HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.,
May 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/
-- Collision repair shops that have earned Gold
Class® recognition from I-CAR® are producing
significant cost savings for consumers and insurance companies,
according to a new I-CAR white paper detailing the Q1 2015
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Length of Rental (LOR) report. Enterprise's
data shows that Gold Class shops with well-trained technicians can
repair vehicles faster, and as a result, shorten car rental days --
both important factors to reducing total cost to repair.
The analysis examined data for the first quarter of 2015 from
collision repair shops in the U.S. with which Enterprise conducts
business. Enterprise serves the $35
billion collision-repair industry, comprising over 34,000
facilities. Enterprise compared the market-average LOR for
repairable vehicles across all shops in their database versus those
shops that have earned Gold Class recognition from
I-CAR. Gold Class shops have technicians who earned
Platinum® recognition by completing industry specified
levels of training, and this contributes to complete, safe and
quality repairs that ultimately benefit the consumer.
While the national industry average LOR was 11.5 days, Gold
Class shops averaged just 10.2 days, an 11% improvement. Further,
the top 500 Gold Class LOR performers turned those repairs around
in only 7.9 days, or a 31% improvement. Isolating on the 100
top-performing Gold Class shops, the average LOR drops to 6.5 days
for a 43% improvement.
"As repair processes change with the onset of new materials and
technology, it is imperative for repairers to be able to adapt to
these changes," said Enterprise Rent-A-CAR Assistant Vice President
Frank Laviola. "Failure to do so
will result in increased repair time and compromised quality. The
data shows Gold Class shops beat the overall industry by 1.3 days,
and the top shops cut repair time down to almost half of the
industry average."
"This new data further supports the significant advantages of
Gold Class shops," said John Van
Alstyne, CEO and president of I-CAR. "Not only are shops
better qualified to perform proper repairs and do so more cost
effectively, consumers and insurance companies also are saving
money. And consumers also gain peace of mind, knowing technicians
with updated industry-standard training are repairing their
vehicles, which contributes to complete, safe and quality repairs.
This data complements other related I-CAR data that shows the
positive impact training has on shop KPI performance, and the
further performance benefits that accrue to shops that possess a
culture of learning or as I-CAR refers to it, a "Learning
Culture."
Reduced LOR means reduced expense for insurers that must provide
car rental coverage to policy holders with this provision in their
policy. This also means reduced expense for drivers who do
not have car rental coverage provisions in their policies, an
expense they pay directly.
Knowledge and Training Improve Business
Performance
The white paper furnishes details on the Enterprise LOR report
and also analyzes the ROI associated with training and the further
impact a "Learning Culture" contributes to performance. In research
studies involving shops where technicians received I-CAR training,
improvements were evident in four key performance indicators:
- Shops improved cycle time (how rapidly they completed safe and
quality repairs) by more than 14 percent.
- They improved touch time (the number of hours a technician
worked on a vehicle) by nearly 34 percent.
- Frequency of supplements for necessary repairs overlooked in
the estimate dropped by 11 percent.
- Customer satisfaction increased 5 percent.
Improvements were even greater than the averages in those shops
that approach training strategically, or those shops that possess a
"Learning Culture."
"A tsunami of new vehicles enter the market each year, that
increasingly include significant new technologies and materials as
automakers seek to make vehicles lighter to meet tough new mileage
regulations," Van Alstyne said. "It
is imperative that the collision repair industry embrace an
environment in which learning and knowledge are recognized as
strategic assets that must be managed, developed and
maintained."
To earn recognition as a Gold Class facility, collision repair
facility employees must achieve and maintain a high level of
role-relevant training, that addresses industry specified knowledge
requirements across each of four key collision-repair roles:
estimator, non-structural technician, steel structural technician
and refinish technician.
About I-CAR
Founded in 1979, I-CAR is a not-for-profit education, knowledge,
and solutions organization designed to support the evolving needs
of the Collision Repair Inter-Industry. I-CAR is focused on
improving the quality and safety of auto collision repair for the
ultimate benefit of both the industry and the consumer.
www.i-car.com. Visit www.GoldClass.com to find a Gold Class
collision repair shop.
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SOURCE I-CAR