EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Why Our Member Benefits Matter EVANGELOS “LUCKY” PAPAGEORG
A question often posed to AASP/MA is, “What are the benefits of being a member of the association?” It can be a challenging question to answer – not because the benefits are hard to identify, but because the word “benefits” means different things to different people. What one person or business finds important as a benefit may be meaningless to another. One dictionary definition of “benefit” is, “Something that produces good or helpful results or promotes well-being.” Another is “discounted prices," while a third is “a payment or service provided.” AASP/MA fits all of these definitions. AASP/MA’s mission statement in part states, “Our mission is to continuously strive to advocate for consumers, educate repairers and create unity as the voice for repairers within Massachusetts. By providing education and support, AASP/MA strives to assist all shops to achieve their objectives.” Everything AASP/MA strives to accomplish has this mission in mind. Our activities on a day-to-day basis focus on the well-being and care of vehicle owners when they need us the most. Through our activities and educational forum, we set the foundation for our member shops to be the best advocates and repairers for their customers. It is hard work. It takes a lot of energy and a constant drive to do as much as we can to satisfy as many people as possible. However, it is a two-way street. AASP/MA does its part by being a sounding board and a source of useful and beneficial information and guidance and assistance. The truest way to benefit is by joining and using the tools we provide to you and your customers. Among the tools that “produce good or helpful results or promote well-being” is the aaspma.org website, which has information available to the public. We have a map on the website for shops that wish to avail themselves of the benefit of being listed as a member of the association. This map helps potential customers find a shop with the resources of an association to support them with issues that arise in the claims and collision repair processes. Several members have mentioned they have received work because of their listing as an AASP/MA member. There also exists a “Members Only” portal on aaspma.org that has a wealth of information and forms to assist any member shop with issues that arise during the claims process. Along with the forms are video recordings of the Auto Damage Appraisers Licensing Board (ADALB) meetings. These videos document “highlights” of all-important discussions and decisions rendered by the ADALB. They are time stamped for easy reference. Many member shops have commented on the
10 July 2021
New England Automotive Report
benefit of “attending an ADALB meeting” without having to travel to a Boston meeting. This gives the shop added confidence when discussing paint and materials, aftermarket parts and other issues with insurance appraisers. Shops have indicated that they queue up the video for the benefit of the insurance appraiser if they anticipate an issue. This allows the appraiser to hear firsthand what was said during ADALB meetings rather than rely on what is filtered and passed onto them by their supervisors. Videos of our General Membership Meetings and seminars are also available through the “Members Only” portal for members who were unable to attend. Using the tools we provide does take some time and effort on your part, but you will benefit even more from your membership by doing so. The effort you spend using AASP/MA’s tools more than pays for your financial investment as a member. For all of you who need benefits – which will save your business money, help in the retention of valuable technicians and slow the erosion of your bottom line through fees you pay out – AASP/MA has recently entered into agreements giving members three ways to save money. The first is a great dental plan through Altus Dental and the Magellan Insurance Agency. For shops that already have dental plans through other dental care plan providers, the additional savings realized could be as high as 30 percent. For any member shops that are already in a dental plan through Altus, your additional savings could be as high as 10 percent over the best plan Altus now offers. Another great savings available is the health care insurance plan through World Insurance and the Amato Insurance Agency. It is a program that members of our sister association, AASP/NJ, have already found to be hugely beneficial. Their program was rolled out at the beginning of April, and AASP/ NJ’s participating members have already saved hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars. This employee benefit will help a great deal in retaining skilled help in a dwindling pool of technicians. Your savings will give you a huge return on investment on the “payment for services” provided through your AASP/MA membership. Arrangements have been made with Aurora Credit Card Processing that give you, as a member of AASP/MA, the opportunity to save hundreds of dollars every single month on your credit card processing fees through discounted processing fees or totally fee-free credit card processing. You can still give your customers the privilege of paying a portion or all of their repairs on a credit or debit card. Through the special hybrid continued on pg. 41
