Overcoming the challenges of the modern collision repair workshop

The collision repair industry is a complex one at the best of times; never more so than right now.

As we approach the end of the 21st century’s first quarter, the modern Australian collision repair workshop is facing challenges that we never could have imagined. Among those challenges is one significant one – how to grow, maintain and look after a customer base with rapidly changing needs. Here are some solutions that may help your workshop navigate your way into the future.

Stay relevant

Maintaining your relevance and importance to a customer base that is becoming increasingly tech-savvy when it comes to their cars is critical. If a customer comes in and wants to talk to you about issues with their EV, ADAS, AEB or LIDAR … are you ready?

As vehicle technology becomes more and more advanced, so too must vehicle repair technology. So, while you’re juggling all the tasks and responsibilities of running a busy workshop, you can’t drop the ball when it comes to your number one priority – your customers! Staying relevant means keeping ahead of the game when it comes to understanding and implementing the latest vehicle repair technology, and ensuring everyone in your workshop understands it too.

Exceed customer expectations

Customer expectations in the automotive repair industry have never been higher. Quite rightly, customers are demanding faster repairs so they can get their vehicle back on the road promptly. Insurers, who have a legal accountability, also demand high quality repairs, done safely. A misdiagnosis in an Autonomous Emergency Braking system (AEB) for instance, could have severe liability issues, not to mention potentially dangerous consequences for drivers, passengers or pedestrians.

Workshops who use Repairify’s vehicle diagnostics tool – the All-In-One Diagnostic Tool – have the very real advantage of being able to instantly diagnose an error within the most complex system, together with the technical support to correctly repair it. This remarkable auto scan tool gives your workshop technicians the ability to not only diagnose, but to also program and calibrate using the latest OEM software through Repairify’s Remote Services, so you can get a customer’s vehicle back on the road, safely and promptly. And that means happy, satisfied customers; the kind who trust your workshop, tell their friends – and come back!

Enhance your customer experience

Customer service is integral for any collision repair workshop. People love their vehicles and want to know that your workshop will treat it with the same love. Again, it’s about trust – you want your customers to know that you run a credible business and that they can trust you and your technicians to look after their valuable vehicle. Trust starts with communication, so always be upfront and transparent, even if there is a problem.

A customer will respect you more if you’re honest with them. Let them know how long the repair will take, and give them different ways to contact you, like phone, email, or a platform like Messenger. It’s also important to take onboard any negative feedback from a customer – hey, it happens! Providing customers with an easy to access platform for feedback and reviews helps new customers decide where to take their car for collision repairs, especially when you respond positively to feedback, whether good or bad. Repairify’s ability to generate a report of all the issues (pre-scan), followed up by a complete detailed report on all the work done, assists in this transparency process and is a huge advantage when conducting live reporting on vehicle repairs and maintenance.

An efficient workshop is a happy workshop

If you want to grow your base of satisfied customers, you need to be proficient at more than collision repair. Be proficient at efficiency! There are strategies and skills you can use to streamline operations and reduce downtime, even in the most sophisticated automotive repair workshops. Customers will recognise when a workshop is well managed. It tells them that their vehicle will be repaired on time, using quality parts and up-to-date technology. They want to know their safety is assured when they leave your workshop. That’s why maintaining customer trust is so important.

Some strategies for streamlining operations and increasing efficiency are administrative, like switching to automatic or online booking, workflow and inventory management, and invoicing systems. This is best practice in any modern collision repair workshop. Having an online customer portal gives your customers confidence in that they can book repairs, get quotes and contact a technician. Repairify has put together some great ideas for increasing collision repair workshop efficiency – check out our recent blog on efficient workshop strategies.

Reduce downtime

Reducing downtime on the workshop floor will not only improve your bottom line, but it also has positive results for the customer. As vehicle systems and ADAS technology become more complex, some workshops will find their downtime increases while waiting for dealers, consultants or subcontractors to arrive with OEM tools. This is frustrating and expensive, so workshops can leverage technology to provide faster and more accurate repairs. For instance, if you have a collision repair job in your workshop that requires specialist OEM tools, Repairify’s All-In-One Diagnostic Tool allows you to pinpoint the problem using just your internet connection.

This OBD2 (On-Board Diagnostics) scanner gives your technician everything they need to connect to Remote Services, where our technicians can access a database of OEM tools and integrated aftermarket data to accurately diagnose, calibrate and programme a wide range of vehicles. You can complete the job in the same day and keep everything totally in-house – including your profits. That’s efficiency at work!

In summary

Think of challenges as opportunities. Whether it’s facing an unhappy customer, dealing with a complicated collision repair issue, or trying to stay ahead of your competitors, there is always a solution. Keeping your vehicle repair workshop relevant means staying informed, proactive and up to date on the latest vehicle repair technology. Teaming with Repairify is a great place to start. Talk to us today to find out how we can help your workshop stay ahead of the rest.