The “Limitless 2024” conference at the Omni Dallas Hotel in October provided a well-deserved break for many shop owners and operators under the Abra, CARSTAR, and Fix Auto brands. The event featured mechanical bulls, country music, and a gala celebrating Driven Brands’ stakeholders, making it an event to remember.
It wasn’t all fun and games; attendees also participated in informative sessions, keynote speeches, and panel discussions. Many of the topics discussed by Driven Brands show it aims to lower the strain and workload that estimators face in the collision repair industry and streamline the customer’s shop experience to something as simple as a key exchange.
Removing the Shop from the Customer’s Shop Experience
“We’re trying to drive as much technology utilization to our stores as possible,” Damien Reyna, COO of Driven Brands, told FenderBender during a media roundtable at the conference. “Consumer experience is table stakes at this point.
“Cleaning, landscaping, painting, HVAC, plumbing, auto repair, oil changes — anything you need can be booked online, and that’s what people want. They want to do it any time of the day, any day of the week.”
Reyna emphasized that the partnership with CCC, which provides much of the software to make turning in the car more seamless, is valuable to their overall mission.
Bart Mazurek, vice president of consulting for the Automotive Services Group at CCC Intelligent Solutions, shared this sentiment during a keynote presentation. He told shop owners not to worry about the coffee and doughnuts they have for customers because customers don’t want to stay in their lobby.
One of CCC’s software solutions includes Smart Estimate, an AI-powered tool designed to streamline the process of creating auto physical damage estimates. It works in tandem with CCC Quick Estimate to identify potential vehicle damage and digitally generate detailed estimates for review by adjusters.
According to CCC’s website, Kkey features include:
AI-Powered Results: Uses AI photo analytics and estimating logic to assess repair requirements and produce detailed estimates.
Integrated Workflow: Integrates with Quick Estimate for efficient and seamless documentation through estimate.
Repair/Replace Insight: Accelerates part repair-and-replace decisions and labor-hour predictions using advanced AI.
Automated Parts Sourcing: Sources available parts and prices at the point of estimate based on carrier configurations.
AI Hints & Guidance: Helps estimators rebalance workload and reduce estimating burden with insurer-provided AI parameters.
These features, if used more, Reyna said, could lower the strain that estimators feel.
On top of learning about the tools, attendees at the Driven Brands conference in October learned how to win customers after receiving photos thanks to a session led by Gary Bagwell, director of MSO operations and training for Driven Brands.
“They need to recognize them (photos) and respond to them quickly, know how to respond, and know how to engage with the customer, whether it’s text or email,” Bagwell said after leading a session at the conference.
Other products that assist collision repairers include:
CCC ONE: Repair Workflow: A repair management tool that tracks vehicle repair status and integrates parts ordering and payment records to enhance productivity and customer satisfaction.
CCC Repair Quality: A tool that provides access to OEM repair procedures, managing steps, and integrating diagnostics.
“It’s something we’ve had for a while,” Reyna said about Driven Brands’ software tools from CCC. “We’ve been reluctant to embrace.”
Reyna explained the reluctance with two points. The first is that change is difficult because old habits die hard. The second reason is that the volume of intake across all the brands has not necessitated that change.
According to recent news releases from CCC Crash Course reports, the number of collision repair claims has increased after the COVID-19 lockdowns due to several factors, including a rise in accidents as more people returned to driving. Additionally, the growing complexity of modern vehicles, particularly electric ones, has meant more extensive repairs have been required. Consequently, the total cost of repairs has risen significantly, reflecting increased labor rates and material expenses. Overall, the industry is experiencing heightened demand and rising costs in this post-lockdown environment.
“We absolutely see the need to use more technology to drive the consumer experience,” Reyna said.
Are Estimators Extinct, Then?
When people hear about AI either easing or straight up taking over certain responsibilities in any career, many will think that it will lead to jobs being taken from actual humans. We asked Reyna if that’s the case with estimators working under the Driven Brands network.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “We tracked what an estimator used to be able to write on a monthly basis. That was a unit of measurement. A good or average estimator could write $150,000 to $200,000 per month in sales. That’s drastically dropped in the past few years because of how much administrative work goes into it."
He explained that estimator responsibilities, such as looking up repair procedures and doing administrative work, lead to burnout, a word that seems to stick around in this post-COVID world.
“I think we’re losing more estimators through burnout, and if we can reduce that through technology, I think we will have more positivity in the estimator position than losing their job.”
‘Teslafication’
This focus on leveraging technology to improve efficiency and reduce burnout was echoed throughout the conference. One of the most notable keynote speakers was Jon McNeil, vice chair of self-driving car company Cruise and board member for General Motors, as mentioned in the itinerary for the presentation. This understandably perplexed many attendees when he spent the entire time speaking about his experience at Tesla working alongside Elon Musk.
At the end of his presentation, an audience member asked why he was talking about Tesla if he’s not with them anymore, with many in the audience laughing in agreement. McNeil explained that he couldn’t speak about what General Motors is working on at the moment, but he could speak about his time at Tesla.
“It was one of my responsibilities as president of Tesla to look out for the service business, and when I got there, it was embarrassing,” McNeil said. He also shared that Tesla service centers, at one point, had 30-day wait times for the U.S., which was one of the shortest globally.
He worked with technicians to find a way to lower cycle times. After discovering that 80 percent of repairs in a Tesla service center were small, easy, simple fixes, the company came up with their mobile repair service.
Tesla’s mobile repair service provides a convenient solution for vehicle maintenance by allowing technicians to perform repairs at the owner’s location, whether at home or work. Owners can schedule appointments through the Tesla app, specifying their vehicle issues, which helps technicians prepare with the necessary tools and parts. The service includes a “no-touch” option, enabling technicians to work without the owner present, thereby enhancing convenience.
Don’t worry, McNeil shared this story with full understanding that he was talking to body repairers and not service technicians.
“People wanted time back, and people get time back when you can do repair on their terms, not yours,” he said. “Here’s a challenge for some of you real innovators in the room. I’d be curious about how many of your repairs could be done in somebody’s driveway. I’d be really curious to find that out. Because if I was first in market on the collision side with something like that, you’d have a big chunk of that market.”
