The State of Repair Planning in Collision Shops

What the data is telling us right now

Repair planning has always been a part of the collision repair process. What’s changing is how much it affects everything that comes after it. Insights from OEC’s latest Repair Planning Field Report show a clear pattern.

Many of the most common operational issues shops deal with today, including supplements, rework, delays, and documentation disputes, can often be traced back to how complete and consistent the repair plan was at the start of the job.

Here are the key takeaways shops should be paying attention to:

Confidence starts with planning, not the estimate

Shops often talk about confidence in terms of experience or speed. Our most recent RepairLogic survey data suggests confidence is more closely tied to how well the repair is planned:

• Over half of surveyed repair teams reported increased confidence after improving repair planning
• 52% reported fewer comebacks
• Nearly half saw a decrease in supplements

When required procedures are clearly identified up front, repair decisions feel less reactive and more justifiable when communicating with insurance partners.

Overlooked linked procedures create gaps in repair plans

As vehicles become more advanced, relying on memory or surface-level research won’t cut it. This matters because OEM procedures rarely stop at the first operation.

These linked procedures are easy to miss, especially when repairs involve ADAS, calibrations, and safety systems. Missing them is rarely intentional, but it has real consequences later in the repair process.

Here’s how quickly the required steps add up:

• 64% of procedures in RepairLogic include linked procedures
• 6 additional required steps are triggered in a single operation

64% of procedures in RepairLogic include linked procedures

6 additional required steps are triggered in a single operation

Rushed repair planning often costs more time later

Time limitations are one of the most common reasons shops skip or rush repair planning.

The most recent RepairLogic survey data challenges the idea that complete planning is time consuming, highlighting how:

• 75% of surveyed shops complete full repair plans in under 30 minutes
• 47% complete them in 15 minutes or less
• Before RepairLogic, 45% reported repair planning took more than 30 minutes with other tools

Skipping steps to save time often leads to supplements and rework that cost more time and resources overall.

Documentation helps justify repair decisions

Repair planning is no longer just about identifying what needs to be done. It is also about clearly explaining why.

Clear, OEM-backed documentation gives teams a shared reference point. It also reduces back-and-forth communications and helps keep discussions focused on requirements rather than opinions.

The data shows what this looks like in practice:

• 73% of shops reported improved conversations with insurance adjusters
• 67% that review repair plans after delivery do so for quality control, training, or compliance

Repair plans are now more visible and easily shared

As shops continue to develop repair plans that are more complete, they are also sharing the plans more widely. For example:

• Repair plans are regularly shared with technicians, insurers, and customers
• Since the QR code feature launched in summer 2025, RepairLogic users have generated more than 13,000 shareable repair plans, scanned an average of 3x per plan

This level of visibility changes internal accountability and helps technicians understand not just what to do, but why it matters.

Where this leaves shops

Shops are already doing the work. When repair planning is more consistent and includes stronger documentation, fewer issues show up later in the repair process.

Repair planning is increasingly becoming the foundation for safer repairs, smoother communications, and informed decision making that holds up long after the vehicle leaves the shop.