About Us
Tom’s Body & Paint is a collision repair facility in Visalia with more than 40 years of history serving our community. We work primarily with insurance claims, DRP programs, fleet and utility vehicles, and dealership customers.
Our goal is to make an already stressful situation as easy as possible for our customers while providing safe, high-quality repairs and exceptional service. Our motto is “Getting You Back to Everything Else.”
We are looking for an experienced Collision Repair Customer Service Representative / Estimator Assistant who understands that working the front office of a body shop involves much more than answering phones.
The Position
The primary responsibility of this position is simple:
Take care of the customer and help keep their repair moving.
You will be one of the customer's primary points of contact from the moment we receive a new insurance assignment through the estimate, scheduling, repair process, and final delivery.
You will also work closely with our estimators, insurance companies, DRP partners, and production staff to make sure new assignments are contacted promptly, files are documented, approvals are received, opportunities are followed up on, and customers are scheduled appropriately.
This is NOT an entry-level receptionist or basic front-desk position.
We are looking for someone who can open a repair file, understand what is happening, identify what needs to happen next, communicate that information professionally, and follow through.
ResponsibilitiesNew Insurance Assignments & First Contact
- Monitor and work new insurance assignments received through CCC ONE and Mitchell
- Make prompt First Contact calls to customers when a new assignment is received
- Professionally introduce our shop, explain the initial estimate process, and establish Tom’s Body & Paint as the customer's primary collision-repair contact
- Review the assignment with the customer and verify that the information provided by the insurance company is accurate, including customer contact information, vehicle information, claim details, loss information, and vehicle location
- Determine whether the vehicle is drivable or non-drivable
- Schedule customers for Photos & Estimate appointments
- Explain what the customer should expect when they arrive for their estimate appointment
- Properly document First Contact attempts, conversations, appointment information, and relevant claim details in the file
- Follow up on customers who could not be reached or who have not yet scheduled
- Help turn incoming assignments and estimate opportunities into scheduled repairs
Non-Drivable Vehicles & Towing
- Coordinate incoming non-drivable vehicles and tow-ins
- Determine where the vehicle is currently located and what is needed to have it transported to our facility
- Communicate with the customer, insurance company, adjuster, and towing provider as necessary
- Verify that towing is approved/authorized by the insurance company before arranging the tow when required
- Schedule approved tows and coordinate vehicle arrival with the shop
- Document tow approvals, conversations, vehicle location, and expected arrival information in the repair file
- Follow up on delayed or pending tow approvals so non-drivable vehicles do not sit unnecessarily
Customer & Repair File Management
- Serve as a point of contact for customers throughout the estimate and repair process
- Provide exceptional customer service in person, by phone, text, and email
- Answer incoming calls professionally and confidently
- Greet and assist customers arriving for estimates, repairs, and vehicle deliveries
- Enter and maintain accurate customer, vehicle, claim, and insurance information in CCC ONE
- Maintain detailed file notes documenting customer communication, insurance activity, approvals, and important repair events
- Provide customers with repair-status updates
- Help customers understand and navigate the insurance collision-claim process
- Communicate calmly and professionally with customers who may be stressed or upset following an accident
Estimate Follow-Up, Insurance & Scheduling
- Follow up with customers after estimates and actively help convert repair opportunities into scheduled jobs
- Make sure estimates and required documentation have been submitted to the appropriate insurance company
- Follow up on insurance estimates, assignments, approvals, and supplements
- Verify that necessary insurance approvals are in place so repairs can be scheduled and continue moving forward
- Assist estimators with managing open opportunities, pending files, approvals, and scheduling
- Understand the general insurance collision-claim process and applicable DRP procedures
- Schedule repair appointments and coordinate vehicle drop-offs
- Identify stalled files, unscheduled estimates, pending approvals, and missed opportunities and proactively follow up on them
Vehicle Check-In, Repair & Delivery
- Help Obtain and properly document repair authorizations and supplement authorizations
- Coordinate customer transportation and rental-car arrangements when necessary
- Process customer payments and deductibles and document payments accurately
- Check vehicles out and assist customers through the final delivery process
- Assist with customer satisfaction surveys
- Work with the entire team to make sure our customers receive an excellent experience from their first interaction through final delivery
What We're Looking For
We want someone with real automotive or collision-repair customer service experience who is comfortable taking ownership of their responsibilities.
