Thus a shop that's too slow risks the wrath of both the accident victim and insurance provider.

"The longer the claim is open the more costly it is for them," says one consultant. "The driving force is the insurance companies wanting faster cycle times; it keeps the customers happy and saves on rental cars."

But improving cycle time is not simply an insurer issue. Shops need to value efficiency. "A lot of shops don't recognize the issue itself," . "The faster you do the repairs, the more repairs you can do. Even if the insurance companies weren't pushing them, [shops would] be better off" pursuing more efficient repair strategies.

The nation's largest automotive insurer State Farm wants shops to provide "the most efficiency and quality they can at a competitive price," reports State Farm Spokesman Dick Luedke. "You walk the balance to meet all three areas."

This is particularly important for participants in the company's direct repair program (DRP). "We want to partner with the shops that provide the best in all three areas," he adds. " We want efficiency, but we look at all three" aspects of a shop's performance.

Shawn Fergus, a spokesman for Progressive Insurance, told ABRN his company views the physical damage process as a collaboration between shops and the insurer during which the two sides work toward the same end — a timely, high quality repair resulting in high customer satisfaction.

"We place primary emphasis on a shop completing high quality repairs to restore the vehicle to its pre-loss condition," says Fergus. "We also look for shops that can maintain high productivity, and agree to begin work promptly on our customers' vehicles so that completion goals can be met."

Progressive recognizes that shops encounter delays that are beyond their control — such as parts availability. However, these instances can be minimized by setting clear expectations upfront for everyone involved, says Fergus.

Easing the tension

To hear John Williams tell it, the appraiser often gets caught in the middle. "It seems all the carriers have an interest in is cycle time — more than receiving a professional product," says Williams, executive director of the Independent Automotive Damage Appraisers Association (IADA).

The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) rejects such generalizations.

"To the extent that there's controversy about the collision repair process, I suspect it's company-specific rather than industry-wide," says Dr. Robert Detlefsen, NAMIC's vice president of public policy. Addressing specific incidents and companies would be more conducive to discussion, he observes. He contends it's unfair "to treat hundreds of auto insurers as if they were a monolith."

Tension between insurance providers and shop owners will always exist. What's essential is finding a way to co-exist. "The insurance company and body shop should be working together to improve cycle time," he says. "Most of the things involved with cycle time have little to do with the quality of the repair itself."

Rather, it's more about reducing wasted time and effort emitting from cars sitting idle in the shop.

Consultant John Steadman, president of JOVI Enterprises, Inc. points out that a policyholder unhappy with a collision repair experience is likely to purchase insurance elsewhere. "If the shop can't control cycle time, it reflects on the insurance company," he says. "The insurance companies are very competitive about getting business."

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