As always, the annual massive SEMA/AAPEX extravaganza provided a multitude of informative and essential work sessions. In fact, there are some 100 plus available in SEMA gatherings, featuring individual experts and knowledgeable panels covering many more valuable topics than I can begin to review here – AAPEX offers a plethora of excellent workshops too! Let’s just say the most difficult part of the workshop challenge is selecting to attend only enough, so there is time to view at least a partial of the 30+ miles of aisles featuring vendors from every walk of automotive life. A three-week versus one-week bash would be not too much time to get a good start absorbing these venues. Whew.
One goal I had in attending last Fall, was to learn more about the growing potential liabilities collision shops are facing regarding today’s ever-changing complex vehicles. Several enormous judgments have liability lawyers frothing over the opportunities for their significant portion of these hefty awards, no lengthy trial needed. What other profession offers a lifetime’s wad of dough for one outing? I guess that’s why these types are clogging up TV advertising across the county.
This I-CAR session caught my eye conducted by Ms. Elisabeth Sobczak, manager of field support services. I-CAR, with training centers in Illinois and Wisconsin, is one of the premier training and technical support organizations for collision commerce in the U.S and elsewhere. This respected not-for-profit group is celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2019, and it has morphed into massive numbers including 465 instructors, 142 staffers, and some 2,200 volunteers. To say it is impactful and important to the collision repair sphere would be a profound understatement.
Estimator Importance
Her succinct presentation centered around how important and vital today’s collision estimator is to many parties, including the customers, insurance and parts personnel, vendors, dispatchers, technicians, painters, and owners. She demonstrated how these tacticians handle their chosen profession from the very beginning of a transaction through the delivery, and the resulting major influences on the timeliness, quality, financials, and ultimate customer satisfaction. Did we need more time with her – you bet.
Ms. Sobczak began by stressing three necessary skill sets an estimator must have: people skills, negotiation abilities, and critical thinking. She made a point to stress the importance of ‘word choice’ which influences communication with customers. “It’s about human service, not customer service” she stated. Showing that you care was a key point, which included “owning the customer’s problem.” Of course, someone who has been in an accident is upset from the beginning, and the first role of the estimator is to begin managing the customer’s emotional state.
“Ask them what happened” to open the door to a constructive conversation. This tact begins relieving the customer’s anxiety and positions the estimator as someone who is taking an interest in their situation. Other points she emphasized were to probe to find out “what the customer wants and expects,” and to take the time to make the customer feel comfortable that you are there to take complete care of them – a fundamental effort.
Other responsibilities of the professional estimator are to determine what the insurance company wants and needs too, as well as the shop’s obligations to them. She emphasized that being positive was a must and that finding the common ground among the customer, the insurance company, and the shop should be the key objective in all dealings.
She underscored that the goal was more than to just “fix” the car, but also to “fix” the customer by remaining “empathetic” and to practice “active listening,” which helps promote accuracy throughout the transaction. “Things aren’t always black and white,” she noted. “Don’t assume and don’t judge, but rather see yourself as the overall manager of the relationships of everyone involved.”
Technical To Layman
Ms. Sobczak, who is listed as part of the I-CAR Quality Control Team and a former successful estimator, provided five examples of how estimators have to develop the skills to convert technical language to lay language for consumers as part of maintaining the relationship.
1. “Due to the force of the impact, there is an additional portion of the body we will replace to ensure your vehicle is repaired correctly, just as it was designed by the engineers.”
2. “To ensure a proper repair so that your vehicle is fixed exactly like it was originally, we added an additional repair to an area under the driver’s door.”
3. “We are utilizing specialists on the glass replacement so that the repair is exactly as it was designed.”
4. “To ensure your vehicle is repaired to exact specs, we are recreating some portions.”
5. “There is a light on the dashboard which indicates some potential issue so we will be doing an electronic scan of the computer systems.”
Thoroughly educating the customer and others which are part of the transaction is not an option. Beyond that, a professional will take time to learn the different personalities of the all the people with which he or she is dealing. She cited the “Herrmann indicator” as one example that an estimator can study to gain perspectives on the types of thinking they are dealing with, to help determine how to act and react. Note: The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument is a system which both measures and describes individual thinking preferences partially based on descriptor words used during conversation.
Another informative personality-oriented book noted was the DOPE Bird Personality Test, which provides insights into one’s own personality as it relates to others. (And yes, that is the real name, DOPE being dove, owl, peacock, or eagle; not at all what you thought.)
The Details
Other areas Ms. Sobczak identified as essential within the professional estimator’s job, was to provide “Position Statements” to both the customer and the insurance company as part of the complete education process. These are readily available at Oem1stop.com including relevant evidence on required parts utilization and repair procedures. I-CAR also provides these and a massive amount of repair and other detailed information on their website for a very small fee.
Also, she emphasized the need to “blueprint” vehicles to check for damage throughout, and that includes “key body measurements” to absolutely determine if other parts of the structure have been affected, beyond the direct collision zone. Intricate photos of the VIN, the license, and all parts of the vehicle must be made. She even recited that a complete video of the vehicle should be made. Photos and videos ensure that the insurance company people have a clear picture of the estimate and repair requirements. Also, it should be standard procedure to have a second person do a checks and balances review of the estimate.
A side note came up regarding sublet company credentials as another area needing attention. A collision center must ensure that they collect all the vendor information related to insurance coverage, certifications, and licenses to conduct business. “There should be specific file for this purpose,” she related. The collision center would be held liable for their actions when they are retained by them.
Ms. Sobczak related a noteworthy resource, Database Enhancement Gateway, which is available to document issues related to the accuracy and completeness of Audatex, Mitchell, and CCC/Motor estimating databases. The DEG website also includes, at no cost, valuable information on using the various estimating systems, estimator tips, and OEM repair information.
Who Pays?
Estimators have the responsibility of identifying repair requirements, and that includes such items as pre-and post-scanning based on OEM position statements. This procedure is so important that the customer should be contacted for when the insurance company refuses payment. In any event, it should be done whether it gets paid for or not. The key is knowing where the appropriate manufacturer information and requirements are located, and to educate everyone involved accordingly so that the right repair decisions are made. That group would certainly include the technician staff.
The I-CAR office can be contacted for repair information and a comprehensive subscription purchased at rts.i-car.com, which is full of applicable repair information for no charge. The bottom line from this extremely useful session is that the professional estimator has become the ultimate point person for every individual related to all sides of an accident repair. Their importance to minimizing shop-related repair liabilities, and managing timeliness, completeness, quality, and full payment cannot be overstated.
