How to succeed in your career


Continuing Education in Collision Repair: A Necessity for Success

Unless your collision shop personnel are upcustomer service to detailers, if you want to
on the latest knowledge and repair technologyhave a successful and strong business that
and are constantly learning more, yourputs out high-quality work, you must invest
business is probably falling behind thein continuing education.One reason many shop
competition. Yes, training can be expensiveowners give for not investing more in
sometimes. But by not devoting part of yourtraining is they feel that newly trained
budget to this important aspect of yourpersonnel will just go to the competition -
business could cost your shop more in theso why pay to train some other shop's
long run.The collision repair industry ispersonnel? This is a very bad philosophy to
changing faster and faster every year and sohave. It is demotivating, shows a lack of
are the vehicles. Just when you thinktrust, and can breed contempt amongst
everyone is up to speed, changes are made.employees. If you don't trust your techs and
Your techs need to know about any and allstaff, they won't trust you either and you
changes - all the time. Think about all theprobably shouldn't be working together
computers and wiring on today's vehicles.anyway. This is not to say that every new
Hook up a wire backwards and you might burnemployee should immediately be sent to
up a car. Or take aluminum. It is being usedspecialized and advanced training. It may be
in more and more newer cars and this metala good idea to have a stated policy that
requires completely different procedures,employees must work for the company for 90
techniques, and even special tools to repairdays before they may attend any training.
it properly.And don't forget about yourSome companies even have employees sign an
non-tech staff. Everyone in the shop - fromagreement that states if the employee leaves
the front end to the back end - needs tothe company within 12 to 24 months of any
participate in continuing education. Thinkpaid training, the training fees must be
about your front office and customer servicerepaid. This is fair and may work for your
staff. Could they benefit from going throughbusiness.Actually, training builds loyalty.
a conflict resolution training course? CouldResearch has shown that most employees who
the estimator produce better estimates if heconsistently participate in continuing
understood how to use the P-Pages better?education are more loyal to their employer.
And, since the estimator is really theThey know that training helps separate the
front-line sales representative, wouldgood shops from the bad ones. It also helps
advanced sales technique training make thisto build camaraderie within the entire shop.
person a more valuable asset to your businessWhether personnel should participate in
by closing more jobs? And don't forget thetraining should not be a question. It is
detailing department. They can be taught newsomething that just needs to be budgeted for
tips and tricks, too.The bottom line is this:on an annual basis.
From your "A" techs to the estimators to



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