Cal Auto Body provides a complete range of body and collision, accident-related mechanical, structural, and frame repair services for all types of vehicles at its Colma facility. The family-owned and operated company utilizes a variety of state-of-the-art technology to return customers’ cars to their pre-accident conditions, including a computerized paint matching system.
Owner Nana Sarkisian credits Cal Auto Body’s success to the personalized approach its technicians and office staff take to dealing with customers, which includes managing issues with insurance companies, offering a courtesy shuttle service, working with car rental companies on existing reservations and providing constant progress updates. “We enjoy seeing the looks on our customers’ faces when they pick up their cars,” she says. “All they remember is the extensive damage, so they’re usually very surprised and happy when they see the results.”
Cal Auto Body is known for its fast turnaround times, which are facilitated by Ms. Sarkisian and her commitment to making the auto body repair process simple and stress-free for every customer. “I’m always on the phone trying to make things go as quickly as possible, especially for people who don’t have rental car coverage,” she says. “We do everything in our power to return our customers’ cars as quickly as possible.”
“There’s no such thing as a big job or a small job to us—we put the same amount of effort into every vehicle, regardless of the extent of the repairs. Our goal is to achieve complete customer satisfaction by maintaining our reputation for providing high-quality, reliable repairs and continually improving our methods and services.”
Make sure your auto body shop uses the best materials available on the market.
When it comes to environmentally-friendly business practices, most auto body shops are on equal footing—the industry is heavily regulated and all licensed facilities must meet the same standards. For example, all paints must be water-based to prevent harmful chemicals from leaching into the water supply, and all painting must be done in a contained facility to prevent chemicals from going into the air. However, even though all auto paints are environmentally-friendly, they’re not all the same in terms of quality. “The best auto body shops use PPG paints,” explains Nana Sarkisian, owner of Cal Auto Body in Colma. “They’re widely recognized as the best in the industry, so be wary of a shop that doesn’t use them.”
California law stipulates that insurance companies aren’t required to cover original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts for any car that’s older than two years, which means your insurance company can instruct the shop to substitute second-hand, reconditioned or aftermarket parts. If you want to use OEM parts on an older car, you’ll often be responsible for the price difference, so make sure you understand the specifics of your situation before proceeding.
A reputable auto body shop should also be able to clearly explain the extent of your damages and what needs to be done to fix them, so don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if you perceive the answers to be simple or obvious. “Few non-industry people truly understand the intricacies of the auto body repair process, so don’t think you’ll be at a disadvantage relative to other customers,” says Ms. Sarkisian. “Likewise, women shouldn’t be afraid to ask a male technician a question about the process. If a shop has reputable, trained technicians, they won’t think less of you for asking basic questions.”
Maintaining customer satisfaction is a crucial aspect of any business, but it's even more important for auto body repair companies that have earned the prestigious Diamond Certified award. For Cal Auto Body, the key to achieving high levels of customer satisfaction is not only upholding its reputation for providing high-quality work and reliable service, but also continually improving its methods and services. "We don't want our customers to leave until they're 100 percent satisfied, so we do whatever it takes to ensure that happens," says owner Nana Sarkisian. "Our motto is, ‘Drive in with a pile and out with a smile.'"
Cal Auto Body has been providing a complete range of body and collision repair services for all types of vehicles at its Colma facility since 2001. The company utilizes a variety of state-of-the-art technology to return customers' cars to their pre-accident conditions, including a unibody laser straightening system specifically designed for SUVs and trucks, a computerized paint matching system and more.
Unlike less experienced auto body shops that strive to maximize their workload volume but sacrifice personalized service in the process, Cal Auto Body takes an attentive, one-on-one approach to dealing with every customer. "We understand how important it is for our customers to get their cars back as quickly as possible, so we're always working to get paperwork turned around, arranging rental cars and so forth," says Ms. Sarkisian. "Our favorite part of the process is looking at the faces of our customers when they first see their cars. All they remember is the damage, so to see them surprised and happy is very rewarding."
Another distinguishing feature of Cal Auto Body is the comprehensive approach it takes to quality control on every repair job, regardless of the size. "Each car goes through three levels of quality control checks before it leaves our facility," explains Ms. Sarkisian. "Both the painter and main body technician thoroughly inspect the car, and I conduct the final quality check myself. We make sure to fix every little detail–if it's a concern to the customer, it's a concern to us."