We’re all familiar with tumbleweed technicians. They blow into town for a short time with low prices, no warranty and then seem to disappear as quickly as they come. These technicians are not concerned with quality; they are more concerned with offering the lowest price. Some consumers and fleet managers, such as used-car lots, are attracted by their prices.
Recent legislation in Arizona shows that state legislatures are focused on automotive glass practices. In an imperfect world, it’s hard to legislate windshield repair morality. State bills are not the answer to our industry’s problem with tumbleweed techs. That’s where the National Windshield Repair Association (NWRA) can help. The NWRA Trusted Repair Technician Program will launch in October 2016 during Auto Glass Week™ in San Antonio, Texas. Members of this program will follow ethical guidelines that set us apart.
It will raise the profile of windshield repair technicians and help customers, including insurers of our dedication to quality. The program will offer us a clear marketing message for consumers that we are a better option than some of those technicians that appear to blow in and out of town with the wind.
The program will rely on NWRA’s Code of Conduct. It will give our windshield repair technicians moral grounds to stand on for marketing the quality of our work to insurers and consumers. Your company will need to participate in the NWRA’s Repair Certification Program, and management must have knowledge about the Repair of Laminated Auto Glass (ROLAGS™) Standard.
The Trusted Tech Program gives you the ability to get a company-wide accreditation. Trusted Techs are NWRA Certified Repair Technicians. A Trusted Tech company will also agree to be audited to ensure it is living up to the ethical values we expect. Not every company will be audited each year.
Agreeing to follow the NWRA Code of Conduct and showing your understanding of ROLAGS™ is already a requirement for NWRA members.
By standing by our values and agreeing to be audited for them, we are telling the industry and others that we are professional about our level of work and we are willing to set ourselves apart. I believe this will reap benefits for us down the road—perhaps in the form of an exclusive designation by insurer companies and perhaps even higher fees on a case-by-case basis. We could even see potential discounts from insurers and on worker compensation costs.
