Snap Shop: Big Sky Collision Network
Big Sky Collision
Mirror-Matching
Parts The parts all get displayed, with broken parts going onto a parts rack. When the parts are ordered, the team needs to check off the correct parts number to make sure the part was ordered only once. Then, when the new part arrives at the shop, the old and new parts are zip-tied together.
“If there is a clip or bulb missing from the new part it might be on the old part,” McDonnell says.
The shop does not use any special equipment for the process but instead uses a bread rack like the ones from Costco, to hold and display the parts. McDonnell says in this case, something not fancy and priced under $100 can do the trick.
Learning Outside of Work
The team meets every Monday morning to go over books they have all read. McDonnell describes it as a sort of book club. The team reads books based on leadership and then take the lessons and incorporate them into the shop operations.
A & D Auto Body Repair Inc
OEM Repair Department
There are two employees designated at A & D Auto Body Repair Inc, in Bozeman, Mont, to pull OEM repair procedures. The two team members are in charge of researching the repair procedures and compiling a list of manufacturer requirements before the repair starts.
In addition to researching repair procedures, the staff will often take the vehicles for a test drive to see if any other areas of damage show before the repair.
Customer Safety
The shop is currently in the process of developing a safety consultant role to take its customer service game to the next level. The role will be finalized in April. The safety consultant walks the customer through what was checked on the vehicle in terms of safety like seatbelts and airbags and walks the customer through the vehicle after the repairs were completed.
McDonnell is adding this role as a way to educate the customers on the manufacturer requirements in the repair and make the education process focused on keeping the customer safe. For example, if the consultant notices that the customer has a carseat, then he or she can offer the customer additional information on when to reuse a car seat or not reuse a car seat after an accident.
Big Sky Crash Repair Center
Convenient Estimating
The shop implemented the BodyShop Booster tool to make writing estimates easier for the customer. The tool can be sent directly to the customer’s phone; then, the customer takes photos of his or her vehicle and sends it back to the shop.
McDonnell says this has been a huge time-saver for customers who might work long hours and need to send in the information at night or on the weekends.
The shop is located in a small rural town of Livingston, Mont., which has a population of 8,000-10,000 people. Often, McDonnell sees customers sending in estimates through the service when they live 100 miles away from the shop. The tool helps broaden the customer base.
Matthew McDonnell owns three Montana shops and has been in the collision repair industry his whole life. His father, Matt McDonnell, a 50-year industry veteran, founded Big Sky Collision Center in Billings, Mont., in 1978. Matthew became the primary owner of the business in 2015. Since then, the company has added two more stores, A&D Auto Body in Bozeman, Mont., and Crash Repair in Livingston, Mont., which now comprise the Big Sky Collision Network.
McDonnell prioritizes how his facility looks and how it runs. He shares the elements that stand out in his three shop locations, from the in-shop library of business-building books to the shop’s refined process on mirror-matching parts.
