I think everyone knows about the JetBlue screw-up this past winter. Some poor passengers had to spend nine hours on a plane going nowhere. Did you know that other airlines suffered the same way with the weather conditions and passed that suffering onto the customers also?

The reason why you heard about JetBlue and not the others is a paradox.  JetBlue has the reputation as the best-in-class; expectations of superior performance are now the norm for the customers that use them. 

Best? Or Rest?

The best have spoiled it for the rest.  The words I use are deliberate. The best of this industry have spoiled it for the rest.  What is the “rest” of the industry?  The “rest” are the ones that have not looked at their efficiencies and improved their processes. They have not educated themselves. They have not invested time in classrooms, learning how to do proper repairs. They have not devoted money to their facility upgrades. They remain aloof from the rest of the industry.

The best of the industry embrace these things and every day look for opportunity to do what they do better than they did it yesterday.

The insurance companies that interact with our industry have had a taste of better and now they are demanding it.  They are receiving competitive pricing for top quality work. The best have spoiled it for the rest.

So why do I bring up the JetBlue situation and what does it have to do with the collision repair industry? Because JetBlue is best-in-class it will come out ahead. It will learn from the mistakes that it made during the crisis, build new SOPs to prevent it from repeating and ride the re-established best-in-class status to even greater heights. The repair is already complete and the loyalty customers have shown JetBlue has kept it strong in a very tough marketplace.

The same thing is going on in our industry. The tough times have descended upon us in lessened claims frequency, higher expectations, greater concessions demanded by insurers and other pressures.

The leaders of our industry are learning by examining the process and then reorganizing it in a more streamlined fashion that allows them to contain costs, reduce time spent on vehicle repair and increase profits. They are building loyalty from the owners of vehicles that respect the level of services received.

Loyalty

I have never been a big advocate of using “insurance company” and “loyalty” in the same sentence. I still do not place a lot of confidence in them displaying loyalty, but some of the best-in-class insurers are rethinking the way they do business and how they treat their “partners.”

I think these insurers will also win.  Others will be forced to come up to their level. Commitment is a universal truth. 

All businesses face the challenge of defining whom they serve, how they serve and why they serve. You must make those decisions regarding level of service, proper pricing and alignment with “partners” that respect your decisions. You must ask, “Have I done everything possible to be the best-in-class?”

If you make the right decision, you will be the one who is driving.

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