Gauging Success in the Age of Information
The epoch of humanity to which we've been assigned is the Information Age. It's not as shiny as the Bronze Age or as illuminating as the Age of Enlightenment but it's arguably even more impactful and all-encompassing. Information is simply everywhere, on demand and available in as much detail as you like. There's an insidious side to data collection to be discussed another time, but there's no question data can help us. An entire suite of “smart” devices has been built around helping you meet your fitness goals, optimize your sleep patterns or organize your busy days.
Whatever it is you’re trying to improve, there’s a way to track your performance as you go. The same is true of a collision repair shop. As our 2022 FenderBender Industry Survey confirms, most of you are tracking at least some KPIs. But the survey responses also reveal fears of paralysis by analysis, simply too much information and not enough time to evaluate it. In this month’s feature story you’ll read the perspectives of four different shop owners from around the country. Each has their own vision of what success looks like and how they track it. Just because the information is out there doesn’t mean it’s all relevant to your shop. But hopefully it’ll get you thinking about what to keep close tabs on in your unique situation.
Because information does still come on ink and paper from time to time, you can flip through the rest of this month’s issue to access tips on customer service, such as how and when you should be following up with customers, how to help a fragmented team come into harmony as well as bringing your team on board for long-term company goals. Information can be overwhelming, but it’s better than living in the Stone Age. Thanks for reading and for doing what you do to keep this industry on the cutting edge.
