Key Collision started out as a small body shop in a dealership in 1992, but by the time Chief Operating Officer John Stolz began working with the company in 2019, it had grown to six shops in New Hampshire. Since then, the company has expanded to 11 shops in five states — with ambitions to expand nationwide.
Key Collision
Rochester, NH
603-948-1053
keycollisioncenter.com
Facebook: @KeyCollisionCenters
X: @KeyCenters
LinkedIn: @key-collision-centers
Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 197
In Business Since: 1992
Number of Locations: 11
Combined Production Space: 225,000 square feet
When asked how Key Collision stands out, Stolz, who previously worked in the insurance industry for 35 years, emphasized the company’s dedication to working closely with both customers and insurance companies.
“Probably our biggest advantage is that we have a unique understanding of what insurance companies want out of their repairs,” said Stolz. “We’re very customer service based, but to coordinate top quality repairs with the expectations of the insurance companies has really made a great product for our customers.”
AirPro Diagnostics tools have dramatically improved Key Collision’s cycle times by keeping calibrations in-house.
In 2023, Stolz and Key Collision’s Director of Compliance Mike McNulty became interested in AirPro Diagnostics after seeing a product demonstration. Intrigued by what they saw, McNulty and Stolz flew to Florida to learn more at the company’s corporate office and manufacturing facilities.
According to Stolz, “In Florida, they gave us a great tour and the equipment was really impressive — but we also liked the company culture and their dedication to making sure that cars were safe for customers.”
Key Collision has since purchased a full suite of AirPro products and services, which includes AirPro-employed embedded technicians in some of their shops. From the beginning, Stolz said AirPro products stood out for their ease of use.
“At first I looked at the Auggie [AirPro’s digital FFC targeting system] and I thought, ‘Oh, we’ll never be able to use this thing.’ And then we mastered it in 10 minutes. So, although it may look intimidating, we were blown away by the ease of use,” Stolz said.
McNulty agreed the intuitive design of AirPro tools makes them extremely easy to learn.
“AirPro has been great when it comes to the pre- and post-scanning of vehicles,” he said. “The interface that they use makes it very simple to navigate, so training new technicians doesn’t take a lot of time. Usually, I only have to show somebody how to do it a few times before they’re flying on their own.”
AirPro’s scanning technology has helped the company ensure insurance companies are reimbursing them for everything they do on a car.
Employees at Key Collision are fans of AirPro Diagnostics’ intuitive design.
“The great thing about AirPro is that once that vehicle is scanned, it will tell us exactly what DTCs are present in the car — as well as how long that code has been stored,” McNulty said. “So we know right off the bat if that DTC is related to the loss or if it’s prior damage. We share that information with the insurance company to justify a lot of our repairs.”
When it comes to customer care, both Stolz and McNulty agree it’s hard to compete with AirPro.
“When we initially do a pre-scan on that vehicle, the AirPro technician on the other line will say, ‘Hey, this vehicle is equipped with a forward-facing radar. If you do X, Y and Z, you’re going to have to do this calibration at the end of the repairs,’”explained McNulty. “So we can build that into our repair plan from the very start, and there’s no surprises at the end.”
Part of what speeds up the process is the fact AirPro’s technicians are specialists.
“All AirPro technicians specialize in one manufacturer,” McNulty said. “So if I call somebody and I have an F-150, the person I’m speaking to on the other end is most likely a certified Ford mechanic. So he can move around very quickly, and their response time is much quicker than anything else we’ve experienced.”
Key Collision has built a strong working relationship with AirPro, in particular with Tom Deacon, national director of strategic growth, who has provided exceptional support.
“Tom Deacon has been our point of contact from day one. We have biweekly phone calls with him to make sure that any issues that we have are addressed – and any one of the managers can call him anytime if there’s a problem or question,” Stolz said.
Working with AirPro has greatly benefited Key Collision by keeping the calibration work in-house.
“We save so much time by doing calibrations ourselves,” McNulty said. “Anytime we can keep the vehicle on our premises and do this work ourselves, it greatly improves our cycle time.”
Between the intuitive technology and customer care, Key Collision sees AirPro Diagnostics as a huge benefit to its business and has no intention of looking elsewhere for ADAS equipment.
“AirPro Diagnostics has really exceeded our expectations. We look forward to growing with them as they get involved in new vehicles and new systems. We’re their biggest proponent,” Stolz said.
AirPro Diagnostics
904-717-1711
airprodiagnostics.com
Facebook: @AirProDiag
Instagram: @airprodiag
LinkedIn: @airpro-diagnostics
YouTube: @airprodiagnostics1282
To read more auto body shop profiles in the June 2024 Shop and Product Showcase, click here.
