Mr Gloss
AWARDS 2005AAMI/AP&P AUTOBODY REPAIRER OF THE YEAR REGIONAL WINNER (LARGE SHOP)VICTORIA
Mr Gloss
"I used to be an angry ant," recalls Ray Malone, the man behind Mr Gloss in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin. "I used to chuck out assessors and blow my top at everybody. Then about six years ago I went to a series of management meetings and I realised that the system was the culprit, not the people. I set out to cooperate with insurers and look for common ground."
Mr Gloss is not about chasing insurance work, however. With one of the best presented shops in Australia, it has set out to capture the hearts and minds of the car owners who come to it for repairs. There are now 50,000 of them sitting on a data base built up over 22 years at the same address. Finished cars are returned in a 'glass case' area with a bunch of flowers. Three weeks later the owners are called to see if the work the shop has done is perfect.
Mr Gloss now has enough direct customers not to look for insurance work ? although IAG sometimes sends its prestige (category three) cars to Mr Gloss for repairs. That is not to say M Gloss doesn't have to deal with insurers ? but as a customer chosen repairer.
Malone has turned dealing with insurers into an art form. IAG would be pleased to know that he declares it "the most professional and well organised people I know. IAG has all this data and they are ready to share it with me. All they ask is that the repairer should work with them at the same level."
Malone's first and last toAfter a session listening to Malone, you wonder why all shops don't run their businesses this way.
POWELL'S COMMENT
In addition to all the systems this is an excellent workshop, and right up to the requirements of the prestige cars it repairs. The panel and paint shop are separated to eliminate contamination. Ray Malone has taken the pain out of repairs for the customers and the insurers by taking control from the start.