Balancing preferred parts suppliers with flexible options for efficiency and happier customers

How is your supplier strategy helping to turn bays and get customers back on the road? It’s awesome if you have 1-2 suppliers that you trust and have worked with for years, but what’s your auto shop’s game plan when they don’t have the part you need available?

Here’s the thing: at the end of the day, your customers’ happiness with your services is one of the top elements keeping your business running. They want their car fixed correctly and promptly. A robust supplier strategy ensures you’re always prepared to put your best foot forward in getting the right parts as quickly as possible — leading to quicker service times and more satisfied customers.

Smart, efficient parts procurement

The optimal parts strategy incorporates your top preferred suppliers but also includes fallback suppliers. While you may not have a long-standing relationship with these alternative suppliers, if they can provide quality parts fast when unavailable at your primary suppliers, that’s what’s key.

How often have customers told you they need their car back on a time crunch? Being proactive with procuring parts means anticipating needs before they become urgent. When your primary supplier can’t fulfill your needs for a part, always have alternative suppliers whose inventory you can quickly view and order from. This flexibility not only expedites repairs but is also essential in ensuring your shop operates efficiently. It helps avoid bottlenecks by minimizing situations where vehicles are left sitting while they wait on parts.

Combining all of your suppliers’ inventory into one lookup

When it comes to shop efficiency, every split second adds up.

Even if you only search or call your top two suppliers most of the time, having them and your fallback suppliers in one lookup will save you time. By combining your parts and tire suppliers into one search with a system like PartsTech, you can quickly view pricing and availability for a part across an unlimited number of your suppliers on one screen. You spend less time searching for parts, can quickly see which supplier can get you a part the soonest, and can order multiple parts from multiple suppliers in one click within a single shopping cart.

Safeguard your shop against parts delays

Having a solid part supplier strategy is not just about hedging bets — it’s about being the best service provider you can be to your customers.

What if a part is out of stock at your preferred supplier? What if your primary contact, who always comes through for you, leaves the business or is out on vacation? What if one of your commercial agreements suddenly changes? Regardless of the circumstances, it’s wise to have a supplier strategy that includes multiple suppliers so that you can do your best to protect your customers from experiencing repair delays caused by parts ordering delays.

By integrating PartsTech into your parts sourcing strategy, you can help safeguard your shop against unforeseen delays when your go-to suppliers don’t have a part in stock and ensure you’re doing all you can to get a part as fast as possible to make a customer happy by promptly getting them safely back on the road.

“PartsTech is effective, convenient, accessible, and easy to use. It allows us to see multiple parts suppliers in one place, and it makes our jobs more efficient and our customers a lot happier.”
– Reese Jaques, Service Advisor, AutoTec, Campbell, California

Give PartsTech a try. Using PartsTech is free — no catches, credit cards, or contracts.