Every single collision repairer needs a checklist. The end. I hope you enjoyed the article.Okay, all dad jokes aside, I’ve presented this concept to many collision repairers over the years and have heard a few objections along the way. For instance, “We don’t need a checklist,” can be translated to: they don’t need a huge checklist. That would be disruptive.Another objection I’ve heard is, “We’ve been doing this for so long, we don’t need one.” They’re letting us know that they are experienced professionals, which I agree with one hundred percent. I’ve also been told, “We don’t have time for that.”Imagine you just boarded a plane and heard the pilot, who is an experienced professional, telling passengers that the schedule got a little tight today and therefore, we’ll be skipping the pre-flight checklist. No thanks, or as my youngest daughter would politely state, “No, please.” But wait—putting 150 humans into the sky at 400mph is a little more drastic than repairing a quarter panel, right? I would argue that there is extreme responsibility in both situations and from a procedural standpoint, I bet there are at least as many procedures tied to an average collision repair as it takes to get a Boeing off the ground, if not more. I do know for a fact that pilots are filtering through their procedures in a more sterile environment than our collision repairers who get interrupted all day, furthering the need for a checklist.Why CCC Checklists?Hopefully by now you agree that a checklist is more than just a good idea. It’s an important tool to be used for every repair. CCC Checklists is digitally integrated with the repair plan and it can be easily accessed by users through a mobile app. The application makes it simple for “stay out of the headlines” checklist items to be performed by technicians and equally as easy for anyone in the repair facility to access during any phase of the collision repair process.Simplify the ComplexityThere is no denying that collision repair has become extremely complex. There’s also no denying that running a small (or big) business is complex, too. Now, throw in the need to understand all the various claims handling procedures by insurance companies while trying to meet or beat customer expectations. Congratulations, your already complex business just became even more so. Do you tackle it all at once? No. The key to creating a successful checklist environment is a slow roll. If it’s pushed too quickly and too hard, it can become disruptive from a production and employee perspective. Slow, clear, and concise is the secret sauce. To close this out, I’d like to ask you, do collision repairers need a checklist? And that’s no joke.Improve your repair performance and manage quality assurance with CCC Checklists. Learn more here or connect with your CCC team to get started.
