Encouraging Exceptional Customer Service

Exceptional customer service is going above and beyond for a customer, which we call “WOW-ing” the customer at Central Collision Center. We know your vehicle is an investment and leaving it with someone takes trust. Earning that trust through exceptional service is how our team maintains our customers.

My job as the customer service representative  (CSR) manager is to ensure that each Central team member provides exceptional customer service to every customer who visits or contacts any one of our six facilities. I do this through:  

• In-depth customer service training
• Weekly visits to each of our six locations 
• Monthly group meetings with our customer service representatives and office managers

Each month, our CSRs and office managers have a morning meeting to discuss
best practices and troubleshoot. April's meeting included SOP review, time card
calculation and a dress for success seminar.

The first step in encouraging exceptional customer service is training. Generally, a collision repair facility is not somewhere a person wants to visit, which makes customer service that much more important. It is our job to turn around a customer immediately after having damage to his/her car and assure him/her that everything is going to be ok. I do this by training our team on EEE – energy, effort and enthusiasm -- along with honesty and sincerity. Exceeding a customer’s expectations can be as simple as providing prompt solutions or answering with a caring voice in their time of need.

I follow-up on this training by making frequent visits to each of our six locations, normally visiting at least two locations a day. Each Central Collision location’s goal is to leave its customers pleased and satisfied with where they have chosen to have repairs done. During my visits, I answer any staff questions and help them troubleshoot any potential problems.

Our process map breaks down each team member's
responsibility through the customer service process.

We hold CSR meetings monthly to discuss great customer experiences and new ways to help each and every person that walks through our doors. Each customer service representative and office manager attends this meeting, which serves as a place for us to share best practices. Throughout the month, I gather any questions or concerns our staff may have and then provide answers to the group. We also revisit our LEAN process map at every meeting to ensure we are serving our customers in the most efficient way possible.

The testimonials, online reviews and thank you cards we receive from our customers make providing exceptional customer service extremely worthwhile and rewarding. Just yesterday, we were recognized as an 2012 Autochex Premier Achiever for Customer Service. As a premier achiever, Central Collision is one of the companies that rated highest in consistently delivering outstanding customer service.

Changing the Industry Image

Growing up in and around the collision industry allowed me to observe a common disconnect between public perception of “body shops” and the way we choose to run our company. The common misconception is that shops are dirty, drab dungeons with one man running the office, doing the work, and getting in your wallet. Today - at least at Central Collision - things are much different.

Customer Service

Accidents are not fun for anybody. Our staff at Central is trained to efficiently process repair needs, including towing and rental, all while forming a personal relationship with each customer.  Every customer is different and every customer is important. We know our service is just as important as our finished product, which is why we tailor the experience to fit each individual customer’s needs.

Do you want photos emailed to you everyday?No problem.

Would you like to receive updates via text? We can do that. 

We also design our facilities for customer comfort. Our indoor estimating and delivery bays keep customers out of the elements while our estimators explain the repair process upon arrival and managers review the work done at the point of delivery.

Technical Training

With new, intricate vehicle technology being introduced by manufacturers, technicians must stay on the cutting edge. At Central, all technicians are required to complete training specific to the latest repair methods authorized by vehicle makers. New federal fuel standards require lighter and stronger materials to be used to ensure structural integrity. These materials require specialized tools, such as welders, cutting instruments and bonding methods, and training to complete safe and perfect repairs. Also, hybrids and fully electric vehicles present new procedures when disabling and enabling high voltage systems. Improper methods can result in injury and even death. The safety of our technicians and customers is of the utmost importance at Central, which is why we believe in thorough and effective training.

Final Presentation

Every vehicle repaired at Central is delivered perfectly detailed as if it came off the showroom floor. Each customer is presented with a written lifetime warranty.  We know we are only as good as our finished product.  That’s why the majority of our business is repeat customers and referrals.  There is no better feeling than the moment our customer sees their beautifully repaired car for the first time. It’s what we work for every day.

Being a younger manager in the industry, I am fortunate to have been spared from the “dungeon days.”  At Central, we strive to provide a first class experience at a first class facility.  Our customer service and finished product are what make us an industry leader in both quality and service.

View from a Young Manager: Earning Respect and Learning in the Industry

As a young manager in the collision repair industry, earning the trust and respect of veteran employees, insurance adjusters and other business partners can be difficult. Many people may assume you are uneducated when it comes to a car -- how it is put together and how repairs should be handled -- because you are young.

Matt Caruso, 25, currently
manages Central Express.

However, being young and new in today's market can have its advantages. With the way vehicles are being manufactured today, many designs and materials have never been seen before, especially considering electronic parts, advanced high strength steels and lighter materials. This works to my advantage since I am learning the new materials for the first time versus trying to relearn from years past.

Many old repair methods no longer apply new vehicles. For example, many high strength steels, such as boron, are not repairable and damage to these parts requires replacement. Lighter materials, such as aluminum, are also being used. Lighter materials are used to compensate for the additional electronic options and increased safety features available, including navigation systems and multiple airbags around the car. Understanding the requirements for these updated repair standards is critical to the success of repairs. Aluminum, for example, requires a separate quarantined area in the shop. If not repaired in a quarantined area, contaminants can cause the aluminum repair to fail. These are just a few examples of how trends in the manufacturing process affect my day-to-day decision-making in the repair process.

Along with learning the new vehicles firsthand in the shop, I also have the opportunity to take different classes within the industry. These classes help me to understand the type of changes being made by the manufacturers in upcoming vehicle models. Classes held by industry organizations like I-CAR and ATEG help me gain the general knowledge of cars before I encounter them during a repair. All managers, estimators and master technicians at Central Collision participate in these training classes to stay up-to-date with vehicle and repair trends. My most recent class was one of the best I have taken; it was a hands-on class for plastic repairs. It walked us through the whole process of prepping and repairing plastic parts, such as bumper covers. Staying on top of trends within the industry can improve our customer service and repair quality by being prepared for new concerns that will arise from owners of newer vehicles.

Being new to the industry gives me a different vantage point to how this business operates. My fresh perspective -- whether from limited years in the industry or just a new set of eyes -- helps me question standard procedures and practices. Even though I am gaining more vehicle knowledge each day at Central, I hope to always view our operations with this same, fresh perspective so our company can continue to improve.