July 29, 2014—A lack of trust and customer satisfaction is plaguing the collision repair and insurance industries, according to a recently released study by AudaExplore, an industry data and technology solutions provider.
The study, Insight on the Collision Repair Experience, showed that 48 percent of the more than 1,000 U.S. adults surveyed believe that repair shops sometimes, rarely or never provide great customer service and that consumers trust other professions more than collision repair technicians.
“With increased competition, employee turnover, evolving vehicles, digitally empowered consumers and endless streams of data, the relationship between customers and companies has changed dramatically,” Adam Vasquez, VP of marketing at AudaExplore, said. “We are living in the Era of Disruption, and providing a great customer experience is more important than ever. In this new era, it’s not just about the number of shops or the size of your network; it’s about building trust with constant communication and transparency throughout the repair process.”
The survey was conducted between May 15–18 by ORC International, a business intelligence and marketing company.
Some other key highlights of the study included:
- 74 percent of respoondants said they would like to better understand the work their repair shop is doing.
- 62 percent said timely electronic status updates, such as email alerts, text messages, or social media notifications during the repair process would be very or somewhat valuable.
- Half of those surveyed said repair shops always or often provide the most qualified technicians.
- 49 percent believe technicians always or often perform only repairs that are necessary.
- 34 percent believe a fair price is charged always or often.
- 46 percent said repair shops sometimes, rarely or never deliver a final price that matches the original estimate.
- 34 percent of insurance carriers surveyed say they would like more accurate collision repair estimates.
In addition, the highest-ranked value to those surveyed was to be kept in the loop on their repair process.
“The research shows that there is a gap today with customer expectations that is having a negative impact on insurance carrier and repair shop business,” Vasquez said. “By leveraging advanced data and technology to manage customer expectations, insurance carriers and repairers can keep customers informed, making repairers more trusted and helping to better manage the difficult price conversation.”
For more details about the study, please visit CollisionRepairInsights.com.
