Dealing with inexperienced insurer claim staff is one of the top problems for collision repairers, according to the results of a recent study released by a collision repair association. The study also examined other problems reported by collision repairers — and it names the insurance companies that were mentioned as being the worst offenders.

The study was commissioned by the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS), an association comprised of 6,000 collision repair businesses that work with consumers and insurance companies to repair collision-damaged vehicles. It was conducted by CSi Complete, and included both direct repair and non-direct repair facilities. All participants were asked about the problems they face and how they perceive their relationships with the top 13 auto insurers (see end of article, Issues at Hand).

Each issue was ranked by how respondents viewed it affecting their businesses. Of the nine issues, nearly all of the repairers surveyed (91 percent) said that lack of insurance field staff training was an issue that had an impact on their businesses, making it the top-rated issue for collision repairers. Other issues that significantly impacted repairers included losing customers to steering (90 percent) and suppressed labor rates (89 percent).