View From The Trenches

Over the past few weeks, some of the views expressed in our forums have been so contrarian, they border on the edge of hyperbole. If my leg is being pulled, I’ll need crutches to walk or at least a visit to my chiropractor should be scheduled.

First of all, one reads that proper install procedures are overrated, and that people don’t die from bad glazing and if they do, the numbers are miniscule. The same writer questions in another post about if we should educate our customers since it seems that if price is indeed the greatest motivator, the consumer really doesn’t want to know the structural or economic downside of poor workmanship. Lastly, the writer notes that registering with AGRSS is a useless measure since it would not protect you from liability.

We installers are a fairly macho group. Our lot in life is not easy. The work is physically hard, stressful due to its nature and the pressures placed on us by schedules, customers or managers. Some of us call this a craft; to others, it is just a job.

In all of my years, I have never heard plumbers brag that they can install or repair ten toilets in a day or a surgeon replace a half dozen hip joints or more. However, if you are a production auto glazier, numbers, deadlines and bonuses are daily facts of life.

What we do for a living affects others. There is no way around that little factoid. If we race through an install, use the cheapest parts and materials available as a matter of course and do not adhere to manufacturer’s guidelines, there may very well be a price to pay for that consumer. It may only be an air noise, a loose moulding or it may be an ejectable windshield after a severe impact. You may be responsible for the start of a $2,000 corrosion bill five years hence or you could be liable for a person’s death or maiming six months later.

If you don’t care about possible outcomes, I want you out of installing auto glass. The same goes for companies that give lip service to quality. By handing an installer nine jobs that require 100 miles of travel, you are just as guilty as the guy who thinks he’s saving time by not using primer.

The public is usually unaware of what is safe. They look to you as being an expert. I can’t count the number of ‘smart engineers’ who can’t grasp (or won’t) the concept of the cure time of urethane. If they can’t, what does that say about a Generation-X office worker? People will generally follow directions if they are given some to obey and a heads-up beforehand. However, as a mobile technician, if I show up late at a jobsite and install a windshield an hour before the end of a client’s 35-degree wintery work day, wrap the perimeter in blue painter’s tape and drive away, who is putting whom at risk? People simply depend on us to be the “professionals” since we ‘profess’ to know what we are doing. (Well, some of us do.)

Without groups like AGRSS, our industry could flounder far more than what it does already. It sets a minimum standard of professional practices that are based on hard science. It is not an insurance policy against malpractice nor is AGRSS a shield against liability. If a company or single installer implements the stated procedures, one should be able to minimize exposure to faulty installations. AGRSS also is a resource for constantly updating our ability to stay current on technological changes within the industry.

It is my humble opinion that those within the independent AGR industry face such a myriad number of challenges because of the widespread nature of the self-inflicted problems we induce upon ourselves. There exists such disparate interests, policies and opinions within our ranks that we find it impossible to agree on important internal issues that we need to resolve along with those external problems that require unity. It’s time that we start closing ranks to find common ground and to stop trying to find reasons for division.

I don’t possess an MBA in marketing but it seems like there is an incredible lack of national branding of any kind within our industry. One doesn’t need an MBA from Harvard to declare if one or two brands could be etched into the American psyche, fortunes could be assured.

I think I could make an argument that we will lose perhaps the best-known brand when Platinum completes the purchase of the AGR division from PPG. Aside from that, the next most recognizable name I would guess would be Safelite and I’m sure that the folks at Belron are trying to determine if it is worth time, effort and funds to upgrade that name or revert back to its corporate Nome de plume. Their increased advertising on cable outlets has not gone unnoticed as perhaps a portent of things to come.

What feature of auto glass captures the interest or provides the hook that makes the public aware of its existence. Is there one?

It would be extremely interesting to me to see what kind of results one would find if surveys or focus groups concentrated on auto glass issues alone. Is price the greatest determining factor? Is quality? What about safety? Local shop or national? OE or off-shore knockoff replacement glass? Does it matter if the shop you choose is licensed, certified or just available for mobiles on Saturday?

What is more important: establishing a brand that is nationwide or creating a level of professionalism within the industry that is acknowledged out of it?

From a personal standpoint, I’d like to argue that having standards is more important. However, the reality is if a company could become synonymous with the craft like Midas Mufflers or Starbucks has already achieved, that is the dream of any founder. I won’t lie—I’d revel in the idea of making such an impact.

There is a magazine called Good Housekeeping that offers what is known as “The Seal of Approval,” which it applies to products that advertise in its pages. Looking back, many consumers have used that seal in making choices for their cooking, cleaning and other domestic choices. Let’s acknowledge right away that it is impossible for any company to get that “Seal” without having to spend advertising dollars with the publisher. Despite that reality, companies vie and consumers accept that as a mark of quality.

AGRSS to me is on the threshold of becoming something much larger than just an industry-wide validation label. I believe if AGRSS would advertise its membership as a mark of professionalism, it could raise consciousness both outside and within the industry.

AGRSS needs to grow teeth at the same time. Companies pay to be a member yet may very well give lip service to internal installation training and practices. AGRSS has to protect itself from being just window dressing. If it does, it strengthens itself in the eyes of both the industry and the consumer.

With the lack of competition, AGRSS could seize the moral high ground and compel America to take notice of their standards. At the same time, as their profile rises, so should their membership. It is a position worth staking out.

What ever happened to courtesy?

I don’t remember Congress listing it as an endangered species. I’m fairly sure that being polite has not been outlawed as a social aberration. For anyone driving a car or posting a thought on a message board, that simple human attribute seems to have disappeared along with Princess telephones.

I wonder, why are we just becoming too self-absorbed and contained to be able to think about others?

Take driving for a minute. I see either motorists who have become much too aggressive, cutting in and out of traffic or those too wrapped up in cell phone calls to notice that other cars are around them. The proof of this premise can be found at any busy four-way stop sign where drivers seem incapable of following the basic law of allowing traffic flow to move from left to right.

I contribute to Internet forums and listen to talk radio. I can’t believe the uncivil language unleashed by callers or posters. Does everyone have to be called an idiot for his or her views?
When was the last time one held the door open for a woman? Yes, I’m aware of the current gender equality demands. Still do you open a car door for your girlfriend or spouse? How about a person carrying a child or packages?

The two magic phrases of Captain Kangaroo still ring in my ears from 50 years ago. They were “please” and “thank you.” These simple words need to be re-established in the daily vocabulary on many of us.

How does this topic relate to auto glass? Not directly. I guess it has to do with respect for others. I just think we can make things a little better if we take into consideration using manners and the Captain’s magic words.

Thank you for reading this.