Stop Estimating and Start Repair Planning

Michael Bradshaw (K&M Collision; Hickory, NC) believes it’s time to stop estimating. “Many shops want to write estimates for every customer, but it’s time-consuming and often a waste of time because a large subset of customers are just looking for the cheapest estimate,” he stressed. “We don’t write estimates in our shop because they’re inaccurate; we cannot determine what the vehicle needs until we disassemble the vehicle and conduct repair research.

“If our estimate goes up dramatically after we tear down the vehicle, the customer is upset…We put ourselves in a bad position from the start by not explaining what’s needed to get an accurate cost,” he explained a major problem with estimates. “So, we sell our customers on the process of being thorough and getting it right the first time instead of merely taking a guess.”

Bradshaw believes that shops should be writing more accurate, efficient repair plans. As a result, they cause fewer delays and less administrative burden by reducing the number of supplements needed. Using an actual repair plan on a Honda Pilot quarter panel from K&M Collision, he reviewed the many steps that shops take when blueprinting a vehicle yet often neglect to include on estimates.

“The repair blueprint essentially needs to tell the story of what you’re going to be doing to the vehicle,” Bradshaw emphasized. “It takes a little more time to be detailed, but you’re never going to collect what you’re worth if you’re putting everything on one line. When you break it out and show exactly what you’re doing, how many more labor hours could you legitimately pick up? It’s about grinding and being consistent with your staff and how you do things in your business. If you can lead by example, others in your organization can buy in. Develop a plan and stick to it. Implementing QC processes to correctly prepare your repair plan can make a world of difference.”