Preferred Experience
- 3–5+ years of customer service experience in the automotive or collision-repair industry
- CCC ONE experience REQUIRED
- Mitchell estimating/management experience preferred
- Experience receiving and working insurance/DRP assignments
- Experience making First Contact calls and scheduling estimate appointments
- Experience working with insurance collision claims
- Familiarity with DRP programs and insurance-company procedures
- Experience communicating with adjusters and insurance representatives
- Understanding of estimates, supplements, insurance approvals, and repair authorizations
- Experience with collision-repair scheduling and repair-order documentation
- Experience coordinating non-drivable vehicles and towing
- Experience processing customer payments, deductibles, and vehicle deliveries
Skills & Qualifications
- Valid California Driver’s License
- Excellent phone presence and communication skills
- Strong interpersonal and customer-service skills
- Confident communicating by phone, text, and email
- Highly organized and detail-oriented
- Excellent follow-through
- Comfortable managing multiple customers, claims, and repair files simultaneously
- Able to prioritize new assignments and time-sensitive insurance requirements
- Strong computer skills
- Google Workspace / Microsoft Office experience
- Gmail
- Google Sheets / Microsoft Excel
- Google Docs / Microsoft Word
- Adobe PDF
- Comfortable using smartphones and mobile applications for vehicle documentation
- High school diploma or equivalent required
- Bilingual is a plus
The Person We're Looking For
You are a people person, but you're also organized, proactive, and operationally minded.
You don't simply answer a phone, take a message, and wait for someone else to handle it.
When a new insurance assignment comes in, you make First Contact, verify the information, determine whether the vehicle is drivable, and get the customer scheduled for Photos & Estimate.
If the vehicle isn't drivable, you help determine where it is, verify the tow is approved, and coordinate getting it to the shop.
If a customer received an estimate, you follow up.
If we're waiting for insurance approval, you help determine what we're waiting on.
If an estimate is approved and the vehicle is ready to schedule, you help turn that opportunity into a repair on our calendar.
If a customer calls for an update, you can review the file, understand what's happening, document the conversation, and help get them an answer.
If something has fallen through the cracks, you notice it.
You understand that great collision-repair customer service is active, not passive.
Work Standards
Our team members are expected to:
- Maintain exceptional attendance and punctuality
- Maintain a clean, organized, and professional workspace
- Communicate professionally with customers and coworkers
- Take ownership of assigned responsibilities
- Follow through on commitments
- Be adaptable to changing procedures, insurance requirements, and technology
- Be willing to continually learn about the collision-repair industry
- Work as part of a team and step in when necessary to make sure our customers are taken care of
Benefits
- Eligibility to accrue one week of paid vacation after one year of employment hours worked.
- Paid holidays after one year of employment hours worked
Prior collision-repair experience and CCC ONE experience will receive preference.
If your experience is primarily general reception or answering phones without automotive/collision-repair responsibilities, this position may not be the right fit. We are specifically seeking someone who can contribute to the customer, insurance, DRP, scheduling, estimating, and administrative workflow of a busy collision-repair facility.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $20.00 - $28.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Shift:
Education:
- High school or equivalent (Required)
Experience:
- Automotive: 3 years (Required)
- Customer Support & Client Services Managers: 3 years (Required)
- Sales: 3 years (Required)
- CCC1 Estimating System: 1 year (Required)
Language:
License/Certification:
- Driver's License (Required)
Ability to Relocate:
- Visalia, CA 93292: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person
