Dean Fisher says that as auto dealerships focus on sales and profitability in what he described as a very competitive new- and used-car market, those dealerships are looking for other dealership services to build their business.

Fisher, who is president of collision repair network CARSTAR, said the fixed operations department and collision repair services in particular, could be a strong opportunity “for improved efficiencies and performance.”

“However, most dealerships don’t have the resources to focus on building insurance business, maintaining the latest repair certifications, participate in new training, and marketing their services,” Fisher said in a news release.

“That’s where CARSTAR comes in,” Fisher said.

He continued, “We’ve created very dynamic partnerships with automobile dealerships that combine the local dealer’s brand name with CARSTAR’s proprietary operating procedures, insurance relationships and training programs. This allows CARSTAR to help deliver best-in-class KPI performance and the highest-quality repairs, while the dealership can focus on selling vehicles. That high-quality repair and customer service experience also helps the dealership retain customer loyalty for future vehicle purchases.”

CARSTAR says it continues to build upon its network of collision repair facilities based in auto dealerships throughout the United States and Canada.

The company expects that trend continue in the coming years, as dealership owners seek improvements in their collision repair facility performance and profitability.

CARSTAR, sourcing reports from NADA, says almost two of every five franchised dealerships operate collision repair centers.

In February, CARSTAR will showcase its resources from auto dealers from around the world. CARSTAR will exhibit at the 2020 NADA show, which takes place Feb. 14 to 17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The company says that various dealership-based collision repair centers looked beyond their local resources over the past year for more support in their growing businesses. In addition to retaining their independent ownership and generations of family involvement, their goal, according to CARSTAR, is to also complement their current platform with new opportunities for growth.

“We needed to be able to compete on a scale with the consolidators while still maintaining our presence in our community,” said Jon Davidson, who operates three CARSTAR Davidson locations at his family’s auto dealerships in upstate New York.

Davidson added, “We had a stable, good operation with three collision repair facilities, but we knew we needed more resources. With multiple locations, the metrics became complicated, and we needed more transparency and analytics to understand and improve our performance. We also needed to take our insurance relationships to new level, and solid metrics are essential to that.”

Davidson chose CARSTAR after learning about the company from his paint partner.

“Being a franchise partner with a company like CARSTAR keeps this business in our family and provides the operational expertise we need to continue to succeed for the next generation,” Davidson said.

He continued, “As the industry evolves, we couldn’t keep running the collision repair business like we had been for decades. It required an innovative new approach that allows us to take our operations to new levels, succeed with our DRP relationships and continue providing the excellent customer service that has been a hallmark of our family’s business.”