It’s no secret that today’s cars are far more complex than those from five years ago, let alone the car you learned to drive with. As vehicle and consumer technology and hardware and software evolve, so does the complexity of collision repair.
Said another way, today’s vehicles can’t be repaired with the knowledge technicians had 10 years ago. The equipment we use is lightyears ahead of what we used when cars were made of (only) steel. The software and online applications we have at our fingertips today used to be printed and published in manuals that made the phone book look small. Even how collision repair facilities approach vehicle repairs has evolved from a “brute force” approach (“just muscle your way through it”) to a more delicate approach that takes into consideration production requirements and constraints, workflow and layout, and optimizing employee productivity.
So, how do we get all of this done and ensure we repair vehicles properly? How do we solve the daily Rubik’s cube of running a body shop while maintaining strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs)? How are we able to deliver world-class service to each and every customer while maintaining our ability to properly repair cars in a timely manner?
Well, the truth is, there’s several answers. The one we’ll talk about in this blog article is why Painter’s Collision Center subscribes to VeriFacts Automotive’s monthly program.
How we open the shop, answer our phones, run our daily production meetings, document files, order parts, and everything in between is all managed through a very closely guarded set of SOPs. We review and update them regularly as we navigate the various twists and turns of operating a body shop. These SOPs are what we leverage to ensure you–our customer–receive the absolute best experience possible.
But, there’s more than those SOPs we care about. In addition, things like, making sure the production room floor is properly marked with signs and striping to make sure walkways, carpaths, and vehicles all have enough space to maneuver; making sure we have trigger points to order more supplies when we run low, testing the power of our electricity to ensure our equipment receives proper voltage to work as designed by its manufacturer, and even having a process to ensure repairs are reviewed at each stage, so we don’t miss anything and so that repairs are performed to the highest industry standards.
Most body shops accomplish a portion of this. At Painter’s, we view those as great first and second steps. Because of our commitment to quality repairs each and every time, we made the business decision to pay for a monthly unannounced audit of our shop. The critical nature of this audit is that it’s unannounced. Growing up, anytime we heard the front door open we would scramble to pick up as much of the mess we made as possible. In a body shop application, every shop in the country is cleaned hours before a big inspection. While positive, we don’t believe that shows the true character and culture of a shop when people aren’t looking. So, unannounced visits means we have no clue when an auditor (or VeriFacts Coach) will arrive in any given month. They could come on the 31st and be back the very next day. The day of the month and time of day vary.
These monthly visits are designed to ensure we are adhering to a very strict standard that many only dream of ever achieving. The end goal with VeriFacts is to become what’s known in the industry as “VQ Medallion.” Trust us, you’ll know when we hit this mark–it won’t be long enough anyways–because we’ll have a nice, shiny gray plaque hanging on our wall with a serial number engraved on it. That serial number signifies that we’re one of (likely several hundred if not a couple thousand) shops in the country to achieve and maintain a level of unparalleled excellence.
The simplest way to put our newly formed relationship with VeriFacts… we’ve hired an expert to come and audit and coach our shop monthly to ensure we consistently maintain a spot in the top 1% of body shops in the country.
It’s this type of minor detail that separates good shops from great shops; shops that will last 5 years from shops that will be in business for 25 years.
So, why does it matter to you?
That’s simple. The more we invest in making sure each and every repair is performed properly, the more confidence you’ll have in our body shop. We no longer find value in “telling” you we are among the best-of-the-best. We’ve always been dedicated to “showing” you. But, don’t take our word for it. Once we achieve “VQ Medallion” status, you’ll be able to find our shop on the Verifacts Automotive repair center locator.
So, the next time you’re in our shop, look for the gray shiny plaque on our lobby walls. It’ll soon be hanging proudly.