Page 31 - Australasian Paint & Panel March-April 2022

LEFT TO RIGHT: Fix Auto Sunshine in Victoria. Stuart Faid, regional vice president Asia, Australia, New Zealand.
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infrastructure but they have their hearts and souls invested in doing the right thing for their customers, employ- ees and local communities” he said.
“These business owners/operators are established and invested in the commu- nity, they care in a different way about customer outcomes.
“What we hear from insurers is that they want the value that the consolidated corporate offers but they also want those customer outcomes that seem to come when there is real ‘skin in the game’.
“That’s exactly what we offer. We have great repairers in our network but like so many others they had started to struggle with the growing complexity of the busi- ness or recognised that as a single operator it is becoming increasingly difficult to stay relevant. The job is now so much more than just fixing cars and making custom- ers happy. There is the increased levels of reporting required, marketing, social me- dia, increased OH&S responsibilities — and that’s before you get into declining margins, increasing costs, the challenges of securing work, training your people and creating a great place to work that attracts and retains great staff. We’re here to help them out with all that ‘other’ stuff, as well as provide real support and guidance with their operational and financial perfor- mance. That’s what we do, so that they can do what they do, better, faster, more efficiently and more profitably.
“Fix Auto is built around systems, pro- cesses, procedures training, controls, working under a single brand. We also have a buying group component, we have
In terms of work provision, it is a
natural outcome of our network growing and we advocate for our
members with insurers.”
some global deals with the likes of Axalta and BASF which allows our franchisees to benefit from the buying power of the 700-strong network. That’s across a range of critical materials and supply chain requirements,” Faid said.
“In terms of work provision, it is a natu- ral outcome of our network growing and we advocate for our members with insur- ers. What we have found is that our model represents what the work providers are try- ing to obtain. Simplified relationships, cor- porate governance and outstanding cus- tomer outcomes, they see the potential for that and when they form a partnership with our repairers they are never disap- pointed. That said, we don’t mandate work into our network, they don’t have to work for an insurer we have a relationship with – it’s their business, we don’t tell them what to do. For the insurer, they enjoy the advantages of a consolidated approach. We can also provide centralised programme management and billing as required.
“Shops undoubtedly improve their perfor- mance when they join our network. We have a Business Excellence program which is a for- mal review of that business every 60 days. We look at financial and operational performance indicators as well as customer satisfaction feedback. We benchmark them regionally and nationally and against industry averages
to see where they can improve and we develop action plans with them to focus on the im- portant things that will make a real difference. Then we re- group in 30 days for a follow up. We’re an extra set of
hands, eyes and ears in the business. “Sometimes people get stuck in their business, we’re here to help with so many aspects. As part of our toolkit for our shops we have The Fix Hub. This is the IT heart of our business. This web based portal becomes the gateway to eve- rything they need to manage their busi- ness. Whether it’s accessing their iBody, performance management reporting, HR support documentation, marketing mate- rials, SOPs, and so much more. We pro- vide a foolproof set of operational guide- lines to help our franchisees manage their shops. This was most evident during the height of the pandemic when we managed all of the legislative requirements, pro-
cesses and procedures for the shops.
“Fix Auto is a really powerful proposi- tion for the industry. It is clear that consoli- dation can, if done correctly, deliver real and meaningful efficiencies and value to the industry at large. The trick is to find the way to provide all of those benefits without throwing the baby out with the bath water. “Over the last five years it’s been heartbreaking to see second or third generation family businesses being swept away by a consolidation at any cost model. Joining Fix Auto gives colli- sion shop owners protection and future-
proofs their business,” he said.