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Quotation Process – An Introduction
The quotation process is an extremely streamlined procedure and needs to be done correctly. Given it involves the consultation of the customer or client, sometimes an insurance assessor and a consideration of the requirements set by insurance companies, a lot rides on consistency. Use of the Dent Matrix introduced in the previous section is therefore extremely important to maintain such consistency. Remember, once you achieve trust with assessors, they are more at ease in providing authorisations.
The process of an actual quotation involves several steps:
Part 1
- the customer contact and arrival at the premises for quotation
- quick initial observation of the vehicle to decide whether PDR work is applicable to some or all of the panels (remember old damage, bad paint discussed earlier etc)
- wash or somehow clean the vehicle for an accurate dent count and assessment
- assessing dents (size, depth and number of dents) on quotation sheet
- any notes required including if parts required (and old damage etc)
- if parts required – contact supplier for approximate pricing
- calculating the quotation
- taking customer details, insurance details and in particular the claim number if an insurance job
- recording the vehicle details
- taking images of the vehicle (particularly for insurance purposes)
- liaising with the customer of the next steps before allowing them to leave
Part 2
The quotation process can vary slightly between insurance companies and also depending on the allocated resources. In major cities, insurance companies are more likely to react as compared to in regional or remote locations so the quotation to authorisation turn around is more likely to be slower.
The quotation process for private work is also slightly different. You have full control of the work and are able to directly negotiate with the customer about what work quality is anticipated or acceptable in their case. For instance, where mining vehicles or council worker vehicles have been affected, the quality of the work required may be negotiated as removing the visible dents and to not be concerned about dents observed under lights. Once the vehicle is assessed, book their vehicle for repair can be done immediately.
The flow chart diagram summarises these processes from customer contact to quality control and repair.
