Texas shops follow consistent recipe

Jan. 1, 2020
Any good body shop has to have a strong focus on doing quality work — but few can claim one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings in their region. Callaway's Collision Specialist of Humble, Texas, can make that claim.
Any good body shop has to have a strong focus on doing quality work — but few can claim one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings in their region. Callaway's Collision Specialist of Humble, Texas, can make that claim.

While declining to provide the precise number, Autochex, a third-party research firm, said Callaway's customer satisfaction index (CSI) score for 2007 was extraordinarily high for its region.

Callaway's Collision is one of three shops in the expanding suburbs of Houston owned by D & D Repair Services. D & D owner David Niccum started his first shop, now known as D & D Collision Specialist in Humble, in the early 1990s. In 1997, he brought in a partner, Tim Gill, and D & D Repair Services bought Callaway's, an existing business that had been around about 10 years. Because Callaway's had an excellent reputation in the community, Niccum and Gill kept the name. But when they opened another shop in Spring, Texas, in 2003, they called it D & D Collision Specialist. Earlier this year, the partners moved the D & D location in Humble to a larger facility in New Kingwood.

"CSI scores are very high at all of our shops," says Gary Stegall, manager of Callaway's. All the D & D shops have policies and procedures that help them maintain their high quality levels.

"We have a system throughout the shops so that anybody can stop the production of a vehicle if the quality is not there," Stegall says. Although work stoppages don't occur very often, they play a critical role in maintaining quality. For example, a painter might stop the process rather than paint a naked weld. "Usually if production is stopped, it's for minor problems," Stegall says.

The D & D shops also help ensure quality work through a tight inspection process. A dedicated quality control person checks every car after cleaning, then the estimator is required to go over the vehicle to make sure that all work on the estimate was completed.

"Employees are what make us successful," says Stegall, who adds that several employees have been with the company for 11 or 12 years. "We offer a good benefit package and we treat people fairly."

The company's policy of paying by estimate hour helps motivate employees and, as Stegall notes, "We don't overstaff." Because the D & D shops are I-CAR Gold, technicians receive regular training, which helps ensure proper repairs.

The D & D shops do their own mechanical repairs, which helps control quality and delivery time and contributes to the company's high satisfaction ratings. The company also takes in mechanical work regularly, which helps generate new customers to the collision business.

D & D gets 85 percent of its business through seven direct repair programs (DRPs). While some collision repair managers say DRPs require them to cut costs in ways that impact quality, Stegall said it's possible to negotiate with insurance companies to avoid such scenarios.

"We do not vary from how the manufacturer says a repair needs to be done to a vehicle," Stegall says. If an insurance company asks D & D to do a job in a way that violates that rule, Stegall said D & D refers the insurance company to the manufacturer's procedure pages and the correct procedure prevails.

Autochex CSI measurements are a requirement of several of the insurance companies that D & D works with. But the company also gathers CSI information of its own through a business reply card that is given to customers when they pick up their cars.

"As we deliver the car, we give them a package and we tell them, 'Here's a customer satisfaction card; we'd love to have your comments, good or bad,'" Stegall says. Customers also receive a follow-up letter from the shop manager of a different D & D shop that offers them the opportunity to share any comments they would like with that manager. Some people are more comfortable talking to someone outside the shop where the work was completed, Stegall said, adding that negative comments are addressed promptly. Between the business reply cards and the follow-up letter, D & D gets comments back from 10 to 12 percent of customers. The average overall rating for all three stores is about 9.2 on a scale of 1 to 10.

The business reply comment card is part of a delivery package that also includes the cleaning procedure for new paint, which advises customers only to hand wash for 30 days and to avoid waxing the car for 90 days. Any DRP warranty and brochures also are included, along with a copy of the lifetime warranty that D & D shops offer on all vehicles they repair. The company focuses on being thorough, so D & D doesn't get a lot of claims under its warranty program. Stegall said the warranty is a great selling tool, and the company promotes it through neon signs at all locations.

D & D has a full-time salesman who represents all three locations and who calls on insurance companies and local enterprises. His efforts have helped fuel growth by generating fleet work and getting the company on some prime DRPs.

The company also does soft marketing through its support of numerous local charities. Among other things, the company does a barbecue cook-off to raise money for the Humble Education Foundation to support local schools.

"We also adopt families for Christmas and collect money from the employees," says Stegall. "One of our goals is to support people in the community who really need help."

Many local residents respond to these efforts by bringing their collision and mechanical business to D & D. "A lot of people come in and say 'We love what you guys did for this poor child with cancer,'" says Stegall. "There are favors returned."

For now, Niccum and Gill are happy with three locations.

But as Stegall says, "Expansion down the road is possible."

About the Author

Joan Engebretson

Engebretson is a former editor-in-chief of America's Network. She has covered the communications industry since 1993. In 2002, she won a national gold award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for her columns. Previously, Engebretson was the editor of Telecom Investor, a supplement toAmerica's Network.

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