When I wrote my notes for the last edition, I thought that by now, we would be seeing daylight in terms of the impact of COVID-19 on our industry. Well, that daylight is not as bright as I expected but at least we can see it on the horizon.
Certainly, the virus has affected all parts of our lives as well as in our businesses. My thoughts are with all your families, friends, and colleagues as we stay safe and trust for the end of this traumatic time.
Whilst these topics are all relevant and extremely important, can we consider what goes into another quoted topic, that being safe repair. Many articles refer to this topic as being the required outcome for the customer which is understandable, but what about the outcome for the repairer?
A lot of this coverage has been inspired by the John Eagle case. If you need a refresher on this landmark US lawsuit, here is a link to a review. https://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/the-john-eagle-case-a-review/.
It is certainly a stark reminder that we need to work to known methods and information in the repair of our customers’ vehicles. We also need trained personnel, the right equipment, and facilities to provide these outcomes.
During COVID-19, we have seen a large number of Members invest in equipment and technology, and we have a number of key Preferred Suppliers who have solutions to help shops build for the future.
At the same time, we are consciously looking at our Preferred Supplier base to bring our collision Members more solutions for their businesses.
Let us look at a few of our Preferred Suppliers outside of just equipment or parts.
I-CAR –Read this month’s article in CapHub from Jason Trewin’s on the importance of accurate damage diagnosis for your shop estimator. I-CAR have the Road to Gold program which assists Members to focus on the many areas of training required to conduct safe repairs.
Thatcham eScribe – eScribe provides repairers with online access to the very latest multi-franchised, fully researched vehicle repair methods, times and technical newsletters via desktop, laptop, and a range of mobile devices, whenever and wherever they are required.
Audatex / AudaNet Private - AudaNet Private has been built specifically for repairers wishing to write OEM data-driven estimates for any private or non-Audatex Insurer Partner Repairer work. Audatex is a new supplier to Capricorn and has a special offer for our Members.
Each of these Capricorn Preferred Suppliers provide detailed and important information enabling the safe repair of collision damaged vehicles.
In future editions, I would like to discuss our industry and the standards set for repairers to comply with. The vehicle OEM’s have their accredited or certified networks and then some insurers and franchises have theirs.
How do you measure your repair facility against other industry stakeholders? I’d love to hear from you, so if you have thoughts or comments on this matter, please head over to The Workshop.
