Wayne Phipps Smash Repairs in Midland is not a ‘swanky’ shop but it is smart, welcoming and highly efficient like its owner.
Wayne Phipps is well known as chairman of the Australian Motor Body Repairers Association (AMBRA), and his commitment to the industry and to helping others in the repair industry is also widely known.
What impresses most about Phipps is his business know-how, his savvy, genuine, customer satisfaction processes, and his innovative and quirky marketing. His was the first purpose-built panel shop in WA when it opened in 1977.
Like everyone else in the industry, Phipps has had to consider how to survive and thrive in the future, and with this in mind, he specialises in four wheel drive repairs.
He is moving towards non-drivable repair specialisation as he believes these will be the most profitable avenues for the business.
He doesn’t believe in doing business with insurance companies solely on their terms but negotiates contracts that are mutually beneficial.
The team at Phipps' consists of five spray painters, seven panel beaters, a couple of apprentices, a storeman, a detailer and three full-time office staff. All are highly trained, with the opportunity to take part in I-CAR, customer handling courses or business courses.
The quirky customer reception area has cabinets full of interesting collectibles to look through.
While there’s a spirit of friendly playfulness and a relaxed atmosphere, that doesn’t travel through to work processes in the workshop.
Every car is inspected properly on a hoist both before and after its repair to ensure it is right when it leaves the highly equipped workshop.
Phipps also understands the value of selling up to clients and offers tyre, battery, spotlight, roo and bull bar fitting as well as bodykits and other accessories.
Phipps is compulsive about ensuring quality of repairs and customer satisfaction. Not only is every customer surveyed for satisfaction (with an impressive 43 per cent responding), Phipps also takes a huge leap further and every year recalls cars that his business repaired five to 10 years previously to check what the job looks like after the intervening time.
“We have discovered so many improvements to the way we fix cars by using this recall program,” Phipps says.
It’s no accident that the workshop is a busy one. Phipps has an impressive marketing program. Each year he undertakes a 30,000-strong mail-out. He takes a front-page advertisement in the three local newspapers once a month, updates his website and engages customers via a Facebook page.
He also has a range of giveaways for customers that includes a photo of their car on a jigsaw, his own branded mineral water and a pack of cards.
One of the simplest customer satisfaction processes exercised at Phipps' is a proper customer handover for every job. “After the work has been explained, we shake their hand and thank them for their business,” Phipps says.
Parris’ comment
This shop is a TARDIS, small from the front it just keeps opening up. The panel shop is fully equipped with the latest technology and the paint shop is very impressive.