Toronto, Ontario — During Color Compass’s ‘Capturing in a Crisis’ webinar on May 13, Mike Anderson, president and owner of Collision Advice and Ryan Taylor, CEO of Bodyshop Booster, discussed how the industry will navigate the post-pandemic normal.
Anderson predicts that when the global economy comes back online, “the dam is going to burst.” With fewer people using public transit and ridesharing and others getting second jobs to make ends meet, the industry could see a massive uptick in miles driven—and, in turn, more accidents.
Taylor and Anderson agreed that, with higher claims volumes, “speed will be everything.” Higher claims numbers could lead to more backlogged repairs and, ultimately, higher cycle times.
Anderson says efficiency will be key in surviving after the pandemic passes.
“It won’t be the big facilities beating the small,” said Anderson. “It will be the fast and efficient beating the slow.”
To achieve the speed necessary to thrive after the pandemic passes, Anderson and Taylor say shops should implement touchless procedures, photo-estimation and work on better communication with customers regarding safety protocols.
“You’ll need to find ways to assess damage remotely and be prepared for every repair when it arrives,” said Taylor. “In my conversations with insurers, I’ve found that they are looking for touchless procedures—they don’t want to send customers into any unsafe situations.”
Further, repairers should focus on selling based on safety, rather than using price tags to reel the customer in.
“Selling based on price is a death rattle for bodyshops,” said Taylor. “Most customers only understand price when they read that estimate—you need to explain to them why they should choose your shop based on other factors.”
