“We research every single repair and gather all the info directly from the manufacturer, so we’re not arguing with insurance companies on things that aren’t optional,” he said.
Northside Collision also has Toyota and Honda’s research tools, and has compared the results to those from ALLDATA.
“It’s always current,” Gutierrez said of ALLDATA’s repair information compared to the OEMs’. “So now we are leaning very heavily on ALLDATA to gather all of our information.”
Another big advantage to using ALLDATA is the fact the process to research repair procedures is “repeatable,” regardless of make or model.
“Other manufacturers’ sites are extremely different,” Gutierrez said. “With ALLDATA, once you teach the process, it’s the same across the board. The research side is very easy.”
The monthly subscription fee is practically paid for on its first use every month, he said.
“It’s a very quick return on investment,” Gutierrez said. “It’s not so much an expense as it is a tool.”
The shop recently added Bryan Mullett to the team, a long-time insurance adjuster with 20+ years of industry experience. He was quickly and easily trained with ALLDATA and has become an irreplaceable asset.
“I generally can train somebody to use it pretty effectively in about three hours,” Gutierrez said.
And if anyone runs into a snag researching a repair procedure, a “Library Request” can be sent to ALLDATA, which usually returns the answer within 30 minutes.
“I couldn’t ask for a better support team,” Gutierrez said.
Since quitting DRPs, Gutierrez said, Northside Collision is repairing fewer cars---down from an average of 100 per month to 30---but its gross profit is significantly higher, as its average estimate is now $8,700.
“We fight for dollars and cents, to minimize out-of-pocket expenses for the customer. The insurance company pays for everything they’re willing to and the remaining balance is passed on to customers,” he said. “Other shops on [DRPs] get so much work, their only option is to rush through repairs and ultimately not repair them the way the manufacturer says. As a result, the quality of the repair suffers.”
Gutierrez said Northside Collision will soon become a training facility to teach other collision repairers how to do procedural repairs, with support from ALLDATA.
“At the end of the day, the safety for the consumer has to be paramount in the entire repair process,” Gutierrez said. “Everybody in the process has to have that same mindset.
“If everyone can think about doing a safe repair first and foremost, then a quality repair, and then worry about the money after, I think that would completely transform the entire industry.”
ALLDATA
9650 West Taron Drive
Elk Grove, CA 95758
Company Contact: James Loveridge
Marketing Manager
(916) 478-3255
james.loveridge@alldata.com
www.alldata.com
Facebook: @yourALLDATAteam
Twitter: @ALLDATA
Instagram: @youralldatateam
YouTube: @YourALLDATATeam
LinkedIn: @alldata_2
To read more auto body shop profiles in the October 2022 Shop and Product Showcase, click here.
Abby Andrews