By John Yoswick
An industry survey this past summer showed that body shops’ backlog of work had rebounded to pre-pandemic levels — good news for an industry that struggled after a 20 percent drop in claims (according to CCC Intelligent Solutions) over the course of 2020.
The downturn prompted many shops to reexamine their marketing and customer service strategies, looking for new ways to bring in work and “wow” customers. Here’s a round-up of some of those changes and ideas shops around the country have shared this year.
1. “We purchased two rental cars due to our location, an hour from the nearest rental car provider,” Bryan Barnhart of All Seasons Auto Body in Monticello, Iowa, said in early 2021. Barnhart said the shop didn’t promote having the cars available initially as it worked through a glut of work after a storm, but began to do so once its work schedule was more manageable.
2. Jerry Wattron of America’s Auto Body in Schaumburg, Ill., said he began calling on dealerships three times a week rather than just once, in an effort to boost customer referrals.
3. Ian Morton, owner of Fix Auto Sierra Vista in Arizona said he’s learned that, “In a small retirement city, we have to use more traditional [marketing] platforms…
