Point Blank - Collision Repair Magazine

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Volume 6

Issue 1

Point Blank

Written by Sam Piercey

Friday, 27 July 2007

Every time I open a magazine, attend an event or get visited by a manufacturer (and there’s plenty, don’t you know), I hear about training. Now I love training, and my staff will be the first to point this out. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to the subject.

But there’s a bee in my bonnet and I know I won’t be able to stop the buzzing until I get some things off my mind. Training is fine and dandy, but at the end of the day who should pay for it?

From what I understand over in England an organization called Thatcham is the oracle. Good to see there’s a central location that is accepted by all. But you know the real kicker? It is run, owned and operated by insurers.

Good Business

Thatcham came about because England’s insurance industry knew that making sure shops have staff trained to a certain level is good for business. They’ve figured it out. Why can’t we?

It’s not time to start crying yet, though. They may have Thatcham, but we have I-CAR. Every once in a while it occurs to me just how lucky we are to have such a wonder available to us.

I-CAR is a pretty miraculous thing. But what’s even more amazing is that we aren’t using it to its full potential. I challenge everyone in the industry to get off their butt and take some courses. If the course you want isn’t available, then just make a couple of phone calls. Pretty soon, that course will be available.

Maybe we’re just too used to I-CAR to truly appreciate it. A nine-day wonder is commonplace by the tenth day. It’s really too bad that more repairers don’t utilize I-CAR to its full potential, but I think appraisers could benefit from some repair classes.

Every time some greenhorn appraiser comes in to the shop, or worse still some desk appraiser from some place out in cyber land, and tells me to reduce blending times or tries to lowball me on environmental disposal or anything else that displays their ignorance, I want to scream. And I’m not alone.

Waiting Game

I don’t think there’s a shop out there that doesn’t have an extra pair of overalls with GUEST written on the front pocket, just waiting to be filled with someone who wants to learn about the hands-on side of the business.

I don’t go around trying to figure out actuarial tables to determine how much insurance customers should pay based on demographics, risk factors and such. That’s the job of the insurers, and they’re good at it. But by the same token, don’t let some pencil pusher determine the set-up time on a piece of metal that’s come up on the bad end of a fight with a pole.

Anyway, over in England, everyone gets the same training. Makes sense to me. If appraisers (or engineers as their called across the pond) can fix or paint a car in a certain time, you can bet your bottom dollar my team can match it. And I won’t complain.

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