Kris Burton, WMABA president and SCRS vice chairman, heard the call and helped make it happen for Edison Academy’s program.

Charles Cornwell, the program’s instructor, is extremely grateful for the contribution as the school relies heavily on donations for hands-on materials as funding can only go so far.

“The donation was huge!” Cornwell shares. “I didn’t realize it was going to be that big.” He says the students are excited because they can use the panels solely to practice their skills without having the aspect of a customer involved if they were to work on someone’s vehicle.

“With these panels, we can make dents and repair them in many different ways, such as the hammer and dolly technique or the stud pulling technique. We have the new plastic pull system to practice with as well. My level two students will probably use the panels to practice painting. We also have a waterborne paint system that was donated to us that we use. This panel donation is big for our program.

“Kris Burton and I have become really good friends, and he helped tremendously,” he continues. “He has the heart the size of Virginia and does what he can; he always wants to help out. He is the one who put in for this and got it all worked out. He has been the man.”

Edison Academy’s collision repair program has been around for decades; in fact, Cornwell is a product of the program he teaches today.

Cornwell is the sole auto body instructor of the program, though he receives some support from resource teachers who assist with some of the students. The program is made up of different levels. The program at level one can have as many as 100 students who meet every other day between the first four periods of the school day. Students who advance to the next level

WMABA helped get six pallets of Rivian body parts to Edison Academy to be used by their collision repair program.

BY ALANA QUARTUCCIO

usually show a great interest in what they’ve learned, which includes welding, body work, paint work and estimating. “They get quite more in-depth when they come back for level two,” he says of the continuation which he usually limits to roughly 15-18 students who have shown the most interest.

He enjoys watching students grow from the program.

“I have brought back the students who seem to gain a lot from being in my class. It seems to help some of the students socially; they seem to get more in this program than from being in a regular classroom. I enjoy seeing those students who need this the most in the program. I have about 10 students out in the field right now working as apprentices and helpers. This year will be my seventh year teaching.”

Cornwell stressed how important it is to receive donations like this so students truly have the opportunity to explore and expand their skills which can help launch their career path. He’s also thankful to companies like PPG which supplies the school with paints and materials. “The county donates cars to us to practice on, and that helps quite a bit.”

Overall, he’d like to see some more involvement from area body shops. “I get shops all the time in need of students, but I don’t get shops wanting to help the program or donate to it. I feel like I could do a lot more if I wasn’t so concerned about material.” H&D

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BARRY DORN RECOGNIZED AS A MENTOR AND LEADER

One does not need to look very hard to see Barry Dorn’s passion and dedication for this industry. The owner of Dorn’s Body and Paint (Mechanicsville, VA) is well known throughout the WMABA community – and the entire industry – as a successful shop owner, subject matter expert, mentor, leader and friend.

Dorn recently took on one more designation, when his WMABA peers honored him as Board Member of the Year during the Southeast Collision Conference kick-off awards ceremony held in Richmond this past May.

The WMABA team worked very hard to surprise Dorn during the award ceremony. Before revealing Dorn as the recipient, WMABA President Kris Burton (Rosslyn Auto Body; Alexandria, VA) referred to him as a “mentor who has become more like family, a brother and a confidant” who he credited for “pushing me forward and pushing me to be a better person.”

And a surprise it was! Dorn was completely shocked when his name was called.

“To say that I was surprised is an understatement,” reflects Dorn. “They slid that right under the rug; I had no clue it was happening. It’s truly inspiring to have my peers feel this way about me. I am truly humbled by them and their actions. There are so many other great folks that could be up there, beside me, and I mean that. I am honored that they feel that way, and I hope they know I feel the same way about them.

“I’ve been doing this my whole life,” says Dorn of his

enthusiasm for the collision repair world which started at an early age. He grew up around the family business, attended college and then “decided this is what I wanted to do. Once it’s in your blood, it’s difficult to get it out.”

One of his biggest achievements as a professional is developing his team at Dorn’s Body and Paint. “How they set the standard for the collision industry, watching them grow and become the phenomenal folks they are. One of the things I’m most proud of, other than my family, is my team and what they do.”

In addition to his family and work family, Dorn has also built strong ties through his commitment to association work. More than 25 years ago, he got involved with the Virginia Auto Body Association and later became president. “It was a group based here in Central Virginia that was struggling to get members, so we wound up merging with WMABA.”

