New system gives shops ability to benchmark success.
ORLANDO, Fla.—PPG Industries unveiled its new shop management system, dubbed “Performance Power,” during a recent three-day conference in Orlando. The new system is being offered to PPG’s CertifiedFirst network of shops, and includes management features such as performance measurement by shop, estimator or insurer; access to cycle time and job-status reports; and performance tracking against insurer’s key performance indicators.
CertifiedFirst is PPG’s shop marketing and training program. Approximately 1,600 shops are part of the network, which requires third party verification of a repair facility’s customer satisfaction index, evaluation of its facilities and employee training, and the exclusive use of PPG refinishing products.
In a demonstration of the system, Randy Bach, director of collision repair solutions for Autoprise Solutions Inc., showed how the Web-based system allows shops to create benchmark reports to compare their performance against industry averages, as well showing cycle time information via the Internet.
Some 250 shop owners and managers watched as Bach demonstrated the uses of the new system, which, because it is Web-based, means data collected by the shops are stored in a PPG database. Bach dealt with shop-owner concerns about data collection and explained that “What PPG gets is ‘headless data.’ They get RO numbers, insurance carrier information, dollar values, but they don’t get customer information or contact information.”
During his demonstration, Bach also showed some of the shop performance reports that owners and managers can produce based on the data that is entered into the system. Using records that are entered into the system by shop managers and automatically from the shop’s information system, the reports include details such as the number and dollar amount of sales made by estimators, vehicle repair status and CSI information.
“This system will allow you to prove your performance is where you say it is and allows you to negotiate more deals [with insurers],” Bach said.
“The day-to-day pat on the back is something employees want even more than money,” said Georgina Sweeney, PPG’s CertifiedFirst manager, as she explained that the CertifiedFirst network will offer shops assistance with employee recognition.
The company also announced that it has formed a partnership with Motor Trend magazine to create the “Beacon Award” for the “body shop of the year.” CertifiedFirst shops will be judged on their level of customer service, marketing, KPI measurements and their “team spirit,” according to Sweeney.
In addition to the “shop of the year” title, awards will be presented to shops that are the best in each judging category. No date has been chosen for the award announcement, but the winners will be named sometime in 2005, according to PPG.
The partnership with Motor Trend is aimed at raising the awareness of CertifiedFirst among consumers. One way PPG hopes to achieve that is Motor Trend will allow selected repair facilities to display the “Motor Trend Preferred Shield” signifying that the shop meets the magazine’s standards. Shops receiving the shield are chosen first by meeting PPG’s CertifiedFirst standards and the final cut is made after “secret shoppers” test the customer service level of shops.
In addition to those announcements, the event also featured roundtables where members of PPG’s MPV program discussed and dissected their peers’ shop management. Attendees were given a pep talk from Tom Easton, a motivational speaker and creator of skill development programs for the automotive aftermarket industry.
