VeriFacts Automotive offers guidance as collision repair facilities face the challenge of coronavirus

“As travel options such as flying and public transportation are becoming limited, people are even more dependent on their vehicles for work and to take care of their daily lives,” said Farzam Afshar, CEO of VeriFacts Automotive. “When getting your vehicle repaired is critical, we want to help our customers – and the consumer – be as safe as possible.” VeriFacts Automotive, which works with thousands of collision repair facilities and industry suppliers across North America and regularly coaches shop owners on their shop environmental health standards, is offering shop owners guidance on helping to protect the health of their locations and their customer interactions. Earlier this month, VeriFacts Automotive cancelled its planned VeriFacts Automotive Symposium, scheduled for April 20-21, 2020, in Toronto, over concerns for travel limitations and coronavirus exposure. The VeriFacts Automotive recommendations include:Clean Your Shop Thoroughly and Routinely

• Sanitize the entire office and shop area several times throughout the day and maintain a safe environment for everyone. Don’t forget the clipboards and pens that customers use to sign authorizations.
• Follow the CDC guidelines on surface cleaning, particularly around computer terminals, equipment, counters, entryways and bathroom facilities.
• Consider suspending your lobby coffee and beverage service to reduce waste.
• Provide customers disinfecting wipes and sanitizing gel in the waiting areas – and do the same for all employees.

Sanitize Each Vehicle as They Arrive and Are Returned

• According to consumer automotive expert Lauren Fix, of the Car Coach Report, the average vehicle has approximately 283 different types of bacteria in every square inch. The average steering wheel has four times more bacteria on it than a typical public toilet seat and the worst spots in cars are the front seat cup holder (1,179 germs per sq. in.), the dashboard air vent (1,082 germs per sq. in.), the driver side floor mats (1,197 germs per sq. in.) and the door handle (375 germs per sq. in.).
• Use color-safe disinfectant wipes to clean the interior of the car, making sure that the dashboard, gearstick, cup holder and steering wheel get special attention. Don’t overlook all the knobs and armrests.
• When vehicles are completed, repeat the interior sanitizing process again before delivery to the customer.

Provide Convenient Drop-Off and Pickup Services for Customers

• Offer a secure drop-off service where customers can complete their information online and drop their keys in a signed sealed envelope.
• For customers who want to wait for an estimate, encourage them to wait in their vehicle while the estimate is being conducted, if possible. Or, hand them disposable gloves as they enter your shop and they can discard the gloves as they leave.
• For vehicle returns, provide customers an opportunity to conduct a virtual review of their repair via Skype, Facetime or other sharing services.

Manage Your Team Members’ Health and Safety

• Encourage your team members to follow all current OSHA guidelines regarding gloves, eye protection and respirators – and educate them about the importance of limiting personal contact in workspaces.
• Make sure all shared equipment, spaces like paint rooms and parts areas are sanitized throughout the day and all employees in these areas are wearing proper protection.
• Consider having a medical/public health professional conduct a risk assessment for your staff to determine if anyone should seek further care or if others are at risk.
• Evaluate team scheduling to allow non-essential employees to work from home, if possible.

Limit Interaction with Business Partners, Vendors, Delivery Drivers

• Limit visitors by encouraging them to schedule an appointment at off-peak times, provide training and coaching through online/virtual methods, and make deliveries at a secure, sanitized delivery point.
• Remind visitors and employees to limit personal interaction -- offer a fist bump or elbow bump instead.
• Practice social distancing and maintain 6-8 feet from another person.

“Most collision repair facilities have numerous visitors throughout the day, such as VeriFacts Automotive coaches conducting audits, vendors providing training or sales calls, or even delivery and tow drivers with supplies or vehicles for repair,” noted Afshar. “We want to protect the safety and health of our team members as well as our customers. We have issued new protocol to protect our coaches and customers during each facility visit, and ensure that all VeriFacts Automotive personnel are following all coronavirus best practices as outlined by the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and other public health bodies.”
 
Afshar added that VeriFacts Automotive is essentially a virtual company and its personnel works remotely from their home offices across the United States and Canada. The proprietary iPad-based tools used by VeriFacts Automotive coaches to provide services to customers are all managed and secured centrally, but deployed remotely, so the VeriFacts Automotive team all has the tools in-hand to respond to most customers’ needs.
 
About VeriFacts Automotive
VeriFacts Automotive, headquartered in Newport Beach, CA, provides the highest level of collision repair business coaching, evaluation and verification services, delivering OEM certifications to ensure collision repair facilities are prepared to deliver safe and reliable repairs. Today, VeriFacts has partnerships with the majority of leading multi-shop collision repair organizations, independent repair facilities and top vehicle manufacturers and is recognized by top insurance carriers, among others. VeriFacts employs more than 75 team members across North America. For more information, visit www.VeriFactsAuto.com.