Once active with WMABA, Dorn went on to hold just about every position on the Board over the past 20-plus years, including his current role serving as past president. He’s still very active with the WMABA Board and also serves on the Society of Collision Repair Specialists Board of Directors.

Association involvement gives Dorn “the ability to work with the finest and smartest men and women in the collision repair industry. They inspire me. They push me forward and help me get to where I want to go. If I can contribute somewhere along the way, that is a good thing. They deal with the same things I deal with, so to be able to have that level of camaraderie and understanding is an incredible thing. I can reach out to Kris, Phil or John – or anyone on the Board – if I’m having an issue, and we can have a conversation about it. It’s invaluable.”

Dorn stresses the power of industry involvement through local association work.

“In order to affect change, you have to be involved. In terms of my own involvement, it’s the least I can do for an industry which has helped me along the way – in my personal and my professional life.

“In today’s world, how a shop owner or repairer can get by without being part of their local association is beyond me,” Dorn ponders. “In my opinion, I think it’s foolish not to be involved. How can you expect to know what is coming and how to compete in the market when you don’t know the peers around you? I just don’t get that.” H&D

WMABA President Kris Burton and WMABA Board Member of the Year Barry Dorn

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Putting Customers First: Jeff’s Body Shop Strives for Quality Repairs PROFILE MEMBER

For close to 50 years, Jeff Titus has maintained a solid auto body repair business by making sure to always put the customer first.

That’s been the foundation for Jeff’s Body Shop (Annapolis, MD) since day one. Shop manager Ted Cavey has been with the operation since 1983 when Titus renamed his shop Jeff’s Body Shop. Titus initially opened a shop in 1976 as part of the Maaco franchise, then branched out in 1979 to open a body shop at a Buick dealership which led to the establishment of the shop that would bear his name for decades to come.

“Jeff always told his employees: ‘I want you to treat your customers and repair their vehicles the same way you would if they were your mom, daughter or grandmother.’ He wanted cars fixed safely and properly and for people to be treated a certain way. It’s all about 100 percent customer satisfaction and doing the repair properly.”

Starting out as a painter’s helper, Cavey quickly moved into the office when the old shop manager left and Titus asked if he was interested in learning estimating. Experienced in body work, painting and “just about everything” from schooling and working in the business, Cavey grew into the shop manager role he still holds today – 39 years later!

“When I started, we didn’t have computers. We wrote estimates by hand,” he recalls.

Longevity is the norm at Jeff’s Body Shop. “We have 20 employees, and over half of them have been here for more than 25 years. They started in their upper teens as helpers, and now most of them are technicians or painters,” explains Cavey.

The team includes A-technicians, B-technicians and CSRs,

and Cavey’s wife Jane serves as the bookkeeper.

Titus still comes in every day, according to Cavey. “He doesn’t work, but he comes in, has his coffee and gives us a hard time,” he jokes.

Customer satisfaction and quality work drove many cars to their doors, but business also grew rapidly as the shop provided repairs for many Annapolis-based car dealerships. They started out doing work for two to three dealerships, building up to four by 2010. Soon after, Jeff’s Body Shop began investing in OEM certification. Today, the shop has 10 OEM certifications and performs repairs for nine dealerships. “We pretty much do work for every dealership in Annapolis that does not have its own body shop,” Cavey confirms.

Like most body shops today, Jeff’s Body Shop frequently encounters issues when dealing with insurance companies. “It’s a constant battle with insurance companies and adjusters to fix a car properly,” he says of the problem which has grown substantially since the pandemic when insurers began to lay people off.

“We get the customer involved with every repair. We let them know upfront that it’s like medical care; they are likely to have a deductible and a copay because there are things that insurance companies don’t want to pay for and the car has to be fixed properly. We will not cut corners. If the insurance company won’t pay for it, the customer will have to pay the difference, and they all pretty much understand that.”

Ever-evolving technology is another challenge. “Cars can’t be repaired like we did when I first started in the business.” The team consistently keeps up with industry training and is I-CAR Gold Class. “The requirement is six I-CAR classes, but we do on

BY ALANA QUARTUCCIO

average about 10 per year.”

Always looking for new ways to grow, the shop joined WMABA recently as a way to interact with other shop owners and learn new things.

“We don’t know everything. There are things changing every day that we need to learn about. I believe that joining the association and talking with other shops who may be doing things differently could lead us to do some things differently. We are always looking for new ideas to be more efficient. Constant improvement is key from the front office to the detail department.”

