--- title: Beyond Paperwork description: How Administration Drives Profit in Collision Repair image: https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/hubfs/publication_default_image.jpg --- Best Practices # Beyond Paperwork How Administration Drives Profit in Collision Repair [ AutoHouse Technologies Team ](https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/aht_academy/author/autohouse-team) Nov 20, 2023 --- Discover how Terminal Auto Body transformed their business by embracing a data-driven mindset. Learn how they improved financials, reduced WIP, and achieved operational excellence. ![Dice - the challenge](https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Dice%20-%20the%20challenge.png?width=1000&height=561&name=Dice%20-%20the%20challenge.png) **Administration: More Than Just Paperwork** Managing a collision repair facility goes beyond just fixing cars. Meeting insurer requirements and handling paperwork are essential to getting paid, but the real challenge is to see a profit at month's end. If you're unsure about your monthly profits, it might be time to reevaluate your administrative processes.    **The Admin-Profit Connection: It's Closer Than You Think** Within 30 seconds can you tell how many repairs and hours are currently on-site? If not, keep reading. By simply entering three or four essential Repair Order (RO) dates, you can get that answer quickly. Here's how: **Arrival Date:**** **As soon as a repair arrives, log it into your Body Shop Management System (BSMS) ; now it’s included in your Work in Process (WIP) metric. **Target Delivery Date:** Once the repair plan is ready, enter a target delivery date; now you have a visible target of when the repair will be done. **Actual Delivery Date:** When the repair is finished and delivered, log this date to remove that job from WIP. **Target Arrival Date:**** **If you're scheduling future repairs, use this date to manage intake levels. These simple, quick entries give a clear picture of incoming, on-site, and outgoing repairs and hours. But what's the real benefit?   **The Power of Visibility** **Finance:**** **Predicting financial outcomes is crucial; with daily tracking you can act before results become history. A small administrative task like entering dates reveals potential sales areas like repairs that are delivered but not yet closed or overdue deliveries.  ![Finance](https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Finance.png?width=976&height=467&name=Finance.png)   **Production:**** **Knowing your current WIP and its ratio offers insights into daily tasks; it helps optimize capacity.  ![Production](https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Production.png?width=976&height=382&name=Production.png)   **Admin Oversight:** Repair dates provide operational insights when they are recorded diligently but sometimes they get missed. By highlighting missing dates or non-compliant repairs, the front office team stays connected to the workflow. Once regular auditing becomes a habit, you'll see benefits without effort. Administrative processes aren't just about month-end paperwork. They're vital for operational efficiency and lead directly to increased profit. A few seconds spent on BSMS date entries for each repair are definitely worth the effort! Discover how Terminal Auto Body transformed their business by embracing a data-driven mindset. Learn how they improved financials, reduced WIP, and achieved operational excellence. ![Dice - the challenge](https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Dice%20-%20the%20challenge.png?width=1000&height=561&name=Dice%20-%20the%20challenge.png) Discover how Terminal Auto Body transformed their business by embracing a data-driven mindset. Learn how they improved financials, reduced WIP, and achieved operational excellence. ![Dice - the challenge](https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Dice%20-%20the%20challenge.png?width=1000&height=561&name=Dice%20-%20the%20challenge.png) [Best Practices](https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/aht_academy/tag/best-practices) ## Similar posts Blog ### [Operational Excellence: The Data-Driven Way](https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/aht_academy/operational-excellenc) Discover how a data-centric approach is transforming efficiency and profitability in collision repair. AutoHouse Technologies Team Nov 20, 2023 Case Study ### [Loewen’s Leap Forward – Where Heritage Meets Innovation](https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/aht_academy/loewens) In this case study we'll highlight the story of Loewen Body Shop – its history and the values that have guided it through generations of business in... AutoHouse Technologies Team Mar 14, 2024 Case Study ### [A Changing Mindset - Terminal Auto Body](https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/aht_academy/terminal) Discover how Terminal Auto Body transformed their business by embracing a data-driven mindset. Learn how they improved financials, reduced WIP, and... AutoHouse Technologies Team Jan 16, 2024 ### Get AutoHouse Academy updates We email every quarter with smart growth strategy ideas. Your [privacy](https://www.autohousetechnologies.com/the-fine-print) is our policy. 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