learning estimate software how long??

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Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 3:43 pm
PostPosted: Wed Jan 04, 2006 4:20 pm
You seem to have the number one quality necessary for negotiating, respect, for yourself and the other guy. I have used both Mitchell and CCC(Pathways). Each has their plus/minus factors but after a long time in the trade and writing a lot, translate too many, estimates the best advice is to write for the "process of repair", not the damage. What I mean by that is that the dent is not a 1 hour dent. It is, what will I have to do to fix that 1 hour dent. What I am looking at is how much trim will have to be removed to access the repair including trim R&I for painting. Also, tinting, 2-tone, gravel guard, special masking for interior cut in and painting, color sand and polish, etc, etc ,etc. Proceding down the path fumesniffer was going, your estimating system is really more of a pencil with a calculator attached to it for you to write down what you will need to do to fix the car. As every adjustor should realize, since you are the one fixing the car, you are the best one to tell them what it will take for YOU to fix it. As a further note on negotiating the repair, don't go down the "I only see about 2 hours to fix that dent" path with anybody. When you hear that coming out of the adjustor, stop them right on the spot! Reasons: 1. "Seeing" doesn't fix cars. 2. The majority of adjustors have never fixed a dent themselves. 3. Every dent is different. Thus, sitting in a classroom watching someone fix a dent/frame repair does not qualify you to estimate properly the repair process necessary to repair another dent. Although there is more than one way to fix just about anything, which brings us to number, 4. Asking that adjustor what steps they will take to fix that "2 hour" dent that they see. And make sure they tell you how long they will spend on each one of those steps. In essence, begin to train those adjustors. They will probably miss a few operations like access R&Is, shrinking, firewatch and shielding, corrosion protection, repair of adjoining welded to panels, and man, after all of that you should get an hour at least for the training you are giving them! There are very few adjustors left who actually know what it takes to do the repair, help them out. TEACH EACH AND EVERYONE OF THEM, with a smile :roll:
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