Cavey also recognizes the educational opportunities WMABA puts forth and plans to take part in those offerings as well. “It may make our job easier,” he says of what he plans to take away from the experience.

Ultimately, Cavey sees collision repair as a rewarding career. Referring to the company’s slogan, “We Meet by Accident,” people come into the shop while dealing with the ordeal of just having their vehicle damaged. Making customers happy and returning them to safely repaired cars is what it’s all about. “Seeing their face when they see the final product, and they smile and thank us with a good customer service review” is quite satisfying.

Titus has always taught his team to deliver “quality dependable repairs and customer service following nothing less than OEM guidelines – not insurance company guidelines. We are strict about that. We follow the OEM’s process. We blueprint it, scan pre-and post repair no matter what,” insists Cavey. H&D

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COVER STORY

Maintaining the health of your business is similar to nurturing your physical health; both require training, fueling it with the right supplies and managing stress. And when something seems out of whack, it just might be time to make a change.

In last month’s Hammer & Dolly (available at grecopublishing.com/hd0725coverstory), several industry “doctors” prescribed repair planning as the right medicine for creating consistency and enhancing the customer experience, which results in improving profitability.

An accurate repair plan allows shops to know exactly what to anticipate throughout the repair process, reducing administrative burden and preventing workflow interruptions. It is not surprising that shops focused on capturing all parts, processes and procedures upfront report profitability increases.

“Of course, repair planning positively impacts profitability!” Barry Dorn (Dorn’s Body & Paint; Mechanicsville, VA) exclaims. “It helps us capture items we were missing before and other nonincluded processes that adjusters have always insisted we couldn’t

Symptoms:

Anxiety related to inconsistent quality repairs, pressures around finances and unpleasant interactions with customers and third-party payers.

Diagnosis:

Failure to accurately capture all necessary procedures, parts and materials at the onset of the repair. Doctor’s recommendation: A healthy dose of repair planning!

charge for.” And that has additional benefits. “When you’re fully compensated for the work you’re doing, it enhances your ability to train and reinvest in tooling and equipment. If you don’t know the p-pages or what your cost of doing business is, it’s like playing a game without knowing how to score. If you don’t know the rules of the game, there’s no way you’re going to win.”

“Any time there are additional parts orders or supplements that could have been prevented, it adds an unnecessary administrative burden, and that’s a profitability killer,” Michael

Bradshaw (K&M Collision; Hickory, NC) points out. “If you can capture everything on one order, you avoid all those extra steps. Additionally, 100 percent disassembly allows us to identify a total loss situation early in the process. The consistency created by repair planning has made dealing with third-party payers somewhat easier since they know what to expect when they come to our facility; they realize that things are going to be done in a specific manner.”

Kris Burton (Rosslyn Auto Body; Alexandria, VA) has had a different experience with insurers’ response to his shop’s repair plans. “They don’t like the details; they feel like you’re nickel-anddiming them even though you’re basing it on the OEM procedures.

A lot of adjusters aren’t properly trained and want to apply what they’ve been told by other shops to our facility, so it’s up to us as repair professionals to do the right thing and recognize that we can’t repair every vehicle.”

Dorn agrees. “We still have frustration points with insurers, but repair planning has removed the hearsay. We have the documentation to prove why we need to perform certain operations, so their rhetoric is meaningless. When adjusters simply refuse to pay, the next step is to go to a customer pay model and educate the customer on the Appraisal Clause or their small claims options. We’ve seen a lot of success with Right to Appraisal because repair planning allows us to provide facts – not feelings, assumptions or fiction.”

Shops collect those facts through the blueprinting process which enables them to establish an accurate diagnosis that encompasses all of the vehicle’s aches and pains from the first appointment.

“Blueprinting the vehicle and creating a repair plan allows us to properly repair the vehicle,” explains Burton. His shop transitioned to repair planning to contend with advances in vehicle technology as “the requirements became too complex for a single person to remember everything. There’s much more going on now than before. Segregating roles allows our repair planner to focus on researching requirements. Identifying everything up front isn’t just right for the vehicle being repaired; it also benefits staff to recognize that they can only process so much information.”

At first, Rosslyn Auto Body encountered some challenges because “everyone estimates a little differently,” Burton acknowledges. “But when you go to a restaurant, your meal should taste the same – no matter who the chef is. Thorough repair planning has allowed us to build consistency throughout the process, creating more organization and improving the overall quality of repairs.”

