Summer Camp Activities

Possibly in reaction to my erudite (or, as my family would say, boring) discussion last month of the words in our July feature title, Rekeying Redux, our feature article this month has a title that needs no explanation at all. Summer Vacation! Simply put, it is what keeps us all going to work every week of the rest of the year.

Readers who like to camp out know that what a camper calls a fun activity is called work by non-camping folks. A camper smiles while he pumps and carries water, struggles with his tent, and tends his fire. He is happily busy in the woods, far from his normal work activities.

Kids at summer camps are kept active. A counselor’s whistle keeps them hopping from one learning experience to another. Camp activities are new adventures but they do require attention and a willingness to work to master new skills.

Well, readers, our industry whistle is blowing, and hopefully we are all responding by being ready to learn new ways to improve what we do. Indications are strong that there are less collision repairs to go around.

The owner of a large repair facility in Atlanta, one of the metropolitan markets INSIGHT contacted this month for our Market Watch survey of rates and allowances, reported matter-of-factly that the repair order count in the Atlanta area is down by 25 percent in July, compared to the RO count in July 2003. That is a significant drop. However, despite a shrinking market, this shop owner 's business is prospering. Why? He has been alert and prepared to change, to grow, to improve.

What does this mean for the average collision repair facility? Plain and simple, it means: Don’t be average; be excellent!

Make “quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction” your business mantra. Work smart and be the best!

Of course, take a little time off and toss the camping gear in the car. Summer is almost over.