Bringing vehicle damage repairs to you

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(Courtesy of Rapid Repair Network)

Rapid Repair Network is a Business Reporter client.

Often, people have no idea how their vehicle ended up damaged

No matter how carefully you drive, bodywork dents and scratches can happen for many reasons, such as somebody opening their car door into your vehicle or a careless motorist bumping into you during a traffic jam. They go to their vehicle one day, and there’s a dent in the side panel or a scratch that wasn’t there before.

In most cases, getting your vehicle to a garage is the solution that will spring to mind, but then there’s the worry about how long it will take to fix. That’s why it’s easy to put off having those repairs done – you simply don’t want your car or van off the road for too long.

This is a particular problem if you’re a fleet manager – time is money, and money is time, after all. You can’t afford to have even one vehicle out of action, as hire cars, replacement vans and direct repair costs soon add up.

What’s the alternative?

Well, how about a business that can get the repair completed on the same day at a time and location you decide?

Rapid Repair Network is changing the way vehicle damage is managed. It aims to turn a traditional vehicle repair that could take a week to fix into a same-day repair done with the minimum of fuss and disruption to the driver.

The business was established in 2017 by managing director Robert Hawes, and it has grown far beyond expectation. It specialises in minor damage, including panel dents, scratches and bolt-on parts, such as wing mirrors.

‘Rapid Repair Network has one vision: to offer insurance and fleet companies a solution for same-day vehicle repair throughout the UK,’ says Hawes. ‘We manage thousands of repairs using our network of 350 repair vans that provide a same-day repair, backed up by more than 100 drive-in repair centres.

‘Many of our fleet customers have vehicles throughout the UK and require us to manage the entire repair process from notification to completion. Keeping their fleet on the road is of incredible importance to them as they often have custom-fitted vehicles. This means costs build up quickly for every day they’re off the road.’

More than meets the eye

Of course, as with many businesses, there’s more to the company than first meets the eye. For example, Rapid Repair Network’s entire repairer network is accredited to meet the requirements of the top UK insurers. The company has also developed its own management systems.

‘Ultimately, repairing vehicles on the same day is what we do,’ says Hawes. ‘But having strong data that we can use for the customers’ benefit is vital. For example, suppose we’re constantly replacing wing mirrors for a fleet customer: we can highlight this to the fleet manager, and they can address it with their staff to find ways to reduce this type of incident reoccurring, ultimately reducing costs.’

That all seems great so far, but how is a same-day repair identified? It seems a straightforward process from the outside looking in, but there’s a slick system behind it all.

Rapid Repair Network receives the notification of damage either directly from the fleet customers or the accident management company that manages the fleet. Once information is received, a customer service adviser contacts the driver to obtain images of the damage. Rapid Repair Network has developed a clever app to assist the driver in taking the pictures with an easy-to-use walkthrough and submit process just by using a text or email link.

Once these photographs are received, a Rapid Repair Network damage assessor then reviews the damage and ensures it’s within scope for a same-day repair.

As soon as the damage assessor has approved a same-day repair, Rapid Repair Network contacts the driver and books the vehicle in. If the damage is too severe for a one-day repair, it’s referred to the traditional repair network.

The future of vehicle repairs

So, is this the future of vehicle repair? Same-day repairs have been around for a while, but Rapid Repair Network has focused on the challenges within the industry and made them its strengths. The company can take on many different repairs by having more than 350 repair vans that are not restricted in their scope. From a scrape on the door of a Ford Transit to a complex bumper replacement on a Mercedes, the business can, and does, do it all.

‘We have an incredibly dedicated team here,’ says Hawes. ‘This is a testament to what we have achieved since 2017. Rapid Repair Network’s service is innovative, and we continue to identify new ways to find solutions in repairing vehicles on the same day. Keeping cars and vans on the road will always be our focus, and if we continue to do this while offering industry-leading customer service, we can look forward to future success.’

To find out more about Rapid Repair Network, visit rapidrepairnetwork.com

Originally published on Business Reporter