Insurance company profits are up.
Apogee profits rose 30% last quater.
AGR shop profits are down.
Why are we the only ones takeing a hit in the pocket??

Take a hint guys,, insurance work is little more than junk fill in work now days.
My shop actually tells Lynx.

"We do not have time for your junk fill in work today".

I wonder if it's just coincidence that Apogee is up "consistently" since they dumped the autoglass biz and got rid of the deals with PPG?

No, I don't think so!

becky,
Would you rather get $500. for a vent glass from Lynx or (hopefully) $200. from self pay? How do you call that fill in? I guess it does depend on your market, but overall, Insurance (such as it is nowday's) does pay better that self pay. If it doesn't, I'd like to know where you are. LOL!

I am envious of you becky if your cash jobs bring a higher profit then insurance jobs.
If you found a way to make this happen….marry me…marry me.

becky, I don't want to marry you, but if your market is like that, I want to open a shop in your area!!!

It seems to me that cash work is less of a hassle than insurance work. I wonder which really does pay better when you figure in the paperwork and phone time insurance jobs require.

AGN, cash work is less of a hassle in some respects but you still have a higher profit margin with insurance, unless it's SG or Allstate of course. But then, it all depends on what market you are in. Most insurance companies pay different amounts depending on your area. I have found though, that with electronic invoicing and bill pay, the turn around time for payment from insurance is much shorter than doing a fax or hard copy billing. It may sound confusing, but if you choose to go that route, once you get the hang of it, it's not bad.

Getting the hang of it is what I'm worried about. I'm a good installer, but when it comes to CSR stuff I'm a bit clueless. I almost wish I could work as a CSR for a while to learn the ropes. No one would take me seriously if I started applying for CSR work though!

"Why are we the only ones taking a hit in the pocket"?
SIMPLE ANSWER: Because too many ALLOW it by accepting lower prices to get a few jobs. If we have to use NAGS because of the ins ind. then we should use it entirely, full list on glass, full list on kits, and mlds, and even more importantly,, proper SHOP LABOR. OUR CASH JOBS START AT 50 HRLY, and some of our cash work is more profitable than ins work. Heck I just had a heating co come out and bleed the air out of our in floor heat,,, they charge 60 per hour. I think auto glass is worth alot more than some air and anti freeze! basically, the better markets are where shops refuse to do cheap work. Pretty soon some will accept 50 off and then nags will have to rebalance again to get the discounts back out of there. Heck why don't the low ballers just pay the ins co's for the fun of doing a few scab jobs!!!!

AGN, you already have the mechanics of installing, once you can get the basics of the computer, it's just a matter of practice. Why would someone not take you seriously about working as a CSR? As I said, once you have the basics of the pc, your half way there. At least when people call you looking for something, you will know what they are talking about. On the other end of that, do you have someone you could trust to take care of the phone end for you? You STILL need to know both ends of the job though if you are going to run the company. I did it the other way around. I learned the pc first and then I learned to install. But at least when people call me, I know what they are looking for. I really feel that it gives me an advantage knowing both ends.

if you have the time to put into it before you actually get your shop going, why not have your wife apply for a couple of CSR jobs at some glass shops in your area. She'd learn the insurance ropes, the EDI and EFT of accounts receivable. I think she'd get to dabble in more areas if she could land a job with a smaller shop, where your not just doing phones, or just doing billing. Then when you are really ready to go, it'll be you on the labor in the shop or on the road, and her in the office handling the insurance end and the customer service. You can invest in a NAGS license and industry specific software or you can go a cheaper route, use the books or online vendor lookup, both Pilkington & Mygrant offer this and get a cheap EDI program we use Quest and it runs about $30.00 a month, it depends on how much you transmit, and there is probably a startup cost for the CD and tech support I could give you a phone number. Then get a cheap version of QuickBooks or something for your accounting, I've actually made QB Basic work with industry billing things like deductibles, set your own Product Codes, leave the prices blank and enter them as needed for different companies or private pays who all pay a different amount for the same **** thing, show NAGS list in "Description" then enter sold price after discount individually on invoices. It's very easy to learn the inside works of the biz, was for me anyway. If you ask around you'll find alot of shops are that way, family staffed.

Great ideas there Hawk!!! I'm beginning to think you and I should team up!!! LOL!!!

believe or not i don't even got insurance job.
100%cash customer. i be lucky to get one a month.

I appreciate the ideas! My wife is a full time nanny and will be holding the fort down while I get this business going, but still a great idea. I may look around for any CSR positions...it'll be a lot warmer then installing glass during the winter!

I have a demo copy of the Elmo32 program and I like it so far. I probably need to try out a few more demos before I decide though. I have thought about doing vendor pricing via a Verizon wireless card, so I have to check into that. I probably need to go ahead and sign up with a vendor to see how that works. The only two vendors in this area are PPG and Old Dominion Glass. I'm pretty sure both of them offer that service.

Have you checked out GlasPak yet? I have heard some people say that they don't like it, but it works really well for me. I used to work for A national company years ago and they had their own glass software. The transition from that to GlasPak was a cake walk.

AG, Why do you not have any insurance work? I assume that you are not part of any of the Networks, but do you not go out looking on your own? Or, do you just prefer the cash work? I'm not being a smart , I'm genuinely curious.

You guys are lucky, since the boss here never deals with the computer or rarely prices any jobs he WILL not invest in a program like GlaPak or GlassLogix, or Elmo32.....it's my problem and since I seem to handle it without the ($299.00 per NAGS update I think was the last quote I got) investment, he's happy to let me. I'm not complaining though it's a good job, but if I ever wanted to apply to another company perhaps a larger one, if I should move or something it'd be nice to have the experience of the industry specific programs.

