When you are on the road as much as I am, you do a lot ofreading. Some of it not so scholarly, like reading bumper stickersof all things.

Believe it or not, every now and then I come across one thatactually has some sound advice beyond humorous warnings againsttailgating. One sticker read, “If you think education is expensive,try ignorance.” Well, it was on the back of a college professor'scar, so maybe that does count as scholarly after all.

This saying seems rather general, but it can easily be appliedto the constantly evolving auto insurance industry, particularly interms of automobileconstruction and metallurgy.

These facets of the collision repair industry are changing at afaster pace than I have ever witnessed in my career, and there areno signs of a slowdown. We have seen more advances in vehiclerefinishes, materials, headlamps, and power plants over the lastfive years than we've experienced in the previous 10 years.

Readmore of Greg's insights at Sounding the Horn!

No one can afford to be left behind, so you need to ask yourselfa few questions to find out if your company is keeping up:

1. Are all of your appraisers knowledgeable about boron alloyproperties?
2. Do your appraisers know the necessary precautions they need totake when working with electric vehicles?
3. Have your underwriters evaluated the pricing implications thatthese new types of vehicles bring with them?
4. Every time your material-damage staff meets, is there adamage-related training session?

All of these areas require training, but unfortunately with ourstruggling economy, many of the carriers I've spoken with are infact cutting internal training programs and limiting or eliminatingreimbursement for outside training. This can truly be an expensiveway to save. What you save on expenses, you risk spending ten-foldon claims costs because your staff doesn't understand the properrepair procedures.

Material damage departments have a way to obtain much-neededtraining for little or no cost. Paint vendors, informationproviders, and OEMs offer written, electronic, and in some cases,in-person training that can help bridge the information gap.

Taking all of these steps and having the answers to thequestions above can make or break you. The combination of educationand training is a great return on investment ─ and a lot cheaperthan ignorance.