Where our customers send their friends

AutoInc Magazine-- July,1997

Shop Profile

Company Motto Is Foundation
For Minnesota Shop's Success
"Where our customers send their friends"

By B.J. Frank

Every successful automotive service facility owner sets out to satisfy the customer and many achieve this goal through various services and products. However, the cream-of-the-crop owners are taking it a step further, using new technologies to provide exceptional service. Lynbrook Collision Centers is one of those facilities.

Lynbrook Collision Centers specialize in state-of-the-art collision repair at two locations. The first location opened in Brooklyn Park, Minn., in 1975, with the second location in Waite Park, Minn., opening in June 1994. Lynbrook Collision Centers has been an Automotive Service Association (ASA) member since 1992.

Since opening the second location, the company has seen its sales triple. Eric Meyer, president/CEO, is committed to offering his customers the best possible service by investing in the best people, high-tech equipment and digital imaging software. "Everything that we do and every decision that we make is based on maximizing the quality and convenience of service to our customers," said Meyer.

The Brooklyn Park location is a 6,000-square-foot facility and the Waite Park location has 8,000 square feet. The shops are within an hour's driving distance from each other. Both locations are dedicated to going above and beyond the call of duty for customers. The corporation's motto, "Where our customers send their friends," reflects the feeling of not only the customers but the entire staff. Monthly meetings of management and staff are held to discuss professional and personal goals. The staff works as a team and supports the corporation's goals. "We want this business to be the best place to work in the area. The fact that we have a waiting list on file supports this goal," said Meyer.

The stores provide many services, including a toll-free number, on-site rental cars, towing services available 24 hours a day, a written lifetime warranty and computerized collision estimates, a new feature that has been added for use at home or the office. "We were the first facility in our community to use ADP digital imaging technology to communicate directly with the claims office, thus reducing the amount of time needed to process claims, and resulting in faster service for our customers," Meyer said. The staff is also very phone-friendly and makes every attempt to answer calls personally and not use a voice mail system.

The site provides consumer-oriented automotive information and tips, as well as information on the facilities and services provided. Customers who visit the site have the opportunity to receive a free rental car for up to five days. They receive the loaner car by mentioning the name of a previous customer or by downloading the page from the Internet and bringing it to the shop when repairs are needed. According to Meyer, this program has had a great response. He estimates that more than 10 percent of their new customers are generated from this program.

Education
Meyer, an Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) trained and National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) master certified technician, grew up in an automotive family. His father owned a Chrysler dealership in Paynesville, Minn., and Meyer spent time working there, as well as at the family's NAPA parts store.

He currently oversees the operations of both Lynbrook Collision locations with each store having an in-house manager. He employs top-notch technicians of which all are I-CAR trained, ASE-certified and GM-certified. Meyer is an advocate for continued education and regularly schedules employees for advanced training programs. The corporation also has a program that provides professional and personal development for employees. Meyer is taking courses from the Automotive Management Institute (AMI) to earn his Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation.

Along with furthering the education of his own technicians, Meyer is involved with the local technical college's auto body program, an intern program and the local VICA skills test. As a member of the ASA-Minnesota government and regulatory affairs advisory and collision division advisory boards, Meyer works to better the industry and the association. Meyer joined ASA because he felt he "needed to put something in, to get something out and the best way to do that is to get involved." He attributes his continued involvement with the association to Judell Anderson, CAE, ASA-Minnesota executive director. Meyer says Anderson keeps the members involved by being so well-organized.

The corporation is a member of the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce, the Better Business Bureau and is a PPG-certified MVP repair facility. The corporation has been honored several times for its outstanding service including being named the Allstate Customer Service Excellence Award Minnesota Shop of the Year in 1995. Meyer enjoys the job, especially the day-to-day challenges and unique situations that accompany collision repair. "I also really like hearing the positive comments back from customers pleased with our service," said Meyer.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- AutoInc. Magazine, Vol. XLV No. 7, July 1997

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