Page 24 - Australasian Paint & Panel Magazine

PARTS CHECK ADVERTISING FEATURE
DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
Here’s Bob, he owns a smash repair shop. His repair techniques and equipment are among the best in the industry.
HOWEVER, THE SAME can’t be said for his
office processes. This is Larry, he is Bob’s
estimator. Larry has to contact all his
suppliers individually for parts quotes,
looking for prices and correct part
numbers and now he also has to get repair
methods on just about every job. Between
organising quotes, negotiating better
prices and ordering parts, Larry spends a
large part of his day emailing, faxing or on
the phone. Larry then has to manually
enter all the part numbers and prices and
make notes about all his decisions for use
at a later time. Larry even drags other
staff away from their jobs to help him out.
On top of everything, Doug the panel
beater now interrupts Larry to chase
additional parts to complete the job he’s working on. Larry just doesn’t have the time to get everything done and everyone suffers as a result as does their profit margin.
If, like Bob, Larry and Doug you have thought “there must be a better way to do this” but failed to find a solution, you are not alone. We are all creatures of habit and sometimes we don’t know where to turn to for help so we just keep on doing what we have always done. There is a better way.
Back to Larry. He values talking to his suppliers personally. However, he can’t afford half an hour with Joe the
supplier because they both love golf. Larry doesn’t
want to risk his relationship with Joe, but does
not have time to discuss his back swing. Larry also gets frustrated calling multiple suppliers but his job is to get the part on time at a good price. Larry want to use local suppliers and support local business, but he often gets frustrated at how inefficient the parts sourcing process is.
Bob starts thinking about putting on more
staff but how can he afford it? What Bob really
needs is a solution which is capable of sending quotes to all his suppliers at once, better still, one that is free to use. Remember Joe the supplier? He tells Larry about a program that he has been using for some of his other repairers over the last few months that has improved his time efficiency and increased
his sales. Joe connects Larry with Pete from PartsCheck.
Pete spends 30 minutes training Larry on how to integrate his quoting package with PartsCheck and runs a live demonstration while Larry is on the phone. Pete helps Larry send his first parts quotes on a current job that is long overdue. Larry is delighted when he receives multiple responses back within the hour and with PartsCheck’s online calculator he is able to work out the best profit margin for the job. Larry is then amazed he hasn’t had to manually enter any of this data into his quote package. Wow!
24 PAINT&PANEL July / August 2018
Like Bob’s suppliers, yours too would be happy to receive more information such as photos and detailed descriptions, making the whole quoting process more accurate, streamlined and time efficient. You may feel like you are not able to negotiate the best prices if you aren’t in constant contact with your suppliers, however this is not the case. If they know they are competing for your business, they will have the opportunity to give you their best price each and every time. After all, they are in the same competitive marketplace as you.
PartsCheck integrates with most quote packages in Australia and provides a solution to help reduce the time it takes to price, order, receipt and credit parts. With the click of a button, information transfers seamlessly into PartsCheck such as vehicle information, photos and parts list. You choose which suppliers you wish to send your quote to and when you would like
your quote returned. The quotes arrive back on one easy to read page, highlighting profitability and availability. Simply select which parts you would like to order, modify any margins if required and click save. Information such as correct part numbers and pricing will flow back into your quote package. No more data entry.
Now Doug has his parts on time, Bob’s bank account looks healthier and Larry has time to work on his back swing.
“You may feel like you are not able to negotiate the best prices if you aren’t in constant contact with your suppliers, however this is not the case.”
If you would like to take advantage of the free service provided by PartsCheck to help streamline your repair
business, register today at www.partscheck.com.au.
www.paintandpanel.com.au