Courtesy Mid Island Collision
SHOP: Mid Island Collision LOCATION: Rockville Centre, N.Y. OWNER: Robert Jesberger
SIZE: 40,000 square feet STAFF: 45 (35 techs, 10 in office)
MONTHLY CAR COUNT: 150 ANNUAL REVENUE: $24 million
1) Previously housing a Mercedes-Benz dealership, Mid Island Collision wanted to keep the dealership feel when it took over the space in 1987. Relationships were made with local car dealers, and in exchange for sending business to Mid Island Collision, the shop will display cars from the dealers in its lobby, greeting customers as they walk in the front doors.
“We support the dealers that support us,” James Moy, a consultant for Mid Island Collision, says. “Some of the dealers leave new cars in our waiting area to entice customers for new car sales. We allow them to park the cars here even though we don’t sell them. We get calls all the time saying they sold a car we have on display and they have to come and pick it up.”
2) Going along with the dealership attitude, Mid Island Collision offers reading chairs, coffee and tea, and has a television in its lounge where customers can wait and relax while in the shop.
“We try to give customers a dealership atmosphere,” Moy says. “They are used to that type of treatment at the dealer, so we try to bring that expectation of service into our collision facility.”
3) When the building was purchased, the wall between the shop floor and the office was taken down and replaced with a large window. The idea for the window was to invite customers to stay in the shop and watch their cars get repaired, all the while building trust with those handling their vehicles.
“That makes us a transparent company,” Moy says. “Whenever anyone walks in, they can see what’s going on. It’s like when you go into a restaurant that has an open kitchen, people automatically assume it’s a cleaner restaurant. It shows there is nothing to hide. They don’t necessarily stay longer, but the window gives them confidence to think we are doing the right thing, it makes them think they went to the right shop and shows we are doing the job right.”
4) Mid Island doesn’t want to hide anything, and Moy says they would rather advertise the innovative technology being used in the immaculate shop to whomever will listen.
“It’s a very clean shop,” Moy says. “When a customer thinks of a shop, they think of one from 20 years ago, they think of dust everywhere, oil spills on the floor and a dirty environment. We don’t have any of that here. We use the latest vacuum systems, we have downdraft prep decks for body work and proper lighting throughout the shop.”
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