Creating consistency can prevent quite a challenge since

continued on pg. 24

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COVER STORY

continued from pg. 21

“no two accidents are the same, and no two vehicles will be damaged the same,” as Dorn notes. Since an estimate fails to capture everything wrong with a vehicle, “the vehicle must be disassembled and research must be conducted through the OEM databases, estimating software and estimate scrubbers to identify what’s truly going on and thoroughly detail everything that needs to be repaired or replaced.”

Dorn’s Body & Paint began the journey into repair planning 20 years ago in an effort to capture all vehicle damage from the beginning of the repair. “So many operations are commonly forgotten or missed, and we wanted to start capturing them,” Dorn recalls. “Inconsistent repair quality leads to decreased customer satisfaction and a high comeback rate. The clearest way to rectify those issues is by detailing every single operation needed on that vehicle and ensuring all the materials, parts and training have been acquired. When you follow the same process of collecting all that data upfront, it creates a consistent repair that leaves no excuse for incorrect repairs; you achieve the correct outcome each and every time. Our customer satisfaction ratings and comeback ratio have improved drastically.”

Repair planning “really helps to create a thorough, comprehensive and streamlined process,” according to Bradshaw. “We perform 100 percent disassembly and research the OEM repair information to identify all processes and procedures that will encompass the scope of that vehicle’s repair, including safety inspections, calibrations and so forth. That cuts back on unexpected supplements which create a ton of administrative burden and contributes to delays which decrease customer satisfaction. Repair planning helps our shop ensure we’re performing a correct repair in a more timely manner for our customers.”

The biggest change for Bradshaw’s shop resulted from having repair planners at the vehicle during disassembly, enabling them to engage in the process with the technician. “Writing the blueprint at the vehicle allows them to do a much more thorough job. Disassembly exposes the vehicle so we can identify the actual scope of repairs in its entirety on the front end, and that makes it much less likely that we’ll get 70 percent through the repair and remove a component only to learn a calibration is needed or a one-time use part needs to be ordered; we’re able to identify everything that needs to be done at the onset of the repair, which also cuts down on parts orders since we capture everything on the front end.”

Scott Ayers, Blueprint Optimization Tool (BOT) project development manager for the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), weighs in. “A repair plan is what the repair facility creates to document a more in-depth outline of the specific operations, repair procedures and parts found once the vehicle

has been disassembled, to restore it back to OEM standards. The advantage of creating accurate repair plans is setting better expectations upfront which allows you to have conversations with your customer to better establish what they can anticipate. That accuracy also translates to professionalism, where you can show you are the repair expert who is capable of diagnosing and ensuring a proper and safe repair. That attention to detail in the repair planning process can help speak to the quality of your work and build better trust and confidence with the customer that they chose the right facility to have their vehicle repaired. More accurate repair plans lead to better overall quality, efficiency and safe repairs. An accurate repair plan also better communicates and outlines the repairs that are to be done to the technicians so that everyone is on the same page about what the repair will entail.”

“Repair planning starts with blueprinting, which involves scanning the vehicle’s systems, performing structural measurement, determining suspension alignment and disassembling the vehicle to identify all damage which is all documented on a damage appraisal,” according to John Shoemaker (BASF). “The value of a repair plan is that you have each required process scheduled, so when the vehicle is ready to be repaired, all the parts, equipment and skill sets are available to move the vehicle forward through the shop very efficiently.”

“Some shops will say blueprinting and repair planning takes too long, and they would rather get the job in the shop quicker,” he continues. “Too often, they find that they missed a part or operation, forcing them to stop the repair process because either the part is required to move forward or a piece of equipment or the skill set required is being used on another repair. When a repair is stopped, it creates unwanted work in process (WIP) that causes interruptions in cash flow and triggers delays to other repairs which disturbs work processes throughout the repair facility. An inaccurate damage appraisal is most often the culprit to excess WIP as they cannot properly plan the repair so it sits and waits for either a part, a piece of equipment or a skill set.”

As repair planning becomes more prevalent, new software and tools are constantly hitting the market to assist shops with writing the most accurate blueprints possible, but the most important resource is the OEM repair procedures!

“When OEM repair procedures are reviewed, they identify the processes that are required to complete the specific repair,” Shoemaker stresses. “Properly identifying those procedures on the damage appraisal allows shops to build an outline of the repair.”

