Woods examined four fixes for where breaks in the growth chain occur to help attendees identify where they’re churning business opportunities: 

1. Show up where people look 
2. Reviews are not vanity 
3. Answer the phone like it matters 
4. Create moments worth talking about 

Fix #1: Show Up Where People Look 

Woods said shops often think they know where people look for shops, such as referrals from insurance companies. However, even if the insurer recommends a shop, customers will still use Google to research. 

“They're going to Google, so how are you showing up on Google?” Woods said. “They are looking for the quickest person to find, and they want to see some good reviews.” 

Getting to the top of Google requires investment in paid ads. Potential customers don’t scroll through multiple pages; they call the shops that appear at the top of the page. But paid ads aren’t successful just because they generate clicks or calls.  

“You also want to be making sure you're booking appointments…people are over 50% more likely to show up to your shop if they have an appointment,” Woods said. “You also want to be tracking your missed calls because oftentimes you're pumping money into paid ads and you're not answering every phone call; those are lost opportunities.” 

Google has free business profiles that show up when someone clicks on a business on the Maps page. Woods emphasized the importance of every shop having one and ensuring the information is correct.  

“This is not optional to be here,” she said. “You guys need to position yourself on Google; Google is the number one search engine in the world. Maximize this free listing.” 

Google profiles should include: 

• Categories: Make sure primary and secondary descriptions match what you sell. 

• Photos: Fresh, real photos build trust faster than stock-looking content. 

• Services: List collision, body repair, paint, ADAS, and specialty services. 

• Hours: Wrong hours create friction before the first call. 

• Reviews: Reviews help customers feel safe choosing you. 

“You can tell them all the things in the world, but if you show photos of your shop, if you show pictures of people smiling and helping out another customer, they are emotional,” Woods said. “This is one of those things where it's worth the money to have a photographer come in and get really good photos of your shop and of your people and then your estimators are already taking the before pictures.” 

Fix #2: Reviews Are Not Vanity 

Reviews are not a testament of the body shop’s work, but of its customer service. Shops should make sure customers are leaving reviews. When a customer is happy with their repair, ask them to leave a review. Shops can also make a QR code they can scan to leave a Google review. 

Third-party programs, such as Podium and Birdeye, can connect to CCC One and automatically send a customer a text after the repair order is closed to encourage the customer to leave a review. 

AI is also picking up on reviews, and Woods said Google rewards businesses with current reviews or businesses that respond to reviews. When a shop gets a review, a manager or owner should try to write a quick, short response. 

Fix #3: Answer the Phone Like it Matters 

Woods said her agency listens to every phone call for shops they run paid ads for. They’re able to identify issues for shops because the shop isn’t listening to its own calls. What people think is happening on calls often is not. 

“You wouldn't believe how I will talk with an owner before we work with them, and they'll say, ‘Oh, my CSR, she's great. She can close anything,” Woods said. “I'm like, well, she might have been able to close it if she asked the person's name. She might have been able to close it if she scheduled somebody. She might have been able to close if she had a little compassion and heard their story.” 

Remind anyone answering the phone that they are there to take care of the customer, but it starts with answering the phone. Woods said 20-60% of phone calls, on average, will hang up if they get an automated system.  

“You don't know how many people are hanging up on that because you guys don't see those numbers,” Woods said. “We track phone calls, we record phone calls, and we send those missed calls to our clients and it's anywhere from 20 to 60% of total volume coming in and those are just the ones we're tracking … We've got these AI calls that will call us or AI agents that will answer the phone – so many hang ups. Use it when you need to. If nobody else can get to the phone, use the AI agent. It can be helpful when you need it.” 

Customer experience is part of marketing. People remember how a shop made them feel, which is crucial because people make decisions more often based on their feelings than data. Shops should strive for: 

• Speed: Fast answer, fast next step. 

• Certainty: Explain processes before the customer panics. 

• Care: Use names, be human. 

• Control: Provide updates before the customer has to chase you. 

Fix #4: Create Moments Worth Talking About 

If a shop isn’t standing out for the right reasons, another one will or it could stand out for the wrong reasons. Before the repair starts, Woods said shops can stand out be speaking to people plainly; avoid technical jargon. During the repair, proactive updates – even a “no update” update – leave a positive impression.  

“They'd rather deal with somebody in a company who will take the time to spend the time with them so that they feel cared for,” Woods said.  

When the repair is finished, thank them during pick up and walk them to the car. After they leave, follow up a few days later to make sure everything is going well.  

“[I] went and worked full time for a body shop. The only time we would ever check in on customers is if they brought their car back,” Woods said. “So, when they brought their car back, because it was a redo, once they left, I would check in with production [that] the customer had picked up. About three to five days later, I would call personally and say, ‘Hey, I know you had to have your car come back in. How's everything going now?’ They were shocked that I called to check in on them … It was a differentiator for that shop at that time.” 

Woods left attendees with a seven-day shop growth audit they could take back to their shops and start working on: 

1. Search your top keywords from a phone or get in touch with Micki. 
2. Check Google Business Profile services, categories, photos, and hours. 
3. Listen to 20 phone calls and note what happened. 
4. Check missed calls and speed to call back. 
5. Review ads calls: which calls were qualified? Which showed? Which closed? 
6. Evaluate request timing 
7. Rank issues. Pick the first fix and assign an owner 

“Figure out where you're at and then figure out how you're going to get visible on Google, but that’s where [customers] are, folks. That’s where they’re going,” Woods said. “Then you want to be chosen. So, it's important that you've got reviews... You want to be reachable. Answer your phone and then be memorable. Find a way to make yourself memorable.”