New Start Up Questions

[cjcoombs]

My Name is C.J. Coombs and I

[magicogar]

Hello C.J.

I think i'm considering myself as still new to the business. I have not done much repairs due to my current job that I'm having. But I have learned alot from reading the forums and the archives. Alot of stuff you mentioned is in the forum. Just do a search.

Also, I think you should change your company name. The "Hour" will probably not be very appealing for customers.

[Jeremiahswindshieldrepair]

My suggestion to answer all those questions and become proficient in repairs themselves is to go to an official training class and seminar.

http://www.deltakits.com/training/

The class is invaluable as anyone who has gone will say. it gives you a large advantage over people who have been in business even for years sometimes. The class doesn't talk much about insurance billing but everything to do with marketing and actually doing a quality repair is addressed.

[chips1144]

Jeremiah, do you give any training at these seminars?

[Jeremiahswindshieldrepair]

I do help out by doing the marketing portion yes

[screenman]

Maybe learning to repair screens first may be a good idea.

[paintlessplus]

Welcome aboard C.J. - Insurance billing and glass networks such as Lynx and SGC, and signing up with ACT can be confusing. Let me try to explain the relationship between these options and your windshield business in laymens terms. First you need to know why the insurance companies use this system.

Generally, when an insureds vehicle suffers some damage a claim must be made. Say for instance this damage was caused by an automobile accident. The first thing you would do is call your insurance agent and report the accident right? He would then get you to see an insurance adjuster. The adjuster now writes an estimate and builds a file on your claim waiting for accident reports,witness statements, and possible damage claims from the other driver.

Now....Most windshield or glass claims, particularly glass repair claims, are a result of an act of god. No need to call in an adjuster and create a big claims file right? ...a rock gets kicked up off of the highway, nobodys fault...hey- chips happen. So along came a third party....Lynx and SGC.

These third parties went to the insurance companies and basically said... hey we will handle all of your small nuisance glass claims for you. We are experts in the glass field. We have a network of repairers to handle the workload. We will handle all the paperwork and make everything streamlined for you. Naturally, the insurance companies became affiliated with these networks.

Now how does all of this affect your business ? Well , when you try to submit a repair bill to an insurance company, the company will probably say "go ahead and submit it to our glass claims network, they handle that stuff for us." You can try to direct bill the insurance company, but most of the time they will just forward it to their network.

So now the question is should I join a glass network? This largely depends on what type of business you intend to operate. When you become affiliated with Lynx or SGC you enter into a form of partnership with them. You have to fill out an application to join. They decide whether you're in or you're out. This is based on the information you supply to them. They may want to see a picture of your mobile vehicle or business front. They want to know your hours of operation , what is your mobile repair radius, do you answer your phone during business hours ? will your fax machine pick up ? Are you insured ? In essence, are you worthy to become a member of their team?

So what if you are not quite ready to make the network comittment? Thats where ACT comes in. They do everything from getting the verification and authorization numbers to the actual billing process for you. No network membership required- no electronic billing-no fax machine needed. They handle everything for you with just a phone call. Now....wheres the money come from...... Well, the insurance company pays the network- the network takes a cut- they pay ACT- ACT takes their cut- and then Act sends you a check.

The actual billing I do is done electronically through a company called glasscomp. I fax them a copy of the network repair order (that is faxed to me after the claim is reported and verified by the network) along with a signed copy of my invoice and I usually recieve a check within 10 working days or less.

If you have the budget, I strongly concur with taking a training class as Brian suggested. I use Deltakits equipment and highly recommend both their equipment and training. Hope this helps- keep reading the past posts and archieves they are invaluable. Good Luck -Bob

[chips1144]

Paintless, so what does it cost to use Glasscomp, Act Lynx and Sgc???

[paintlessplus]

The cost of invoice processing through glasscomp is zero sign up fee and $2.25 per invoice. The cost to use ACT (The last I heard) is $25.00 sign up fee and $14.95 per invoice. The cost of joining Lynx and SGC involves having a dedicated Fax line/machine-the cost of being able to prove that you are a viable business by providing a picture of your business storefront or a picture of your lettered mobile repair vehicle.And the cost of a general liability business insurance policy for at least $500K ( Mine cost a little less than $200.00 per year through RLI ins. No sign up fee to join the networks. Bob

[chips1144]

Bob... Thanks for that explanation...