Repair planning your facility
Repair planning, if done well, can separate your facility from other shops.
Through the customers eyes it can make the difference between a good experience and an amazing one.
Through a technician’s eyes it can make the difference between an efficient and effective repair or a slow and low quality one.
Through the eyes of an owner/manager it can make the difference between profit or loss.
Repair planning is arguably one of the most crucial procedures that a shop needs to be implementing regularly. This is because it is the only part of the repair process that a shop must really get ahead and in control of the repair. You can capture everything and plan accordingly, if you don’t, then you’ll be playing catch up for the rest of the repair which will ultimately end up in less profit on that job.
However, we are not here today to talk about repair planning for collision repairs. We are here to talk about repair planning for your facility.
Over the last few months, we have talked about embracing the changing industry, consistency, investment, and proper planning but today we will look at making all of that, tangible. Luckily, if you are already implementing a good repair plan process, you’ll be a pro.
If we look at the repair process from a macro point of view it can be applied to just about any situation.
First, we need to assess the damage and see what needs to be repaired. The only way we can do that is by doing a full tear down of the vehicle or in our case it would mean we tear back all the layers until we find the full extent of the damage. After we have figured out everything that needs to be fixed, we can start planning.
In the collision world, this step of the repair process would include deciding repair time, whether to replace parts, sublets, and all that fun stuff. In our analogy it could look like, new equipment, cleaning and sorting, new processes, or staffing changes. Once we have planned, we can cost everything.
This would be where you price out all your new or aftermarket parts, sublets and costs associated with the repair. In this scenario it would mean getting quotes for the things you need to buy, pricing out different projects you deem necessary or just working out the total cost of your plan.
Once all these steps have been completed, we would normally put it all together into an estimate and submit to the insurance company for approval. They would say go ahead with the repair or reject it for a million different reasons. For us, this is where we would take our plan and review it with everyone involved, such as, technicians, managers, owners, or investors.
Where the insurance company would come back and say they don’t see the value in some of the repairs you listed on your estimate, your team would come back to you and tell you what is necessary or not necessary. In both cases, there will be a dialogue and then a final plan or estimate would be hammered out and the repair would start.
It may seem like a “far too simple analogy” but when you think about it, it really isn’t. In both cases, you need a plan and the only way to plan is to know what needs to be done. Once you have a plan, you need to know what it will cost, not just financially, but intangible costs as well. This plan must be reviewed and looked over by everyone involved or else things may get missed or you may have made a mistake. Once the plan is approved, you move forward.
In both of our repair planning cases (collision and shop), by taking the time upfront to do the work and really investigate the damage and planning accordingly you will accomplish three very important things.
First – You will make sure nothing gets missed and that once the repair is finished, you know it has been done well and without a compromise on quality.
Second – You will save money. Believe it or not, it is always cheaper to cost it out properly and catch all the details at the beginning than it is to play catch up or deal with the all the related costs of delays.
Third – You will save time. By taking extra time on the front end of the repair to plan properly, you will always save time on the back end because there will be no reason for delays.
The thought of planning for the future of your shop can absolutely be a daunting one, however, it is absolutely worth the energy.
