Page 63 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine Sep-Oct 2019

3
ORDER
Now Adelaide has three AMA shops and two S.M.A.R.Ts which will soak up a huge amount of volume. With customer expec- tations always on an upward curve it was great to see reinvigorated shops looking modern, welcoming and professional. A lack of capacity is driving hourly rates in an upward direction in this state.
Victorian repairers have 50 AMA sites to contend with as well as 16 S.M.A.R.T shops. Yet all of our winners are doing very nicely thank you, again with their own point of difference and niches.
One issue that is
common across the country is the
increasingly severe shortage of automotive body repair technicians.”
The economy in Western Australia is definitely perkier than it was last year and so were the repairers we visited.
The majority of shops now have solar roof systems installed and are reaping huge energy savings. Most had appren- tices on staff, if they didn’t just now it was because one had recently qualified as a technician. The state winners and Zagame Autobody are training 22 ap- prentices between them.
Our winning shops work smart, train their staff, invest in the next generation of technicians, are well equipped and all aim to offer not just good customer ser- vice but a great customer experience. There will always be a place in this in- dustry for quality independent repairers and here we celebrate this year’s cream of the crop.
ABOVE: Rustic charm at Mount Pleasant Crash Repairs’ customer service area in the Adelaide Hills.
LEFT: A deeper understanding of the customer ‘experience’ as opposed to just aiming for satisfaction was evident - this is at Gawler Bodyworks, SA
OPPSITE PAGE: Sleek customer facilities at The Body Repair Shop in Adeliade
WWW.PAINTANDPANEL.COM.AU
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Firstly thank you to all of our sponsors without whom this awards program would not be possible. We were sorry to hear about the demise of Vantage Automotive who sponsored our Rising Star and would like to welcome ACM Parts on board as sponsor of this award which will be announced along with all the best practice awards and the national best shop winners at our glittering awards dinner in Melbourne on 11 October. You can join us to cheer on the winners. Tickets for this industry night of nights are avaiable on our website in the Awards section.