In addition to OEM procedures, K&M Collision relies on a variety of diagnostic tools in conjunction with estimating databases

continued on pg. 26

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and other devices. Burton reports that his shop uses similar resources for creating an accurate repair plan. “We access several platforms to create a repair plan. More tools and software are available than ever before; you just need to learn how to use and apply them.”

Dorn’s Body & Paint adds materials tracking software to the list, allowing the shop to ensure that every piece of consumable material used in a repair is identified and added to the invoice.

But the biggest gamechanger to writing an accurate blueprint is SCRS’s BOT, which “provides an itemized overview of steps that ensures you capture all operations,” Shoemaker explains. All three shop owners agreed that the BOT enhances consistency as well.

“The BOT specifically helps to analyze and identify labor operations and line items that are often overlooked on a repair plan,” Ayers breaks it down. “It still places the decision-making in the hands of the repair planner using it, but it is designed to help build consistency, accuracy and efficiency in creating thorough repair plans. I would also argue that while it might help a newer repair planner make sure they haven’t missed items that the repair business is counting on them to capture, it can also help a more veteran repair planner simply improve output and efficiency.”

He acknowledges that there are a lot of other “useful tools and resources designed to help repair facilities account for the work they need to perform in the repair,” including SCRS’s Guide to Complete Repair Planning, “a free variation of some of the operations that make up the BOT, and the Database Enhancement Gateway (DEG), another free resource designed to help address errors or omissions in the estimating systems.”

Errors and omissions in a repair plan can be expensive. “Estimates that miss items can either lead to elements of the repair being overlooked, resulting in quality issues or comebacks, or overlooking billable items,” Ayers observes. “Inaccuracy consumes time and creates inefficiencies that cost shops money.”

Of course, implementing anything new comes with some impact in the form of a learning curve. “At first, work may appear to slow down,” Shoemaker warns. “But by implementing all the pieces of repair planning, shops will see that the vehicles that had a proper repair plan moves past the vehicles that were just pushed into production. That visualization of things slowing down will cause a shop to backtrack on the process and revert to their way of doing things. The best way to overcome that is to work with the repair team to develop a process that works for them that involves scanning, measuring and complete disassembly as a mandatory requirement. The impact that will be realized is they have fewer parts orders, the techs are actually busier because they are not moving a vehicle in and out of their stall but are repairing a vehicle that is ready to be repaired, and vehicles are being delivered on a regular basis.”

To overcome those challenges, he suggests “involving the people who are doing the work; explain to them what you want to accomplish, give them the criteria, so they can help build the process. Once the process is developed, it needs to be nonnegotiable and must be followed each and every time. When they see a backtrack, they should stop the repair, use the team to evaluate why and either use their input to improve the process or reinforce the existing process.”

Employee buy-in is certainly a key factor for shops hoping to be successful with repair planning, but Bradshaw believes there are benefits for team members. “Once you get the process established, it reduces everyone’s stress levels. Our technicians, repair planners, parts manager, customer service representatives – everyone has more confidence in giving a delivery date and providing an accurate price quotation. We can focus on repairing vehicles because we aren’t distracted by dealing with unexpected complications that arise halfway through the process since we know what we’re getting into from the start.”

Burton agrees. “Giving people time to focus by removing the distractions and interruptions allows them to check the OEM databases, tell a story with the sheet and write an accurate repair plan.”

“It improves overall morale,” Dorn believes, though he acknowledges that “it requires a lot of discipline to achieve the desired consistency where the repair outcome is always the same, regardless of who fixed the car.”

Getting started is the first step, and as always, shops will get out what they put in.

“Consistency is the key to success,” Ayers insists, encouraging shops to “make that transition to holding your business accountable to more thorough repair plans earlier in the process, to create more efficiency, accuracy and better overall quality repairs.” He also notes that strong communication between all team members is vital for the success of repair planning, and he recommends that collision professionals attend training to enhance the education as well. “The more knowledge one has on the repair process and procedures can only help in the consistent, thorough and accurate building of repair plans.”

“We’ve created a really refined process around repair planning that allows us to write far more accurate blueprints than is common,” Bradshaw states. “As the industry evolves, we continue to refine that process and get better at it. If you’re looking for the most dramatic impact on shop profitability in the shortest amount of time, becoming serious about repair planning certainly fits the bill.”

“Change is always tough at first,” Burton admits, but he insists the effort is worthwhile. “Stick with it; don’t give up. It’s going to

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PRESENTS

Join Reliable Automotive Equipment’s Dave Gruskos for conversations with industry leaders sharing their insights and the latest from the world of certified collision repair. This month, Dave sits down with Mike Anderson of Collision Advice.

