By CRM staff
Toronto, Ontario — May 3, 2019 — Yesterday, Collision Repair’s weekly survey on OEM referrals set first-day participation records, and revealed deep divides within the collision community.
In the survey, Collision Repair asked readers to share thoughts on the announcement that Ford will soon begin using mobile technology to refer drivers to bodyshops as soon as an accident is detected, whether insurance companies should benefit from adopting similar techniques and if respondents believed OEMs would eventually become the primary source of referrals.
“I was surprised to see how quickly our readers got back to us,” said Collision Repair editor Gideon Scanlon. “While we will be waiting until next week to share the full results, what we are seeing today is intriguing.”
The intrigue Scanlon refers to is the clear split between members of the collision community on the question: “Do you think OEMs will eventually become the primary source for bodyshop referrals?”
So far, just ten percent of respondents have indicated they are uncertain or of mixed opinions about the idea OEMs will eventually dominate the bodyshop referral game. The rest of the responses, however, are almost evenly split into opposite camps, with slightly more repairers indicating they believe that OEMs will.
“In general, our respondents seem to be cautious when answering questions about the future. Occasionally we see the vast majority of respondents answer in absolutes, but in those cases, almost all the respondents see things the same way,” Scanlon explains. “Not here. This is a very black-and-white issue for the community, which is out of character.”
The final results of the web-based poll will be analyzed and published later this week. To participate in the survey, follow this link: http://survey.constantcontact.
