Conversation With Lynx Services

[Delta Kits]

At the NWRA show, I had a chance to sit down with a representative from Lynx services. We had a list of questions and concerns, including some from this forum, that we presented him. It seems there is a fair amount of misinformation here, and hopefully this will help.

Enrollment:

To enroll with Lynx is to go through three enrollment procedures.

The first, for Lynx itself, which has more than 50 insurance companies, we have made very simple. Lynx has authorized Delta Kits to distribute the sign up forms and information, which you can then fax or mail back to Lynx. If you would like these forms, email me or private message me and I can provide these to you.

The second step is to get an offer and acceptance agreement with State Farm. To get this form, call 309.766.6000. Have your company information handy, and if necessary leave a message with your name, company name, address, phone number, and Federal ID Number (or sSN for sole proprietors). They will mail out an application to you.

The third step is to sign up with Allstate CGE. To get this form, call 239.479.6000 extension 3. Again, if necessary, leave a message with all the information above and this will be mailed to you.

According to Lynx, if you fax the application form back to Lynx, it should only take a few days to be approved. This can be a bit longer for the State Farm application. I know it has taken longer for some, but I believe most of this time has been the time needed to receive the forms, which we can now provide almost immediately.

Requirements to Enroll:

For repair only shops:

-You must sign a form, stating that you have liability insurance. You no longer need to prove this, and there is no amount that you must have, just that you have it.
-You must be full time
-If you would like referrals, you must have a live phone and fax at least 40 hours a week
-You must warranty your repairs for the life of the vehicle (in some cases)

Clarification of Issues We've Had On The Forum:

-Again, you do NOT have to name Lynx Services as additionally insured. This is for replacement shops only.
-You must sign a form, stating that you have liability insurance. You do not need to prove this.
-No sign up fee for repair only.

Referral Questions:

This is how the referral system works. A customer will call in, and if they do not have a preference for which shop to use, Lynx will pick all qualified companies within 25 miles of this person's address. From there, they will pick the three that have waited the longest to get a referral. They will then give the customer this information, and the customer will decide which of the three they would like to use. Whichever they use, all three are then put at the back of the line (not 100% sure of this, it may only be the picked company that goes to the back). Also, if Lynx calls during business hours, or the customer calls and tells Lynx that they only get a machine during business hours, at some point Lynx will filter your company out of the referral system. Not sure how many times this has to happen, but it would be wise if you wish to get referrals, to adhere to the requirement to have a live phone during business hours. Also, for those that say that this is all untrue, it is possible, that if your company is up against a company that has name recognition, that customer may choose them over you, since they are only choosing on name recognition only. Theoritically, you could never get a referral if there are only three in your area, and one is very well known. Also, only 25% of all claim requests are done by referral, the rest the customer has a shop in mind when they call.

Another interesting point, is that if you do not like the price that a certain insurance company pays, you can opt out of the network WITH THAT COMPANY, and choose to direct bill them.

Again, I know there are people out there that believe that the networks are horrible, you shouldn't sign up with them, and you should direct bill. Networks are here to stay, plain and simple. For those customers who would like to direct bill, there is no problem with that. For the majority of our customers though, networks are the best way to go. Most of us are in business to make money, not to try to make some point to a network.

Lynx is working to become more "repair friendly," and I welcome that. We are working with them to make the process much easier, which means more time spent doing repairs and making money, and less time with all the paperwork.

If you would like to discuss this, we can start a thread to discuss the things presented here. Make sure to keep it professional, and keep an open mind!