Certified Collision Repair Q&A With: MIKE ANDERSON COLLISION ADVICE

Dave Gruskos: In your experience, what would you say are the biggest advantages to a repair facility obtaining OEM certification?

Mike Anderson: First of all, with the European manufacturers, the restricted parts sales certainly help to drive more work, which is always a good thing. Another benefit is getting listed on the OEM shop locators. Recently, we’ve seen OEMs like General Motors, BMW, Honda and Acura rolling out things like accident assistance apps, which will also drive more work to certified shops. Another advantage is the access to training; some OEMs even include free subscriptions to their OEM repair procedures, and training on how to properly navigate those. Obviously, if training helps your staff improve their skill set and they become more efficient and knowledgeable, hopefully that results in positive outcomes for the business as well. A lot of people think that if they just get OEM certified, all this work will come to their door. You’ve got to know how to leverage it and how to market it; it doesn’t happen organically. You have to put the work in.

DG: What are some common misconceptions you see among shops regarding the necessity of specific OEM required tools and equipment?

MA: I often see where a shop will go out and buy equipment and then apply for the OEM certification, and they’re not aware of the fact that, sometimes, OEM equipment has to be purchased from a specific vendor. I always tell people, before you go out and buy equipment, do the research; learn which equipment is going to have the most OEM certification requirements. With some OEMs, their equipment requirements are step-based. Others require a very specific brand, or a very specific vendor. I think it’s just always important to do your research before you make any purchasing decisions. Service, support and training are also very important. A lot of the misconceptions are where people just think that all equipment is approved. It will vary based on the OEM, and you’ve got to be careful who you buy from.

ABOUT MIKE

As one of the most knowledgeable people in his field, Mike Anderson is a sought-after speaker, author and consultant. A former owner of multiple collision repair centers in Alexandria, VA, Mike currently owns and operates Collision Advice, an industry research, reference and consulting business. He also serves as a facilitator for Axalta’s highly recognized Business Council 20 Groups in both the US and Canada, as well as independent 20 groups through Collision Advice, and facilitates numerous courses for Axalta, Toyota, Nissan and other OEMs.

DG: Can you share any strategies for shops to effectively balance the investment in pursuing or maintaining OEM certification versus ongoing responsibilities in other areas of the business?

MA: I’ve seen it happen, unfortunately, where shops will go and pursue all these OEM certifications, spending all this money on training and equipment, and next thing you know, they’ve overextended themselves financially. I think you have to be very intentional with what you do. You’ve got to understand at the beginning whether you’re going to lease the equipment, buy it outright, or finance it; you’ve got to know what that payment is going to be, and make sure you’re budgeting for that as well as additional expenses. I always like to build out a pro forma: If I’m going to spend X on training and Y for my technician to travel and Z for equipment, maybe I’ve got to assess my labor rates to ensure we get the ROI. Make sure you’re taking into account the financial implications on your business, which includes managing cash flow and things of that nature.

DG: What advice do you have for navigating potential conflicts between OEM procedures and insurer pushback?

MA: It 100 percent starts with educating the consumer. I just think that is so critical. You can’t just say that you’re going to spend five or 10 minutes with a consumer. I think you’ve got to be spending 45 minutes to an hour with a consumer. It really is about not only educating them, but educating them in a way that they understand it. There is nothing better than a well informed customer and involving the customer in all your communications or discussions with the third party payer.

Mike Anderson Collision Advice

continued from pg. 26

be better in the long run, so find the right resources and tools to support your team and keep working toward it.”

“It’s always difficult to start something that might be controversial or could add frustration and friction,” Dorn offers his input. “But with the way today’s vehicles are made, we cannot repair them the way we did decades ago…or the way an untrained third-party payer focused on cost mitigation wants you to repair them. We acquire our repair information from the manufacturers that designed and built the vehicles, and we need to follow those facts because the liability falls on us if a vehicle is not properly repaired. We have to be seriously committed to our customer’s safety, and that begins with identifying everything that needs to be repaired.”

The prescription for repair planning is in: take daily with optimism and hard work. Repeat as needed. Unlimited refills available. H&D

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ADVICE INDUSTRY ASK MIKE:

What Can Shops Do to Better Navigate Down Markets?

