(Newswire.net — March 27, 2014) Summerville, SC – Collision centers, body shops, auto-body repair, paint and body. Whatever they’re called, they are traditionally male dominated companies. That male grease monkey image is changing and it’s a new day in the automotive collision business for women. Marathon Collision in the greater Charleston, SC area, proves it. Females thrive at Marathon and have been promoted to key positions across the company. “When promoted, decisions are made based on merit and skill set, not gender,” said Robert Sadeghian, general manager. “It just so happens that many of these promotions are female.”
A key position in the collision repair industry is that of the Estimator. This position requires knowledge of vehicle design and specifications. This includes safety features along with the ability to write up an action plan to correct the physical body damage, as well as, ensure the vehicle’s safe drivability. In addition, and probably one of the most important skills is that of excellent communication and customer service. At Marathon Collision, the entire front office is female. From the estimators to the service writers to the customer advocates. Marathon’s staff is just as good at greeting a customer as they are getting underneath a vehicle to assess hidden damage.
It all starts with a basic interest in automobiles and mechanics. In addition, in today’s collision center world, knowing the insurance aspect of the business is crucial. Marathon works with local technical colleges to recruit employees, and high schools where students from “shop” class work as interns. “Accidents happen on average every seven years and as the population continues to grow, so does the collision business. ”
Since the front office has gone 100% female, Marathon has seen a greater interest from female job applicants in addition to higher customer service scores. “It’s the message AND the messenger,” said Sadeghian. “Recovering from an accident is not a fun experience. It’s more of a hassle than anything else. Females have a Midas touch with customers.”
MARATHON Automotive in North Charleston and Summerville offers cutting edge technology and equipment designed to repair your vehicle right the first time. Our experts take the worry out of getting your vehicle back in perfect shape and performance.