To kick off the discussion moderator, Krista McNamara, editorial director for the Vehicle Repair Group at Endeavor Business Media, asked the panel about ADAS trends, and what they see as the biggest concern when addressing ADAS?
Anna Zeck, editor of Fender Bender magazine expressed concerns about a lack of training and education for technicians, as well as a lack of education on how shops can work with insurers.
Zeck stressed the importance of properly training technicians to handle ADAS repairs and having the necessary equipment to cater to those repairs. If a vehicle is in an accident and only cosmetic repairs are made –no recalibration of sensors or replacement if need be – Zeck notes not repairing those components correctly puts the technician at liability.
With more shops beginning to offer ADAS services, Zeck recommends that shops “start small and hone in on [their] processes.”
Moving on from ADAS, McNamara brought up the topic of autonomous vehicles, what’s happening in the market, and how it will affect collision shops.
Chelsea Frey, managing editor for ABRN started off by explaining the six levels of autonomy. Both in- and outside of the industry, many people are confused by what it means when people talk about autonomous vehicles.
Level 0: No autonomy
Level 1: Driver assistance – ADAS can assist the driver with either steering or braking and accelerating, but not both simultaneously.
Level 2: Partial automation –The vehicle has combined ADAS functions (i.e. steering and acceleration), but the driver must remain engaged with driving.
Level 3: Conditional automation – The driver is necessary, but doesn’t need to monitor the environment, though they must be ready to take control of the vehicle at any moment.
Level 4: High automation – The vehicle is capable of performing all driving functions under certain conditions. Driver may have the option to take control of the vehicle.
Level 5: Full automation – The vehicle is capable of performing all driving functions under all conditions. The driver may or may not have the option to control the vehicle.
Frey continues the conversation discussing how the infrastructure plan made by President Biden could help with getting autonomous vehicles on the road. If the conditions of roads and bridges are being improved, it gives autonomous vehicles a better chance at successfully monitoring their environment under more ideal conditions.
Additionally, Frey notes that Covid could be another push towards bringing autonomous vehicles to the public, as many people still do not trust using public transportation.
Switching from the industry’s latest trends, McNamara directed the discussion toward issues many collision shops are facing, such as recruitment challenges.
Chasidy Sisk, a columnist for Autobody News, talked about how shops are getting more involved with not only high school students, but middle and elementary school students as well. Sisk notes that “[shops] have to keep showing the students that there is a future in this industry – that it’s lucrative.”
She also goes on to discuss how shops are getting more creative with their benefits for their employees – more flexible hours, having money be put towards a family vacation to help promote a good work/life balance, and having more training/mentorship opportunities.
Most important to retaining employees, Sisk says, is the work culture – building a culture where people actually want to go to work, so they don’t leave.
Then, the conversation transitioned to the importance of marketing and how collision shops have been marketing themselves.
Aime Szymanski, managing editor for Bodyshop Business explains how important marketing is. “You want to be top of mind with your customers when they get in an accident.”
Since Covid hit people haven’t been driving as much as they used to. Some shops saw this and decided to increase their marketing budget, while others tried to save money by cutting back on theirs. Szymanski says every shop she spoke with that increased their budget said it paid off. Shops need to keep their websites updated, be active on social media, and monitor their reviews.
“People are on their phones all the time,” Szymanski says, “Meet them where they are.”
Though marketing can be time-consuming, the Bodyshop Business editor notes that even doing the bare minimum is something. And if nothing else, shops must handle their reviews. Sometimes a shop’s response to a review winds up being more important than the overall star rating of the shop because it’s showing the customers their opinion of you matters.
The last topic McNamara brought up for the panel to discuss was OE certification.
Szymanski brought up that though some shops have problems with the expenses relating to OE certifications, those certifications really help with training. When it comes to constantly changing procedures, if you’re certified, then you’re required to get training to keep up with those procedures. This is something that can put your shop above other shops, Szymanski notes.
McNamara concluded the conversation, noting that shops need to make sure any certification they choose ends up being profitable and worthy of their time.
Though there are many unknowns about what’s to come in the collision industry, all the panelists could agree that keeping a modern, well-trained shop was the best way to prepare for anything the future brings.