Canada’s Certified Collision Care program aids shops in achieving OEM certification

“In a challenging and ever-changing industry this helps us tremendously,” says Chelsea Stebner, Managing Partner of Parr Auto Body in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. “Certified Collision Care is a great way for our facility to stay on the leading edge with the latest technology, training, tools and equipment. With a lot of the OEMs jumping on board the certification program, this is a clean, simple way to become a part of it.”

As a Certified Collision Care member for three-and-a-half years, “it was not difficult for us to qualify,” says Stebner, referencing Parr’s longtime emphasis on top quality service since its founding in 1952. “We are committed to providing our customers with excellence in all areas – our equipment and tooling, our technical skill levels and our customer experience,” adds Tom Bissonnette, one of the Partners at Parr.

With Parr’s achievement of Certified Collision Care certification, “They represent the standard by which all other body shops are measured,” according to Scott Biggs, the CEO of Assured Performance who established the organization in 2004.

Headquartered in Laguna Hills, Calif., Assured Performance has an American membership of more than 2,521 shops with performance capabilities meeting the official collision repair standards of the participating U.S. OEMs.

“Without the collaborative approach of Certified Collision Care, Canadian repairers could have faced a challenge where different OEMs required a certain ‘brand’ of tool or equipment that performed the same function. It is difficult to carry all brands of tools and equipment,” Stebner points out. “With the Certified Collision Care program these redundancies are eliminated because the participating OEMs utilize a single set of core requirements that are not brand-specific, but instead rely on equipment output and technical specifications.”

Stebner elaborates about how “we’ve worked hard to stay ahead of the curve in the collision repair industry. This official certification demonstrates that commitment to our customers. We take pride in our highly trained technicians who use the latest tools and equipment to deliver a top-quality repair and the best customer service.”

“Considering that fewer than 10 percent of Canada’s approximately 4,000 body shops are able to meet the Certified Collision Care Certification criteria today, certified shops like Parr Auto Body deserve to be recognized for their achievements,” says Leanne Jefferies, Vice President of Canadian Operations at Certified Collision Care/Assured Performance. “Parr was a very early participant in the program.”

She explains, “The right tools, equipment, training and facilities are critical to ensure the safety features of a vehicle are restored following an accident. As new model vehicles are being introduced that use lightweight high-strength materials and advanced technology, a proper repair according to manufacturer specification is even more important than ever to ensure the passenger safety and proper performance of the vehicle.”

Certification steps include:

• Enrollment
• Business Profile & Online Assessment
• Score & Evaluation
• Onsite Audit
• Marketing Tools are then provided upon official certification

“Our program’s unique approach will enable repairers to be ‘Certified Once and Recognized by Many’ -- using a consistent turnkey system that eliminates redundancy in program requirements, repetitious inspections and unnecessary duplication of costs,” Jefferies says.

“The Certified Collision Care program has steadily added new OEM partners, and the network of Certified repairers continues to grow every day,” she notes. “These best- in-class repairers understand that OEM Certification gives them a way to gain recognition and differentiate themselves in their market. Being aligned with the most powerful brands in the automotive industry, certified shops gain an ROI on the investment they have made in their business.”

Although Assured Performance offers a significant menu of business enhancement offerings in the U.S., the Canadian market’s inaugural entrance is initially focusing on the OEM certifications, with the proprietary ShopOps program being piloted at a limited amount of locations.

(Fully deployed in the U.S., ShopOps is described as an “electronic business ‘tool box’ filled with key features that help organize, improve and manage your body shop business operations.”)

Accelerating momentum

Certified Collision Care “follows the same joint-effort approach as Assured Performance does in the U.S.,” says Jefferies. “We manage and administer the OEM certification programs for well over half of the vehicles on the road today, and we expect additional OEMs to join our program in the future.”

Certified Collision Care is “managed in Canada, by Canadians,” she stresses, “and we provide the same services as Assured Performance – but in English and French. Our shops work directly with the Canadian team to achieve and maintain certification.”

