Insurance agent and safety advocate Jon Fransway was one of several speakers at the 2016 AGSC Member Meeting.
The Auto Glass Safety Council™ (AGSC) held its annual meeting in early October in San Antonio, just before Auto Glass Week™ got underway. The meeting featured a special appearance by insurance agent Jon Fransway along with several other informative speakers.
Fransway has worked as a safety advocate in the AGRR industry since his sister’s death in 1999 due to an improperly installed windshield. He gave an impassioned plea for safety and introduced the AGSC’s recently debuted video, which provides a history of the AGSC along with a detailed look at why proper windshield installations are crucial. The video also explains the importance of utilizing AGSC Registered Member Companies and offers an overview of the third-party validation program in which companies agree to participate.
“My sister’s death has special meaning to the auto glass industry throughout the country,” said a visibly emotional Fransway. “We want everyone to survive [a] crash. Her death was due to the gross display of a windshield improperly installed in the aftermarket.”
“Wear your AGSC patch on your shoulder,” he added. “Brand yourself. The Standard moves the industry forward and not backward. The death of my sister has not been forgotten. We have a responsibility to our customers to continue education.”
Fransway said he is a strong supporter of the AGSC and its mission to ensure properly installed windshields.
“Telephone Doctor” Nancy Friedman led an informative session about proper phone etiquette and how to maximize sales through phone conversations.
The meeting also included reports from several AGSC committees, a marketing primer by AGSC marketing committee member Jennifer Cannon of Century Glass, and an educational session by Nancy Friedman, “The Telephone Doctor,” about proper phone etiquette and how to maximize sales through phone conversations.
“There are a lot of tools available to AGSC Registered Member Companies,” said Cannon during her session. “There is a new member directory, a new video, counter signs, and much more.”
She said safety comes first.
“Talk to your customers about the AGSC. Educate them through radio, TV and other advertisements. Thank them for choosing your shop—a Registered Member Company of the Auto Glass Safety Council. Be patient with customers and always remember to smile,” Cannon said.
Cannon’s company, Century Glass, celebrates its certified technicians with an AGSC cake after they complete the AGSC certification exam and also present them with a technician apron that includes all of the certification patches that the tech has earned.
A big part of being an AGSC Registered Member Company is agreeing to be regularly audited to ensure best practices. Penny Ouellette of Orion Registrar, whose company administers the audit program, provided members with updates on the ANSI/AGSC/AGRSS™ Standard 003-2015 changes as they apply to audits.
This year’s audits were the first done in accordance with the updated standard, ANSI/AGSC/AGRSSS 003-2015. Under the revised standard, for example, companies must now inform customers of safe-drive-away time before and after an installation, she said.
There are also new requirements related to anti-pinch mechanisms. They must be initialized and reset and the technician must confirm that they are working properly, she noted.
“Everyone at a company must now be trained on the Standard,” Ouellette pointed out, adding that this means they must all be made of aware of what the Standard entails.
“However, you can do your own training,” Ouellette said. “Or the AGSC will supplement, sending Bob Beranek of Automotive Glass Consultants out to train. You can send techs to be tested at no charge.”
Nancy Friedman, “The Telephone Doctor,” closed out the member meeting by offering a high-energy interactive session on customer service skills.
“You cannot do two things well at once,” she said. “When you talk on the phone, you concentrate on the person on the phone. When you type an email, concentrate on that.”