For the past few weeks, I have been writing on the woeful customer service in the auto glass repair and replacement industry—an industry that should be all about customer service. As an industry, we know that customer service is not anywhere near the level that it should be. Special interests with close ties to the insurance companies have an agenda to entice policyholders to use service providers that are “insurer-friendly.” However, we can all agree that not every service provider that is “insurer-friendly” is necessarily concerned with the interests of the consumer, especially their safety. Not only is the customer used as a rope in this tug of war, but some third-party administrator CSRs have no reservations about being confrontational with a shop while the customer is on the line.
To any of you that may know me or follow my rants, I have always said that it is the consumers who are being short-changed in this industry. I have always believed in the “customer-first” philosophy and that the rest will fall into place. The consumers are used as pawns in a process in which insurance companies are more concerned about trying to glorify their income statements than honoring the contract they executed with their policyholders. Insurance products sold as indemnification policies are treated more like HMO policies. I think the ongoing battle between shops and insurers is simply a by-product of shop operators fighting for their right to service customers without the presence of external interference. I remind you of the phrase that has become very popular in the auto glass industry: who is the customer?
The question of the century is: where will this all end? The Independent Glass Association’s (IGA) recent announcement pertaining to the development of technology standards is an initiative that should be embraced by the industry. The industry now has before it the best opportunity to unite and endorse the use of state-of-the-art technology in the insurance claims process, which has become fossilized and no longer promotes anyone’s objectives.
Recently, a major industry company won a Stevie Award for the best use of technology in customer service and was cited for the capability of its mobile technician technology. From what I have witnessed in the early stages of the IGA’s initiative, the technological capabilities available will reach far beyond e-mailing the customer an appointment confirmation and a technician’s picture and biography.
We have tremendous opportunity before us. The industry has the opportunity to place the Stevie Award in the hands of those who will truly restore customer service to the priority that it deserves. The question remains as to whether or not the industry will embrace it. The question remains as to whether or not the industry will embrace the technology that will put the Stevie Award for customer service where it rightfully belongs; in the possession of those who truly are concerned with servicing their customers.
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