Close Up: Meet the Mitchell Editorial Team, Tom Champion

At the core of Mitchell's philosophy is providing easy and direct access to our expert editorial staff. We interviewed our Editorial staff to find out what makes Mitchell Estimating unique, why they love working at Mitchell and where they see the future of the collision industry going. 

This time we’re sitting down with Content Specialist Tom Champion! 

What did you do before you came to Mitchell?  

Before Mitchell, I was a collision repair technician. I worked at body shops and dealerships around San Diego County. I was what is known in the industry as a heavy-hit collision technician. Heavy hits are like train wrecks, basically. If a car was hit with a lot of severe damage, I would be getting most of those jobs.

So my job really consisted of bringing in the vehicle and making a complete tear-down, and then basically blue-printing the vehicle, writing a supplement, every nut and bolt, clip, everything that's necessary for the repair. As the repair order was ready for me, I would bring the vehicle in and put it on a frame machine if it needed to be or a dedicated fixture system and make the necessary pulls to basically align and square the vehicle, the dimensions of the frame.

Why is your experience important to Mitchell Estimating?  

It's important for customers to have accurate data because, if they are spending time replacing something and not getting enough time to do it, it affects the bottom line. You really need to do a lot of research, investigate. With the experience that I do have, I know how long it takes to do something, what's involved in it. Without that research and experience, you're going to be just guessing at it. So it's very important for them to have the accurate labor times.

As you know, data is always changing, technology is always changing. So how do you stay current in your job?

I stay current by paying attention to the industry and just keeping up with new things that come out, always scouring through the manufacturers' service procedures and looking for new data, changes that they make, just always constantly keeping an eye on that. If anything is new, jumping all over it and taking care of it.

Can you walk us through a recent customer interaction, what was the problem and how you resolved it?

Recently a customer called in with an inquiry. It was a disparity in labor times from our database with another information provider. Ours seemed to be lower labor time, and he basically wanted to understand the disparity. Doing a little detective work we looked at what was included in the other system, and we're able to identify that the radiator support that this customer called in was unique to most of the other radiator supports.

It really didn't involve all the operations that were usually included. So I was able to explain to the customer, "Hey, you know what? This time is accurate. It seems like the other system that you're using, there included operations that really aren't necessary and create an overpayment.”  So he was pleased with that, to hear what was going on, why it's such a difference.

What do you personally get out of coming to work every day?
I feel like I'm making a difference to the user out there, because I was out there. If the times aren't accurate, it affects our livelihood. If they spend three hours replacing something, and it pays less than that, that's not good for the industry at all, for anybody really. So I feel like I make a difference every day that I come in to Mitchell.

Want to learn more about how Mitchell Estimating can improve accuracy and profitability for your auto body repair shop? To schedule a demo call (800) 238-9111.

WIN 2015 Addresses Change and Challenges for Women in Collision Repair

WIN (Women's Industry Network) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting leadership, recognizing excellence and fostering networking opportunities for women in the collision repair industry. This year's annual educational conference, May 4-6 in Washington D.C., will focus on facing change and challenges under the theme "Connect to Cultivate."

Industry leader Mike Anderson of Collision Advice will deliver the keynote address, "Choosing Your Destiny." According to WIN, Anderson will offer inspiration and guidance for creating a success story through self-determination, motivation and personal responsibility.

Representing Mitchell in the line-up of featured speakers will be Marianne Godwin, Director, Organizational Learning and Development, Human Resources, and Mary Yama, Specialist 2 from that same department. The two women will lead the session "Feedback: Giving and Receiving." The following are highlights from an interview we recently conducted with Marianne and Mary.

Which presentations are you most looking forward to?
Mary: "Paul Gange from Fix Auto USA’s session, 'Change Makes Me Happy… Or is it the Other Way Around?' I personally love change but not everyone does, so we can learn from each other by understanding that people approach it with different mindsets, some comfortable, some not so much. Seeing how change impacts people’s emotions can help us learn skills for our own change management."

"I’m also looking forward to hearing Mike Anderson’s Keynote. Mitchell has partnered with him on some of our corporate sponsored collision industry events in the past. Engagement is always high with good feedback."

Marianne:  "I’m also intrigued by Paul Gange’s presentation. Mitchell has gone through a lot of change and will continue to. I’m interested in seeing how other companies are handling change. It’s a learning opportunity for me."

What can people expect from your session? What do you hope they’ll take away from it?
Marianne:  "Feedback gives people the willies. We want to remove some of the stigma so that people become less uncomfortable with the process. Giving and receiving feedback doesn't need to be difficult or scary. Attendees will walk away with specific tools to help them give and receive feedback more effectively that very moment."

Why is it important to give feedback properly? What is some risk from just winging it or not giving it at all? 
Marianne: "When it’s given properly and appropriately, feedback is a gift that the recipient can only benefit from. It can help us change for the better by learning to do things differently. It can also reinforce good behaviors. Bad feedback is when you tell a person how you 'feel'. Effective feedback isn't about feelings. It’s about behavior.

Mary:  "If you don’t structure your feedback tactfully, you run the risk of offending the recipient. You can’t expect people to change their behavior if you go about it the wrong way."

Are there specific concerns about feedback for women in the collision repair industry?
Mary:  "Well, women are less prominent in our industry, so giving or getting feedback can be intimidating. It’s scary enough in everyday situations, but when you’re a woman emerging in a field like ours, it can be especially difficult. That’s why WIN was interested in addressing the topic."

What’s the best feedback you've ever received?
Mary:  "In general, I appreciate feedback from people who don’t typically give a lot of it. When they do, I really value it because I know it took a lot for them. Because they got up the courage or were passionate to give it, it means more to me."

Marianne: "I recently got feedback that I was intimidating! My first reaction was, 'that’s crazy. I’m 5'1", how intimidating can I be?' But when I thought about it and took it to heart, I realized that sometimes what I think is being passionate is intimidating to the recipient. My takeaway: sometimes, I have to temper my passion. See, the feedback was about behavior, not emotions."

Are there women in our industry you especially admire?
Mary: "Nina Smith-Garmon [Mitchell’s Executive Vice President and General Manager] has shown how you can come from a different industry, step into a role, and take on more and more responsibility. She listens and she cares. She’s a great role model for women."

Marianne: "For me, it’s Pat Rundel [Mitchell’s Senior Director, Content Management Editorial Team, Production & Management]. Pat is from the collision repair industry. She truly understands what it’s like to be out there in a male-dominated industry. Then she stepped inside and she fits here really well."