Hawk, so are you pricing from Nags books? Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's the way I learned, it's also why that if my system crashes, I can still be up and running. Also, not that I'm doubting you, but, once I purchased the GlasPak system, which was a few years ago, I have never had to pay for an update, and as I'm sure you know, there are normally 2 per year. Can't figure that one out.

Hawk... Try the Internet based program. You can do work from home or the office and it's FREE; you just have to pay for the cost of NAGS.

Google "edirectglass"

Well, my dad always used to say that the day wasn't wasted as long as you learn something new every day. I just learned something!!

No I don't use NAGS for pricing anything except Insurance jobs, I meant I look up part numbers in the NAGS catalog. I trust the lookup application on the vendor sites for w/s's, but when it comes to door glasses, quarters or backlites I trust the book, too many differentials that aren't listed on Pilk's Glass Connect or Mygrant's website parts look up feature. No NAGS is useless for pricing private pays, we have our own system for that. Cost + + + = Price. SOLD!

I do something very similar to that. I pull up the part in my GlasPak, if I don't already know the part #, then flip the screen to my distributors on line ordering, key in part #, get my price, quote price + cost.

Since I started here in 8/04, the guys are lost trying to price anything, if I'm not here poor things will call distributor to get price, sometimes even ask her to look up part if they don't know it. But to their credit 2 years ago they had contract price sheets from distributor, now the only way to get price is online or call. They are terrified of the computer

I'm fairly computer savvy so that won't be a problem. I just don't fully understnad the CSR side of our business. Especially when it comes to the networks and such. They need to publish a Auto Glass Business for Dummies book.

Hey Glass Lady and myself will be your "Auto Glass For Dummies" you got questions, we got answers...or at least we'll make up something that sounds impresive, that'll work right?
Hey everyone out there TGIF
and have fun doing whatever it is you like to do!

You got it Hawk!! We may not be perfect and we may not know everything, but we have enough background with this to be of some help!! If we don't know the answer, we probably know where to find it!! LOL!! Hey, have a great weekend everyone!!

Hey Hawk, I said we shoud team up!! Maybe this is it!! LOL!

i'm inshop only. most of the insurance customer always want mobile service and they alway call the guy with full page add. i have small add. in yellow page. i do hook up with the network but never get anything from them.

How long have you been in business? It takes a little while for stuff to roll in from the networks. Not only that, but being in shop only doesn't help your chances of getting work from the networks.

That'll work great!

You don't have to know what your talking about...you just have to sound like you do!

At least thats what my Dad taught me about being a salesman.

Hey, anything we can do to help!!!

I stopped by the office because I couldn't shake the feeling that I had forgot to order the part for our 1st job Monday morning, customer is going to be here @ 8:15am, if I'd forgot there would be no time for excuses, so I would have to call today and make up something like "I came to check the mail, and found a note from vendor on door that they had broken your w/s in delivery, and I'm so sorry but it won't be here until Monday around 1pm, could we reschedule if it's not to inconvienient", Good One Huh? So I came to go online to Mygrant and check order history and no worries mate I'm OK. I messed around on here and played with my email program most of Friday so I guess that lead to some guilt, translated into bad "forgot something feeling" LOL. Anyway I could't resist checking the forum while I was here, and here your guys are on Saturday. Now you all go home and get some rest, you weary auto glass people....your just too dedicated

Look who's calling who dedicated!! LOL!! Obviously we aren't the only ones here on Saturday!! You have good one too.

I'm here on sunday night. I think I might need a .

[ Ninja]

AutoGlass for Dummies I thought that was a book that safelite gave out during the certified (safeTech)class they give for all new techs.

Sunday night would be pushing it, unless you, like a bunch of us are just kind of addicted to this forum!! LOL!!

I have referred to this forum as a on my back. It's gotten to a point where I can't go for more than 1/2 hour without checking to see who said what. Wonder what the "detox" plan for AG forums includes, and if it's covered by my health plan

I'm having the same problem with myspace. I gave in to the temptation and signed up last Thursday. I spent most of the weekend setting up my page and searching through the music pages. Oy vay.

I find myself checking the forum off and on during the day also. It's addicting! LOL!! But, I really have found some really useful info here, not to mention some really nice people!!

Yeah, I've printed out tips I thought would help the techs and started a Tech Tip document in my Works program. Came in handy on 07 FJ Cruiser last week, we could have wound up with the w/s out and a seriously damaged top (painted)reveal molding but thanks to the tips from the expert installers here I was able to order the molding and it actually made it in at same time as w/s which came in from Japan. But as an office monkey I'm more interested in management type stuff, software info, billing and collections, advertising etc, etc..
**In reference to billing I have a suggestion for any shop that get's one of these (07 FJ Cruiser) w/s replacements, the part is still on national backorder, and you all know we don't get that much of a discount off list when it comes to dealer parts. So I called the agent on this one and told them we could not do it thru the normal (TPA) channels, we would only do it as a direct billing, I explained that with the markup TPA allows on dealer parts we would do good to make 150.00 on a part that cost almost a grand, and that was not worth the liability we assume when we agree to work on a vehicle, it didn't hurt that the insured refused to let anyone else touch her precious baby. I marked it up 42% (most businesses have at least a 50% markup on products)over cost, which came in not too much over dealer list and even with the moldings, kit and labor brought the invoice in under 1800.00, heck the top molding list for 274.65, the sides @14.89 each and the w/s for 1053.. I think it was fair and reasonable (for a change) on both parts.

Great Idea!! Maybe I'll start my own tech tip file!!

just out of curiousity,,,i read somewhere that marking up product x 1.6 is equal to a 30 percent profit margin.

i think there was a formula, although i cannot find it anymore.