OEC Expert Insights
How Quality Coaching Helps Collision Shops Improve Performance
Q&A with OEC Quality Coach Dave Driggers
With over 40 years in the collision repair industry, Dave Driggers has seen it all—from working as a technician to owning multiple collision shops. Now, as a quality coach at OEC, he helps shops streamline their operations, improve repair quality, and boost profitability. Check out the following conversation with Dave for insights into common challenges collision repair businesses face, how coaching can make a difference, and why investing in long-term improvements is key to success.
What are some of the most common challenges you see in collision shops, and how do you address them?
One of the biggest challenges is getting shop owners to step back from day-to-day operations and focus on growing the business. Many owners struggle with delegation because they’re used to handling everything themselves. But for a shop to thrive, leadership needs to shift its focus toward improving processes and building a strong team.
Quality coaches like to say, “Let us help you work on the business so you can work in the business.” What we mean by that is while you focus on running the business, quality coaches like me help you refine and grow it. Many shop owners and managers are so caught up in daily operations that they don’t have the time or bandwidth to step back and focus on long-term growth, efficiency, and profitability.
Another major challenge is ensuring consistent, high-quality repairs. Not all shops have a structured process to verify the quality of their work from start to finish. As a coach, I help shops implement sustainable workflows to ensure repairs meet OEM standards – every time. When processes improve, both repair quality and profitability increase.