While receiving payment is essential to every business, collecting payment after a job is completed can range from awkward to openly tense, as both sides try to feel they are getting a fair deal.
Collision repair and body shops are no exception, even though they work with clearer written estimates and invoices every day. However, this part of the business can be made much smoother by focusing on three key factors:
speed, clarity, and options.
For many customers, paying for repairs is mentally stressful.
This is one reason payment methods have evolved from swiping cards to using card chips and tap-to-pay directly from their phone. Shortening the time spent on the payment process can make customers feel less discomfort about paying. Using a smooth, modern, and fast point-of-sale system can help reduce the anxiety that often builds while waiting to complete a transaction.
Just as important is making sure customers clearly understand the total cost of repairs before they reach checkout. This helps prevent last-minute frustration, anger, or loss of trust. Clear pricing is especially important when it comes to fees. These negative feelings can be avoided by using a body shop–focused payment system that includes credit card processing costs in the overall cost of work in the original estimate,
rather than violating accounting principles by ambushing your customers with a new 4% fee at the point of sale.
This keeps customers fully informed from the beginning and avoids the confusion of any unexpected additional fees at checkout.
Finally, having multiple payment options can help prevent complications when issues arise.
Gone are the days when customers were expected to pay with only cash or credit. Today, many customers appreciate options such as buy-now-pay-later or layaway payment, which give them more flexibility. Using these payment options within a single, body shop–specific software system can greatly reduce stress, uncertainty, and conflict during checkout.