This month, we “Ask Mike” to share his thoughts on marketing strategies shops can utilize to thrive during lean times. We at Hammer & Dolly hope you find the following exchange useful, and we encourage you to reach out to us if you have a question for Mike on this or any industryrelated matter that he can answer in a future issue.

Hammer & Dolly: Based on what you’re seeing in your work as an industry consultant, how “down” is the national collision repair market right now? What strategies can shops use when they experience a declining market?

Mike Anderson: I’ve been to 32 states already this year. Except for Nebraska or Indiana, where they had some hailstorms, most larger shops can take in a car right now, and smaller shops might be booked out for only a week. I’ve heard many numbers discussed out there, but some people say they’re down 20 percent. It’s important to consider whether accidents are down or insurance claims are declining. I think the situation we’re seeing is a combination of both. There are fewer accidents because of ADAS, but fewer insurance claims are being filed for various reasons. Number one, the average consumer has had a 48 percent insurance premium increase over the past few years, so they’re reluctant to file new claims. I’ve also seen data that suggests that 27

percent of consumers increased their insurance deductibles last year. There’s no doubt these factors are contributing to shops being slow.

Is this the new norm? I don’t think that’s necessarily the case; I think we’re just back to where we were before COVID. Back then, most shops only had a weeklong backlog. Obviously, there was a lot of work once people took to the roads again. So, this is more of the old norm than a new one. I suspect this is the way it’s going to be. Barring a severe weather event in a particular market, I don’t see shops going back to having a twoor three-month backlog.

That said, if there are shops in your market that do have work, can you really say you’re slow, or do you just need to develop new marketing strategies to attract more customers? In the past, shops only spent one percent or even less on marketing. The shops I see that are still doing well and maintaining profitability are spending four to six percent — and making sure they use their marketing efforts to inform customers of who they are before they wreck their vehicles. You could argue that DRPs can rely on insurers to send work to them, but many of those shops are seeing work slow down as well. It’s time for shops to double down on their marketing.

Fundamentally, your ideal marketing strategy is based on where you live. You may live in a small town where a billboard would be very effective or where it would be affordable to advertise on local TV. Conversely, you may be in a city where that kind of marketing would be cost-prohibitive. Also, as more people move away from traditional TV to subscription-based services, you need to be modern in your approach and consider advertising on those platforms. It comes down to determining

which strategy would work best for you within your market.

If you’re OEM-certified, research whether car clubs devoted to that make and model are in your area. People who belong to car clubs are more willing to pay out of pocket if their insurer doesn’t cover something, and they’re more apt to want things done properly. Perhaps consider hosting a car club or an open house yourself. People in these clubs are enthusiasts who love their vehicles, so it’s a good idea to tap into that consumer base. When shops were busy a year or two ago, many of them lost the ability to be salespeople and instead became order-takers. When I first started in the industry, we’d try to upsell all the time by offering to fix door dings and anything else we saw. If we want to increase our sales, we must get back into the habit of being salespeople.

These days, it’s also worthwhile for shops to consider offering financing, which 71 percent of mechanical shops already do. This can significantly improve customer satisfaction and increase sales.

Mike Anderson is an Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) and the former owner of Wagonwork Collision Centers, two highly acclaimed shops located in Alexandria, VA. He has served as a member of many industry organizations throughout his career, including the WMABA Board of Directors, the Mitchell Advisory Board, the MOTOR Advisory Board, the ASE Test Review Committee, the National Auto Body Council, the Collision Industry Conference and the Society of Collision Repair Specialists. Additionally, he is a past Virginia SkillsUSA chairman, serves as a facilitator for Axalta Coating Systems’ highly recognized Business Council 20 Groups in both the US and Canada and facilitates numerous courses for Axalta Coating Systems’ Educational Series. He currently offers expert industry consulting via his latest venture, Collision Advice (collisionadvice.com) H&D

There’s a company called Sunbit that partners with merchants to allow credit-approved customers to pay off their purchases — such as auto body repairs — interest-free within a certain period. Financing options can make essential services more accessible for customers who might otherwise delay going to you. If you do offer financing, that’s something to include on your website and Google Business listing to attract potential customers searching for affordable repair options.

Additionally, it’s always smart to have a system in place to track your referral sources. Be specific when you ask for this information. Don’t just ask your customers if they found you online; ask them if they found you through your website, your Google Business listing or some other site. The more you know about what led your customers to your door, the more customers you can attract by targeting more of your marketing in that direction.

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