Why Authenticity and Quality Matter in the Collision Repair Business

Authenticity Removes Doubt and Increases Loyalty

Many argue that today's marketplace is becoming increasingly driven by those companies that commit to authenticity and transparency. In his article, Authenticity and Transparency Matter in Business, Jonathan Goldhill writes "Companies - and the individuals who represent them - competing in today's marketplace must operate with an unparalleled degree of authenticity and transparency....When you're constantly doing the right thing, this should drastically reduce living in fear of being found out about anything."

The same is true, and perhaps even necessary, in the collision repair industry. Doubt, uncertainty and the fear of being taken advantage of continues to plague the industry. In Confessions from the Autobody Shop, Phillip Reed writes "for most consumers auto body shops are intimidating and mysterious." His article tries uncover the mystery by providing eight tips to help consumers remain aware and avoid getting (or feeling as if they are) getting ripped off.

Reeds article is extremely informative and relevant and for all that it does, consumers' mistrust, though always apparent, is often difficult to alleviate and therefore collision repair facilities must operate. However, one way to remove the mystery and intimidation of the body shop is to open tho doors to consumers...literally.  A collision repair facility that actively engages its customers in tours of its facility accomplishes two things: it says to the customer that there's nothing to hide and it leaves them with a 'beyond-the-lobby' experience.  After all, isn't seeing how it's done better than wondering how it's done?

Our team began offering tours to our customers more than ten years ago and we continue to offer tours to each and every customer. We are proud of our approach to collision repair and proud to allow our customers to see (and experience) first-hand the professional and uncompromised dedication we take in repairing their vehicles.

Below is a video of a tour we may give to any of our customers at any of our five locations. In this video Joe DiMonte, manager of our Blackwood Store, leads visitors from the lobby to the shop to the paint booth; in it he explains the equipment we use and why our teams love what we do.

For additional videos of the tours that we offer at other locations please visit our YouTube channel.

Keeping Promises to Your Customers

Last night our team attended our monthly team meetings and discussed how we can continue to improve upon our customer service. We discussed the following four characteristics associated with delivering exceptional customer service: keeping promises, active listening, attitude and the power of persuasion.

Although each area drew an equal amount of participation it was the discussion around keeping promises that interested our team most.  In the end, we discovered three basic elements that every person in our centers should know - (1) As a member of the company, you are the expert and the curator of the customer experience (2) that the most important thing any member of any company can do is to deliver proper expectations (3) and that every effort should be made to keep any promise made to the customer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWTMa76BzH0

In order to drive home the point of keeping the promise to the customer we used the following clip from a Seinfeld episode which proved to be a great way to convey the message. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did and as a customer please know that we are continuously trying to improve our service to you.

Brian John Riggs

To Use or Not to Use My Insurance Company

Three Reasons Why You May Want To Use Your Own Insurance Company

One of the most common questions we hear from our customers is whether or not they should use their own insurance company.  While every situation and accident is unique, here are three reasons why (and when) you may want to consider using your own insurance company after an accident.

Reason #1:

Non-drivable Vehicle – If you are unable to drive your vehicle from the scene of the accident then you should always consider using your own carrier.  In the long run this will help to expedite the process and possibly get you back into your own vehicle sooner. Yes, there is a chance you will have to pay for your deductible but in many cases this is the best route to take.

Reason #2:

Liability? – Another good reason to go through your insurer is if liability or fault is in question. A good rule of thumb here is to always remember – when in doubt, use your own company. In the end, if it is determined that you were not at fault, your insurance company will work with you to recoup your deductible and the aggravation factor will be significantly reduced.

Reason #3:

Investment – For most Americans the average time between accidents is seven years. This means most people rarely think about the costs associated with accidents other than the monthly fee or premium we pay to maintain our insurance. However, this is exactly why you may want to go through your insurance company;  you pay for it so you might as well use it.

Contributing Author: Jack Cordoves, Manager of Rocco's, Sewell Location. 

Jack spent more than thirteen years working for Progressive Insurance Company and has been with Rocco's for almost two years.  He has spent time at our Reed Street, Blackwood and Sewell locations and is well-versed in both collision repair and automobile insurance and claims.

Jack can be reached at Jack@Roccoscollision.com

Please visit www.roccoscollision.com for additional information.