WIN’s First Virtual Conference Highlights Customers, Culture, and Tech

“I think if we always come back to the fact that the safe repair for the customer is the most important part of what we do, everything else falls into place,” she said. “If you’re fixing a car and you’re not fixing it to specification and you’re not repairing the vehicle to manufacturing standards…how can you guarantee the vehicle is safe for the customer? You really can’t.” 

Taylor Moss, VP of strategic repairs at Quality Collision Group, discussed how AI can benefit collision repair shops, particularly when it comes to customer experience. A shop’s answer tonality, empathy level, ability to capture vehicle and customer info, knowledge, OEM certifications, and overall experience are vital to securing a sale. 

“You might be the best repairer and fix the car the best, but if you gave that person a lackluster or bad or mid customer experience, that’s all they’re going to know,” he said. “It’s so interesting how customer experience is so powerful to the customer at the end of the day.” 

Forty-one percent of customers want to do business after hours, and 78% will go with whoever responds first. Moss showed examples of AI systems that answer calls and intake customer information to get an initial appointment setup on the books, even when the team might not be available to speak to the customer. AI tools can also provide constant updates on repairs, making customers feel more at ease during the process. 

As MSOs invest in new technologies and acquisitions, Thring said women can help drive change in their shops and the industry by identifying opportunities and looking after their people.

“We have to be effective with our people. None of this means anything if our people are not committed to it,” she said. “Investing the time, education, tools, desire, motivation, the incentive, and making sure the teams are equipped to handle all these rapid changes are what’s going to lead us to success and ongoing. We can’t face any of these challenges if we don’t have the right people and the right leadership behind it.” 

Sheryl Driggers, coach and speaker for Collision Advice, spoke about the key role culture plays in a successful shop and how leaders can build it. She cited a Gallup study that revealed only 33% of workers are engaged in their work. Keeping employees engaged requires them to feel heard and connected, which leads to commitment. 

“When we get to know our people…and we can make them feel heard and understood, that’s where people feel connected,” she said. “That’s where people feel this is my community; I don’t want to go anywhere. This is where commitment happens. Processes are essential…but processes alone never create commitment.” 

Having a voice and feeling that their voice is heard is crucial to keeping employees in a company. Driggers shared that 42% of employees that voluntarily left their job last year said the organization or manager could have prevented it. 

“They weren’t leaving solely because of pay or benefits, but many left because they didn’t feel valued, supported, or heard,” she said. “People don’t leave companies; they leave bad leaders, or they leave a community they’re not connected to.” 

Leadership depends on trust. Good leaders seek feedback and acknowledge it, even if they can’t act on it because silence erodes trust faster than disagreement. Everyone should feel comfortable asking for help and not feel that it’s a sign of weakness. 

“Without trust, people protect themselves instead of the culture. I’ve seen this so many times going into shops,” Driggers said. “People are not protecting the culture because they do not feel that they can trust you.” 

Good leaders set expectations, inspect and follow up to ensure they are met, and provide coaching when goals aren’t achieved. Driggers suggests leaders should use the three Cs to establish accountability across every level of an organization: 

• Clarity – everyone knows expectations and what success looks like 

• Consistency – leaders model it and apply it fairly 

• Courage – willingness to have developmental conversations when standards aren’t met 

As the final speaker of the two-day conference, Driggers left attendees with a challenge: pick one thing that resonated with them, and they feel they could change right now, and go do it. 

“Maybe it’s time to start a new rhythm of communication with your team,” she said. “Maybe you need to rebuild trust within your organization or the team you work with. Maybe it’s finally having that developmental conversation with someone. Whatever it is, write it down, commit to it. Don’t procrastinate.” 

Other speakers included Lauren Kolak, director of OEM business development at CCC, discussing the evolution of the U.S. car parc and its effect on auto claims and repairs; a panel of Mary Mahoney, Michelle Sullivan, Cheryl Boswell, and Sandee Lindorfer discussing how they are driving change in the industry; Kurt Fenzel and Olivia Peterson discussing I-CAR EV overview and repair considerations; Kristen Felder on the total loss of repairable claims; Ashley Veisz, SVP of operations excellence at Safelite, on auto glass complexity and evolving service requirements; and Liz Terrance, senior and creative manager for Caliber Collision, on maximizing LinkedIn presence. 

The event concluded with the reveal of the date of WIN’s 20th anniversary conference, May 4-6, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona.