Fix Auto - Index

Fix Auto - Magazine02-en - Index

the insurers need
to innovate and
offer customers
a positive
experience, one
that ultimately
begins with
the service
provided at the
body shop.
meAnWHIle,
tHe body repAIr
speCIAlIsts WAtCH
And WAIt.
T
hese insurance companies, which
still account for the bulk of collision
repair revenues, face stiff competition
and are struggling to be noticed and
attract new customers. They need to innovate
and offer customers a positive experience,
one that ultimately begins with the service
provided at the body shop.
It’s no surprise that insurers have been organizing
their own network of body shops... mainly
because the repair industry has so far failed to
do so itself. The problem is that they lack the
know-how to run such a network. Nevertheless,
the insurers have been “experimenting” with
different ideas, often with unconvincing
results. These attempts, sometimes misunderstood,
have had an adverse impact on body
shop owners, who find themselves left with
no choice but to accept those conditions.
Meanwhile, the body repair specialists watch
and wait. As they look for ways to boost profit
margins, they’re hearing about long-distance
appraisal, average claim cost, satisfaction
index, quality commitment and various other
increasingly complex procedures. The directions
the insurers are taking seem to spell danger.
The pace of change is accelerating and the
focus of power and influence is shifting fast
to create a new reality. Body repair specialists
understand that the structure of the industry
is changing, but they still want to be respected
for their know-how and paid according to their
worth. Nevertheless, standing pat is a big risk
to take. We’re at a crossroads, and still French
body shop owners remain cautious. Most are
convinced the future lies with the networks.
Strength in numbers will soon be imperative
in dealing with the insurance companies.
But they’re afraid of losing some of their independence
by joining.
the irony is that body shop owners have
never been more dependent.
Is it realistic to carry on without having true
influence over their future?
All this watching and waiting is costing our
industry. Today’s body shop owners have
their backs to the wall, powerless within a
system that is leaving them behind. They can
grumble and complain, or they can retake
control by establishing more balanced relationships
with their insurer customers based on
mutual respect.
There’s no point in denying these facts. Rather,
we should work together, pooling our assets
and resources. We can turn this apparently
threatening situation into an opportunity to
sit down together and work out solutions that
will be rewarding for everyone.
This is not something any of us can do alone.
So why fight it? Why wait? How much more
will it cost us to do nothing?
MARK MAGAZINE || 35