After more than two weeks travelling across New Zealand with the Collision Repair Association Roadshow, Jim and I returned to Australia with a much better understanding of the New Zealand collision repair industry, and a far bigger response to BSR than we expected.
Our trip took us from Auckland through Tauranga, Hamilton and Wellington before finishing in Christchurch, presenting to repairers and talking about the challenges facing their businesses and how Bodyshop Remote Estimating can help.
- Auckland
- Tauranga
- Hamilton
- Wellington
- Christchurch
There were plenty of kilometres, plenty of laughs and definitely too much food along the way.
But what stood out most was the people.
A positive, can-do industry
New Zealand repairers face many of the same challenges we’re seeing in Australia and the United States.
Finding experienced estimators is difficult. Owners and managers are being pulled back into estimating when they should be managing their businesses. Administrative requirements continue to grow, costs are increasing and there is constant pressure to improve cycle times and profitability.
In a smaller market like New Zealand, some of these challenges can be even harder to overcome.
Yet the attitude we encountered was incredibly positive.
There’s a genuine can-do mentality among NZ repairers. We met people who were open about the challenges they face but, more importantly, were interested in finding practical ways to solve them.
That made for some excellent conversations throughout the roadshow.
The response to BSR was overwhelming
We went to New Zealand expecting to introduce more repairers to the concept of remote estimating and explain how BSR works.
The level of interest went well beyond our expectations.
At every stop we had repairers wanting to know more about how a remote estimator could integrate into their existing business, what systems we could work with and how quickly they could get started.
Most importantly, those conversations translated into plenty of genuine enquiries and new sign-ups for BSR.
We already had several repairers using BSR in New Zealand before the roadshow, so we weren’t introducing an untested concept. We could talk about how remote estimating is already working within NZ collision repair businesses.
For many repairers, the attraction isn’t simply about outsourcing estimates.
It’s about getting time back.
Giving owners and managers their time back
One conversation kept repeating itself during the trip.
Owners and managers told us they were spending too much of their day writing estimates, dealing with supplements and completing administration.
When there’s nobody else available, the owner becomes the estimator.
The problem is that every hour spent writing an estimate is an hour they’re not spending managing production, developing staff, dealing with customers or working on the future of their business.
Our message throughout the roadshow was simple:
Your estimator doesn’t necessarily need to be sitting inside your workshop.
A BSR estimator works remotely as part of the repairer’s team. They work within the repairer’s systems, processes and requirements while taking a significant amount of estimating workload away from the people on site.
The technology makes remote working possible, but ultimately this is a people and capacity solution.
More than remote estimating
The roadshow also gave Jim and me the opportunity to discuss some of the other work we’re doing at BSR.
As we’ve grown across Australia, New Zealand, the United States and other markets, we’ve increasingly looked at the entire estimating and repair planning process rather than just producing an estimate.
That includes our Plan4Profit approach and the additional tools and services we’re developing to help repairers improve workflow, training, administration and profitability.
One of the benefits of spending more than two weeks on the road is having the time to listen.
The conversations we had with NZ repairers have already given us new ideas about services we can develop and areas where BSR can provide additional support.
New Zealand, we’ll be back
A big thank you to the Collision Repair Association, Stewart Gibb and everyone involved in organising the roadshow.
And an even bigger thank you to the repairers who attended the events, invited us into their businesses, asked questions, challenged us and ultimately put their trust in BSR by signing up.
Jim and I came to New Zealand hoping to introduce BSR to more of the industry.
We left with new clients, new contacts, new friends, new ideas and a much greater appreciation of the New Zealand collision repair industry.
The response was overwhelming, and it’s clear that New Zealand is going to become an important part of the next stage of BSR’s growth.
And just as importantly, some of the relationships we made went beyond business. That’s probably one of the best things about spending time on the road and actually getting to know the people behind the businesses.
NZ, we’ll definitely be back.
Bodyshop Remote Estimating (BSR) provides remote collision repair estimating services to repairers in New Zealand, Australia, the United States and other international markets.
See how remote estimating could work in your business.
Talk to the BSR team in New Zealand, Australia or the United States.