Elite Estimatics Brings Remote Collision Repair Expertise to Repair Shops

Administrative duties are a constant struggle for collision repair shops. Increasing amounts of paperwork and estimating duties stretch staff responsibilities and take away time from the most important part of the shop – fixing the customer's vehicle.

Cody Rinaudo experienced these issues firsthand working in his parents’ body shop for 15 years and launched his remote estimating company, Elite Estimatics, to solve them.

“Administration was always difficult. You always either had too much or not enough,” Rinaudo says. “You always had varying levels of workload and the admin staff always had to either be really slow or really busy. You didn't want to hire somebody in an interim and it was just difficult to manage.”

Another factor driving his business venture is the current economic state of the industry. As repair shops across the country see reduced car counts, they’re looking for places to cut costs and administration is one of the first areas they look at.

“So, everybody is seeing reduced car count and unfortunately that leads to potential layoffs in certain aspects trying to cut costs where the revenue isn’t there to substantiate it,” he says. “Part of my clients, I’m seeing a need for remote estimates so they can keep their production staff maintained and producing repairs. Alternatively, I’ve got some shops that have some individuals that need assistance and training.”

Filling Service Needs

Elite Estimatics provides remote admin work, consulting, auditing, and remote repair plans for shops looking to grow but can’t afford or justify a full-time staff member at this time.

In a typical case, the shop performs 100% disassembly of the vehicle and sends comprehensive photos of all the damage to Rinaudo. More complex repairs might require a video to show insurance damages that are difficult to see in photos. He reviews the damage, researches all the relevant OEM procedures relevant to the repair, gathers other documentation from CCC Intelligent Solutions, the Database Enhancement Gateway, motor guides, and anything else necessary to support and justify the repair. Time to complete a job depends on the type of vehicle and the complexity of the repair.

“Typically, my goal is to have it back to you within 24 hours depending on my workload at that point in time. How much it takes me to do that file depends on the size of the repair,” Rinaudo says. “If it’s just a bumper/fender, that might be an [hour to an] hour and a half, where if it’s a structural on a higher end Mercedes, BMW, or Porsche, that could be four or five hours of work with the research required for those as well.”

As a remote estimator, the success of Rinaudo’s work depends on getting accurate information from the shop.

“Honestly, there's a risk of that doing it in person if you don't know what to look for, but ultimately, yes, I'm relying on someone else on the other end to give me the proper information to have the necessary output,” he says.

Rinaudo offers on-site training for shops. He can review standard operating procedures, identify workflow problems, and provide suggestions for improvement. The most common problem Rinaudo said he finds with shop SOPs is that many shops don’t have SOPs in place. He also offers repair training for shops that want to learn how to do the estimating work in-house.

“I can come in and do repair plan training; work with the staff, the estimator and technician together, on a process to complete 100% disassembly and to write a proper repair plan,” he says. “I can do just estimatics training where I’m teaching how to navigate OEM systems to pull the necessary information from the service manual to capture everything necessary, [or] negotiation training to communicate with the insurer and advocate for the needed repair.”

Pricing Models

Rinaudo offers four remote service estimate plans that range from $60-$1,200. The four plans offer varying levels based on the type of car and how much detailed information the client wants. Plans cover standard, exotic, OEM-certified, restricted, and EV vehicles. The cheapest plan does not include procedures or additional documentation from CCC and the Database Enhancement Gateway.

He also offers three tiers of auditing services: full file review for $325, estimatics review for $225, and OEM procedure review for $175.

On-site services include SOP development for $2,000/day, one-on-one individual training for $3,000/day, repair plan training for $4,500/day, and negotiation training for $3,000/day.

For customers that want to routinely use repair plans or auditing services, Rinaudo offers three subscription models. The White Glove Repair Planning service covers 15 repair plans per month, and costs $3,750-7,500/month based on shop certifications and needs.

The White Glove Auditing service covers 25 audits per calendar month, and costs $5,000/month.

The third tier, Platinum Concierge Full Service, includes all remote services provided by Elite Estimatics and has no monthly limit on services. Platinum member jobs have priority when they come in. It costs $11,000/month.

While a website is a work in progress, a full breakdown of a full breakdown of Rinaudo’s service and price offerings is available on the Elite Estimatics Facebook page. Anyone interested in contacting Elite Estimatics can email Elite Estimatics or call 985-788-0914.