Benefits for certified shops as noted by the company include:

• Marketing tools such as signage and OEM-certified logos for use in marketing efforts and brand enhancement.

• Multiple online consumer and insurer-facing shop locators, including those placed directly on OEM consumer websites.

• OEM referrals through roadside assistance and OEM call centres.

• Business improvement tools and best practices now including (the piloted-in-Canada) ShopOps.

• ShopOps provides a state-of-the-art repair documentation system and a robust customer relationship management system that allows consumers to set appointments through smart apps and online shop locators.

With having achieved national coverage, OEMs are now deploying new marketing initiatives aimed at educating consumers about the importance of selecting a Certified repair facility, according to Jefferies. “We are receiving calls and emails from consumers every week, who are looking for assistance to find a Certified shop in their market,” she says. “As awareness grows, we will continue to see OEMs directing more customers to their networks.”

Elevating the industry

“The Certified Collision Care program is elevating the Canadian industry, driving more repairers to make the required investments in the tools, equipment and training necessary to repair vehicles safely to OEM specifications,” says Jefferies.

“Repairers in the Canadian market now understand the need for OEM certification and the many benefits it provides to their business to attract cars to their doors, both through OEM consumer referrals and having the ability to market their business as an OEM-certified collision repair centre. We are also seeing an increased focus on OEM certification from banner, franchise and large dealer groups,” she says. “This trend continues to accelerate, thanks in part to our efforts to educate shops about the investments needed to properly repair vehicles.”

The flat annual certification fee is $2,950, regardless of how many OEM certifications a shop obtains.

“When a shop enrolls, we deliver a high level of support throughout the certification process. We invest a lot of time speaking to shops every day to provide coaching and assistance as they progress towards their ultimate goal of certification,” says Jefferies.

“The requirements can be challenging for shops but having a dedicated partner to help really simplifies the process. We also work closely with auto dealers who provide sponsorship to facilities they are working with in their market, that they would like to see certified.”

For Paul Stella, Toyota Canada’s manager of Collision Repair & Refinish, the “Certified Collision Care existing resources help us manage our certified collision network.”

Certification “allows independent and dealer-owned collision repair facilities to meet the qualifications necessary to be recognized by Kia Canada as a collision repair facility of choice for its customers,” concurs Kia’s John Stoian, director of parts and after sales.

“The program will ensure that Kia owners can choose a certified collision repair provider that has the proper tools, equipment, training and facility required to repair their vehicle to OEM specifications while maintaining the vehicle’s fit, finish, durability, functionality and safety,” he says. “This is particularly important based upon the increasingly complex vehicle design and repair requirements of Kia vehicles.”

Education keeping pace with change

Certified Collision Care also offers a Technical Institute and Community College certification program. As the first college to obtain Certified Collision Care certification within the program last year, future Canadian technicians attending the post-secondary Saskatchewan Polytechnic institution are able to stay abreast of the latest repair techniques.

“As vehicle construction and design rapidly evolve, it is challenging for educational facilities to keep pace with change,” says Jefferies. “This achievement demonstrates their high level of commitment to excellence in providing students with relevant, up-to-date automotive training.”

Serving 28,000 students at campuses in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon, along with an extensive lineup of distance education opportunities, the achievement underscores “the level and quality of training that Sask Polytech provides our auto body technician program students,” says Dr. Larry Rosia, the school’s president and CEO. “The OEM certification from Certified Collision Care emphasizes the world-class education our students receive and will help to increase their job-readiness upon graduating.”

To receive the certification, administrators followed the same rigorous process as collision repair facilities in meeting the program’s requirements. During the certification process, all compliance is documented and then verified on-site by an inspector.

Rosia reports that Sask Polytech offers a one-year certificate and provides the in-school portion of apprenticeship training for the auto body technician curricula. The courses “provide students with a solid foundation in the knowledge and skills required to work in motor vehicle body repair and refinishing.”