Back in the day, we ordered something, we were told it would arrive in seven to 10 business days and we waited. Now, we’ve become accustomed to being able to follow that package across the country. And that expectation has migrated from our personal lives to our businesses.
When customers order a part from a heavy-duty independent aftermarket distributor or dealer, of course they want to know when they’re going to get it. But, more than that, customers might want to track the part’s whereabouts and be able to check whether there is a delay.
Being able to provide order tracking, which can take many forms, would be a nice addition to the customer service you provide.
Daniel Hagy, president and co-owner, Transerve, sees the benefit of providing order tracking and it is something he is considering implementing.
“Everybody is so used to having information immediately available at their fingertips, so when you can’t pull that kind of service off, I think it leaves customers a little frustrated,” Hagy says. “In this business, communication is what differentiates you from competitors. The more you communicate, the better it is and I see that as a communication tool. It would make us more competitive.”
Order tracking options
Some parts providers might opt for a solution that is completely automated, such as a website portal, which enables customers to order parts and track their shipments online. This option often enables customers to order parts at any time of day and lessens employee time on the phone taking orders.
Other solutions can provide emails, or multiple touchpoints, to keep customers informed of their parts orders. Or, providers can opt for a top-notch, in-house system — yes, customers must call the parts provider — but the parts staff can tell them exactly where their parts are and approximate the time of day they’ll receive their order. While these solutions perhaps require more effort from customers and counter staff, parts and solutions providers say these methods maintain improved contact (read: relationships) with their customers.
Blaine Brothers is in the process of developing an e-commerce site not just for its B2B customers, but B2C as well. (Editor’s note: As of this writing, the site was scheduled to launch Oct. 31.)
The goal of the site is “to reach out to a greater audience of customers,” says Tony Mickle, director of purchasing.
“It’s a rather big undertaking and requires a lot of time, energy and dollars, but we hope it will be our next level of service to our customers,” adds Parts Manager Phil Howard. “It’s true e-commerce, just like when you order something through Amazon. Customers will get an email with the order confirmation number and an email when the part is on its way with a tracking number for UPS, FedEx or other freight company. That’s the direction we are going.”
Howard and Mickle say the company’s e-commerce team also is developing processes for handling core and parts returns through the new site. Emails will include a link to customer support as well.
DMS Systems offers Qwik-Order, a customized, turnkey e-commerce portal. The service provides customers real-time order status and FedEx/UPS/USPS shipping and tracking information as well as inventory availability, customer-specific pricing and parts ordering at any time of day, among other features.
Regarding customer order tracking, DMS President Grady Davis says, “They can track their parts through the Order Status button on the left menu area of the screen. They can see previous orders, back orders and tracking information for shipped orders if sent by UPS, FedEx, etc.”
He adds, “Order tracking is definitely a competitive advantage.”
The AutoPower System can provide parts providers myriad services, including inventory and warehouse management, accounting, reporting and analysis and sales tools to enhance distributors’ customer service.
From a parts sales perspective, AutoPower helps its clients keep their customers aware of the status of their orders through a series of emails that are automatically sent, says AutoPower President Michael Mallory.
For example, when customers order parts from a distributor by phone or via an e-commerce site hosted by AutoPower, customers receive an order confirmation email. Once the order is picked and packaged, the end customer will receive an acknowledgement of the parts to be shipped along with a copy of the invoice the AutoPower System generates at the time of shipping. The emailed invoice includes a shipping tracking number.
“Customers don’t have to go out of their way to go into a web portal and type in the order number and figure out what stage we’re at because we’re communicating with that end buyer along the way automatically,” Mallory says. “Our approach is to do the heavy lifting for the customer and we will automate the sending of these emails as we go through the different stages of picking and shipping the order.”
The AutoPower system enables parts providers to work with their customers to set up the email notifications.
“Customers can nominate how many people in their organization should get these notifications so we can send it to multiple individuals based on their responsibilities,” Mallory says.
Should a delivery not arrive on time, customers can use the carrier tracking number provided in the email. Should they decide to call the parts provider instead, which Mallory says is often the case, the counter person can press a “hot key” to immediately take him to the carrier’s website to quickly provide customers with the location of the parts and arrival date.
“In this age of technology, any way you can extend customer service is always going to be a feather in your cap. You become a preferred supplier when such services can be had automatically and routinely,” Mallory says.
The manner in which orders are tracked doesn’t require automatic email notifications or website portals to be helpful to parts providers’ customers.
Over the years, Hovis Auto and Truck Supply has been developing an in-house process to track orders between its CDC and 17 locations, which enables employees to quickly provide delivery information whenever customers call.
“We have lots of processes in place, ways of tracking where parts are coming from, where they’re going to, the location of our trucks, and it’s all basically at the push of a button. It’s bulletproof,” says Hovis Auto President Cliff Hovis.
Through the distributor’s in-house order tracking system and because the distributor makes deliveries twice a day, “customers are confident we’re going to get parts to them when we say we are. If a part is anywhere in our system, the customer will have it in half a day,” Hovis says.
Walking the tightrope
As technology evolves, businesses have been able to get more done in less time. Why should customers make the trip to the parts counter when they can phone in an order from a parts catalog?
That scenario has progressed to: Why pick up the phone when they can order parts online?
While technology makes routine tasks more convenient, it also makes business less personal. The trucking industry prides itself on being about relationships and those who sell parts as well as the companies that enable customers to check on their orders themselves understand the tightrope they must walk.
On one hand, parts departments are providing a convenience by saving their customers a phone call regarding the whereabouts of their truck parts. At the same time, however, they don’t want to lose that personal element.
“People who are coming into our industry are doing it in a different manner. A lot of customers are asking, ‘Hey, can I buy online?’ We don’t want to get away from personal relationships. There still has to be that component. But as businesses get busier, they are trying to do more. The e-commerce site is really just a convenience so they can get their daily business done,” Howard says.
With more customers choosing to order online, Howard says that level of service must extend to the digital space “by having the best website out there. Make it user friendly and, certainly, order tracking would fall into that.”
Mallory says he knows some distributors will opt for a self-service-type website solution to remove costs from the distribution process and some software providers downplay the human element in favor of technology.
“There’s a point when you can do so much of that so easily with technology that you lose the opportunity to maintain a kind of relationship that customers and distributors enjoy having with each other,” he says. “We did not elect to go the portal route but, instead, wanted to offer a solution that provides the communication directly to the people needing the answers.”
Customers want to know when their parts are arriving. Aftermarket distributors and dealers have choices in how they go about it. There’s no incorrect choice as long as they’re able to quickly provide that information in some form, which leads to better customer service and stronger relationships.
