Santee Collision Fourth Video -Real Body Shop Stories- Episode 4.

A word from Santee Collision Center on Choosing a Repair Facility:

“When customers are making the decision on where to take their vehicle for repairs, there are several factors that they should think about; does the repair facility have all their certifications, are they in compliance with all environmental regulations, do they have the facility to facilitate the repair and all of the equipment?

One of the most important things too is that the personnel in the office are as involved in the repair as the technicians are. It’s very important to have that because all of the concerns of the customer need to be relayed directly to the technician. A lot of shops, especially the larger ones, run teams of estimators and teams of production. I’ve seen it with other shops that I’ve worked with, and it can be like a game of telephone, the more people that get involved before the message gets to the technician who is actually fixing the car, the more room for error and mis-communication. Sometimes the customer’s needs simply get lost in translation. Sometimes you can lose that communication as to what’s important to the customer.

When the customer is making the decision as to where to take the car for repair, it’s important to factor that into the decision. Choose a shop that is more hands on and will have more involvement, and accountability for the repair. Not just in actually working on the vehicle, but in being involved in the communication throughout the entire process. Are the technicians just pulling up a page of notes off of the computer or is the order being walked back and each concern directly explained to the technician by the person who took the order? This can really make a big difference in the end product and the level of customer satisfaction.
Make sure the shop has an open door policy that would allow you to come in and inspect the vehicle in any part of the repair process. Give them some notice of course, but they should allow you to come in and see what’s going on. Having that fosters a better working relationship between the facility and the customer. Not a lot of people have the money to fork out both for their deductibles and additional repairs that might be needed if it wasn’t done the right way the first time. So it’s really important that the work that the insurance companies are covering is done correctly and to code.

Be sure that when you’re looking for a repair facility, it’s not just a matter of “where have I been told to take it, but also why should I take it there”. Get involved, ask questions, make sure that the shop communicates well with you, and make sure that you”re comfortable leaving your vehicle at that shop.”

This has been an episode of “Real Body Shop Stories. We hope you enjoyed it and check back often for future editions.

For more information, visit the website at http://www.santeecollisioncenter.com or call 619 596 5822.