In 2012, David Dietert became the owner of the only auto body shop in Huffman, TX: Huffman Collision Center.
He said the I-CAR-certified facility operates mainly off word of mouth.
“I think what sets us apart is our demeanor and the way we approach customers,” Dietert explained.
Huffman Collision Center
Location: Huffman, TX
(281) 361-5600
Facebook: @Huffman-Collision-Center
Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: Three
In Business Since: 2012
Number of Locations: One
Production Space: 5,000 square feet
Dietert maintains customer satisfaction has two parts: friendly service and proper repairs. He implements the Mobile Estimating System (AudaMobile) by Audatex, a Solera company, to ensure his technicians begin the repair process on the right foot.
“I started looking into a mobile estimating system around 2016 because an insurance adjuster said I was required to do so,” he explained. “I went with Solera’s product because it was way less expensive than the competition and so much easier to use than what I had in the past.”
According to the Audatex website, AudaMobile assists with efficient claim creation, vehicle identification, damage capturing and repair cost estimation while streamlining approved repair workflow.
Dietert said as the owner, he sees the benefits of the mobile estimating system more than anyone else. “
When you have a smaller operation as I have here, it’s not something you can put on the company itself,” Dietert said.
He added insurance companies know Audatex, which makes the claim process more manageable.
When it comes to tech support, Dietert described how Audatex helped him rectify an email hack he experienced a year ago.
“When I upgraded my computer from Windows 7 to Windows 11, the [repair] data did not transfer over,” he explained. “So, I called my contact at Audatex to assist me.”
Dietert said the first support tech he spoke with “laboriously” tried to update the data and figure out why it didn’t transfer over.
“I had my doubts at first, but they said, ‘don’t worry, we’ll get it taken care of for you,’” he recalled.
Dietert said seven to eight hours later, the support techs resolved the issue. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it.
“I then haphazardly found out I couldn’t get photos I had taken with AudaMobile to migrate over to the new system,” he explained. “The tech support didn’t do anything wrong; it was an issue with my email.”
Dietert said he called Audatex again and spoke with a young woman.
“I explained my email issue, and she said, ‘I can get that taken care of for you,’” he recalled. “She figured out I had downloaded the wrong email server and then migrated everything to my email perfectly.”
With her insight, Dietert said he could get the photos to the insurance company, and “everything was good.”
“If I didn’t have her help, I never would’ve figured it out,” he said. “It was such a good experience, and I could tell she was highly trained. The biggest thing was she was engaged, compared to some people who would’ve just given up.”
Dietert added that within an hour, the Audatex support tech had everything fixed, and the shop was up and running again.
He also said that Audatex recently made enhancements to its estimating system, and he’s looking forward to engaging with the training when he has downtime.
“I will continue to use AudaMobile until I close my shop down, which, sad to say, will be coming soon,” Dietert said.
The Texas shop owner explained the state is expanding the road in front of his business and using eminent domain to clear out any buildings standing in their way.
“I found this out around 2019, so it has been a long time coming,” Dietert said. “Five years ago, it was a prediction, and now it’s happening; they’ve already started expanding the road about two miles away. Homes, churches, businesses; all of it’s going.”
Dietert added he’s grateful to have a huge lot. He’s debating using the money from the state to relocate his business further back on his property.
“But I haven’t made that decision because I am nearing retirement age,” he explained. “If this happened 10 years ago, it would be a different story.”
Another option is to give the property to his daughter, a hairstylist, so she can open her own business.
“When you’re 35, you can do things like that,” he said.
Dietert said he wouldn’t be surprised if another body shop opened in the same spot.
“Otherwise, I hate to say it, but there’s going to be a lot of people in despair because they have to drive a little further to get their body work done,” Dietert said. “All in all, I do feel we’ve had a good run here."
Audatex, a Solera Company
Sonia Javed
Marketing Strategy Director
(202) 768-1707
Sonia.Javed@solera.com
To read more auto body shop profiles in the October 2022 Shop and Product Showcase, click here.
