A recent CCC Trends article quantified the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shelter-at-home orders on both driving and accident frequency. It provides good insight from a national level and confirms that this is being felt by everyone in the collision repair industry, though most don’t need national studies to realize business has slowed.A decline in volume presents obvious challenges for any business, but it is also an opportunity to reset and recharge ahead of the upturn. Here are 5 steps collision repairers can take to prepare for post-quarantine business:

1. Update your website. Make sure contact information and hours are accurate, the photos are current and consumers have a way to set appointments or even submit estimates online – people will be back on the roads, but they may still prefer to keep their distance.CCC customers can link their websites to Carwise.com using “plug-ins” so site visitors can view customer survey information, as well as Online Appointments & Photo Estimate for shops who use CCC® Engage.
2. Build your online profile. CCC surveyed repair shop customers and found that over 30% of consumers are searching for a collision repair facility online after hours. In addition to your website, sites like Carwise.com can help guarantee a 24/7/365 experience for business to find you — a digital storefront.Your shop’s profile may be the first touchpoint a customer has with your business. A complete Carwise Profile features accurate and up-to-date contact information, hours of operation, well-lit photos with a street view and lobby view of your shop, and photos of shop staff interacting with customers.More than 5 million unique visitors came to Carwise in 2019 to research repair facilities. Make a good first impression with your digital storefront. To access, CCC customers should log into CCCone.com, go to Settings, then select "Carwise Profile".
3. Grow your network. For repair facilities using CCC ONE®, maintaining up-to-date shop information in your Network Profile is the best way for insurance carriers to find you for both DRP invitations and assignments via CCC Open Shop.Take this opportunity to update your shop’s overview information & services, equipment photos, and insurance documentation to allow carriers to find you and send invitations for their DRP programs with customers.Grow your network from the "Configure" Menu in the CCC Desktop Application or by logging into CCCone.com, going to Settings, and then selecting "Network Profile."
4. Leverage the power of online reviews with Google Reviews. For shops who use CCC® UpdatePlus, invite your customers to leave a Google Review after they complete their Carwise Customer Satisfaction survey. It’s included with an UpdatePlus subscription and easy to enable. Simply log into CCCone.com, go to Settings then select UpdatePlus. Scroll to the bottom for the "Google Reviews" section, including instructions for adding your Google Short URL to leverage the power of the leading search engine.And yes, it’s FREE with your UpdatePlus subscription.
5. Expand your CCC® Parts Supplier Network. There are over 4,500 parts suppliers on the CCC Parts Network and CCC is continuously adding new OEM, recycled, and aftermarket suppliers. Set up your regular suppliers as “Preferred Vendors” so they appear at the top of the list when you need to order parts in CCC ONE.Many OEMs are now participating in the CCC® Promote program, which means you’ll see promotional pricing on OEM parts from local dealers.

Now is the time for collision repair shops to invest in future success. CCC is here to help you. For additional support, click here to find your team.