How shops approach repair planning is often not optimal for where collision repair is headed, with added repair cost and complexity. Although much of repair planning is currently focused on identification through the pre-scan, it needs to move to data-driven repair recommendations, says Sam Poradish, director of automotive intelligence at asTech, one of the sponsors of our inaugural Best Repair Planner/Estimator of the Year Award.

The tech shortage is impacting many trade industries, including the collision repair industry.

Eddie Hightower, the senior vice president of sustainability and social responsibility at Caliber Collision, shares how their Technician Apprentice Program (TAP) is making a difference in addressing the issue not only for their repair centers but also across the industry in the U.S.

If something is expensive to buy, it’s likely even more expensive to repair. This certainly applies to EVs.

Kevin FitzPatrick, the senior vice president of North America operations at Opus IVS, explains why this is the case and how quickly one should get certified to repair them.

The Women's Industry Network provides great networking and connection opportunities for women in the mail-dominated collision repair industry.

WIN 2024 Conference Chair Blair Womble and member Kim Frasher talk about what attendees can expect at the conference, May 6-8 in Newport Beach, California.

For more information, check out the website at thewomensindustrynetwork.site-ym.com.

Check out more CollisionCast episodes here!

The first impression of your business often starts with your phone call-handling process. In this episode, FenderBender Columnist Drew Bryant, owner of DB Orlando Collision Center, expands on his February column and talks about why it's essential to implement a call auditing process that is regularly reviewed by the administration against defined standards.

Check out MORE CollisionCast episodes online here!

Events out of your control can happen that will keep your shop closed, such as storms, fires, and more. You may be covered to repair your building and replace its contents, but how will you keep the business afloat if you are unable to operate?

David Willett, the chief underwriting officer at Spark Underwriters, shares how shop owners and operators leave themselves exposed to loss without this coverage.

As new-car dealerships pull back from collision repair, are you developing relationships with local car dealers to ensure their customers come to you when they need your services?
FenderBender Columnist Drew Bryant, owner of DB Orlando Collision Center, expands on his January column and talks about what makes for a relationship that’s beneficial to both the dealer and independent collision repair shop. Check out MORE CollisionCast episodes online here!

Check out MORE CollisionCast episodes online here!

 In this CollisionCast episode, Sam Poradish, director of automotive intelligence at asTech, talks about how AI can be used to increase quality and efficiency of collision repairs. With machine learning, the data gathered from millions of scans and hundreds of technicians can now be used to guide a technician down the appropriate repair path in mere seconds.

Accudraft's Jeremy Winters rejoins CollisionCast to give some education on a topic of vital importance to any shop that paints cars: lighting.

FenderBender columnist Drew Bryant joins the show to expand on his May column about how referring to your employees as "team members" helps engender a culture of respect and accountability.