www.csicomplete.com

The trend is mostly positive, with every region reporting an uptick in RO’s over the previous month except the Midwest, which was -15.36%. The South led the way, up 9.66% and the Southwest was up 4.78%. Even with the poor Midwest result, overall RO’s are still up 3.5% over the same period last year. With insurance companies reporting declining claims frequency, this means that member shops are generally excelling in their markets. It could also mean an increase in customer pay work, which would not be figured in to the insurance company declining frequency numbers.

To view the latest Collision Watch numbers Click Here

CSi Complete Introduces Customer Opportunity Program

CSi Complete has launched a new service through its CSi Communicator IVR application that automatically follows up with all open estimates in an attempt to improve estimate closing percentages.

When customers respond positively, a “Customer Opportunity” sheet is e-mailed to the appropriate contacts at the repair facility to follow up and close the sale.

CARS Collision is the first to roll out the new technology, and the initial results have been encouraging. In the first full week, 11 Customer Opportunity sheets were generated. Due to the low cost of the transactions, even closing a small percentage of the Customer Opportunity sheets would result in impressive incremental income for the repair facility.

“Once it is set up, it’s all electronic. There’s nothing the shop has to do but follow up on the Customer Opportunity sheets,” said David Merrell, vice president of sales for CSi Complete and CSi Communicator. “Shops can personalize it with their own voice recording, and simply have the communications go out. The early indications are that it works well,” he added.

Once more data is accumulated; we will provide an update in a future edition of the E-News.

I-CAR to Introduce new Development Program at July Industry Event

I-CAR is introducing a new, performance-focused training and development curriculum at the 2010 I-CAR Industry Event in Chicago July 21. The new program offers a comprehensive training experience, providing industry professionals with the knowledge that is required to perform skills in specific industry roles. It offers an opportunity to progress over the course of one’s career by building on and leveraging prior levels of experience, training, and the knowledge that comes from them.

Details and registration information can be found on the I-CAR web site Meetings and Conferences page, www.i-car.com

At the meeting, I-CAR will clearly define industry roles, the knowledge and skills needed to be effective in each role, and the organization of training that supports the development of those competencies. I-CAR will also review the redesign of the Platinum Individual and Gold Class Professionals recognition designations, along with a transition plan for existing designees.

With these changes, I-CAR will strengthen the value of training and development in the collision industry, ensuring that individuals have access to timely, relevant, and quality training- providing the knowledge needed to perform their jobs completely and safely.

The industry will gather in Chicago this year for the annual summer I-CAR and CIC meetings. The Hotel Intercontinental at Chicago O’Hare airport  (Reservations: 847-544-5300) will be home base. Some of the meetings and activities include:

Monday July 19

12 Noon- 6 PM           NABC Planning Meeting

Tuesday July 20

8 AM – 3 PM              SCRS Board Meeting

9AM – 12 Noon          NABC Board Meeting

1 PM – 5 PM               CIECA Board meeting

3 PM – 5 PM               SCRS Board (open)

Wednesday July 21

8 AM – 12 Noon         I-CAR Industry Conference

1 PM – 5 PM               CIC Meeting

6:30 PM – 9 PM          CIC Reception

Thursday July 22

8 AM – 11:30 AM      CIC Meeting

12 Noon – 5 PM         I-CAR Education Foundations Golf Outing

For additional information on a CSI program for your company, contact David Merrell at dmerrell@csicomplete 800.343.0641 x227

Click Here to be removed from the E-Newsletter in the future.