Best Practices for Body Shop Collision Repair

Eight Ways to Improve Shop Efficiency and Profitability

By Chris Bonneau | March 28, 2024

We’re all familiar with the term “best practices.” But how many body shop owners and repair technicians really understand what’s behind it? Best practices positively impact the repair process, customer experience and your bottom line. It’s vital that your body shop follows not only conventional best practices, but also the latest auto body repair trends.

Every seasoned tech knows that there is no substitute for experience. However, implementing body shop collision repair best practices can elevate even the most experienced technicians’ skills to another level. Successful collision shops invest in innovative tools for scheduling, quality control, training and diagnostics to stay current.

1. Follow OEM Collision Repair Procedures

A standard practice in body shops is to follow OEM specifications for safe and accurate repairs, increased productivity and more revenue. OEMs know their products inside and out and provide the guidance and specifications technicians need to work on modern vehicles. SUN Collision allows access to OEM repair information that lets you keep more jobs in-house and perform the safest, most accurate repairs.

When you embrace technology like collision repair software, your shop can instantly access the latest OEM information. On-demand repair processes create more skilled technicians, higher-quality repairs and streamlined operations. With SUN Collision, it’s easier than ever for repair facilities to access up-to-date, comprehensive OEM information and specifications for nearly every make and model.

2. Master the Art of Scheduling

Nothing positively impacts efficiency like streamlined scheduling. In addition to increased productivity, mastering the art of scheduling using collision repair software will ensure safe and accurate repairs. A basic schedule that includes the arrival date, start date, completion date and delivery date is the foundation for an organized workflow. Changing gears on the fly and rescheduling are much more manageable when you follow an up-to-date daily schedule. Detailed scheduling is essential for streamlining processes, ensuring customer satisfaction and maximizing profits. 

3. Make Body Shop Quality Control a Part of Every Repair

Mapping out your shop’s scheduling will expose issues that impact cycle times and the quality of repairs. The only way to ensure every repair in your shop is accurate and profitable is to inspect what you expect. Following up on each repair step ensures happier customers, faster turnarounds and higher profit. Body shop quality control also results in better OEM compliance, safer repairs and skilled repair technicians.

4. Educate Repair Technicians with Ongoing Training and OEM Certification

Ongoing training and OEM Certifications will help retain skilled repair technicians and add value across your services. Comprehensive training and certifications help your collision repair facility keep pace with an ever-changing industry.

A collision technician who is up-to-date on the latest OEM collision repair procedures is more confident and valued. Additionally, a streamlined body shop that relies on the latest technology for OEM repairs will attract the best candidates in an industry desperate for new talent. 

5. Streamline Collision Repairs with Advanced Diagnostics

What would it mean for your cycle times if every diagnosis were fast, accurate and easy to understand? You know how critical the diagnostic step is for accurate repairs and a productive workflow. Get it wrong, and you lose time, money and maybe even customers. But get it right, and you can fast-track the repair process and deliver service of the highest quality that customers love.

SUN Collision provides the most current OEM collision repair procedures and diagnostics that you can trust to help you repair vehicles, inside and outside, with maximum efficiency. The software makes it quick and easy to diagnose, calibrate and repair vehicles equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, or ADAS. Its advanced interactive wiring diagrams build on intelligent navigation to help diagnose and repair complex electrical components.

6. Deliver Excellent Customer Service with Every Interaction

Your customers are more informed than ever about collision repairs. To ensure they’re in good hands, they look for established body shops with a reputation for following OEM collision repair procedures. The best way to create that excellent reputation is to prioritize customer service. For superior customer care, the best body shops know clear communication and friendly service are the keys to repeat business.

Providing fast, accurate repairs and ensuring customers feel comfortable doing business with your body shop are great starts. To ensure your shop is on target, customer feedback from online reviews, questionnaires and other resources is critical. How do you get this invaluable feedback? Make it clear to customers that your body shop considers their opinions important; ask for feedback from every customer.

7. Adopt Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Processes

Body shop businesses generate a significant amount of waste that can negatively impact the environment. That bad rep may have been true in the past, but it doesn’t have to be that way in your shop. With more consumers seeking out eco-friendly businesses, investing in more sustainable and less-toxic processes is a win-win. 

Non-toxic degreasers, sealed floors, drip pans for transfer and preventing runoff are a good start. More efficient repair equipment and parts recycling also promote sustainability and increased revenue. Depending on the level of sustainability your shop achieves, you could also enjoy tax credits, incentives and lower insurance rates. Adding sustainability to your body shop’s best practices is an ideal way to polish that wasteful, outdated reputation.

8. Invest in the Latest Body Shop Collision Repair Technology

Auto technology evolves fast. Shouldn’t your body shop have collision repair software that can match that pace? SUN Collision software provides the most up-to-date information with constant updates and improved features. Our proprietary 1Search^TM Plus search engine lets technicians quickly locate OEM collision repair procedures for nearly every repair.

Body shop and collision repair software takes the mystery out of repairing even the most advanced vehicles. You’ll find the latest information for frames, paint, materials and many other areas of collision repair. From ADAS repair information to interactive wiring diagrams, SUN lets you harness the power (and profitability) of collision repair technology.

Put Collision Repair Technology to Work for More Profit

Leveraging best practices such as following OEM repair procedures, investing in training, and improving waste management can help grow your body shop and improve your bottom line. When the repair process is smooth and customers are satisfied, everything else falls into place. Cutting-edge technology is a proven tool that can make it happen. 

With SUN Collision, repair technicians can access the latest repair information so they can stay current with evolving technology and refine their skills. Discover how SUN Collision can make your body shop more profitable today and in the future. Schedule a free demo today to learn how SUN Collision can help grow your business and improve efficiency at every step of the repair process.

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Gear Your Shop for Success Today!

Get your free, no-obligation software demo or talk with collision repair experts when you call 877-840-1973.