BUSINESS SERVICES
BURSON EZYPARTS HOW HIGH PERFORMING WORKSHOPS USE Making business easier DATA TO BOOST PERFORMANCE Burson Auto Parts – which says it is Australia’s preferred trade supplier of parts, tools and equipment – has unveiled its all new, web enabled, simplified and speedier Burson EZYParts catalogue and ordering system for trade account customers. Burson EZYParts reportedly reduces the time spent finding, ordering and quoting the correct parts required for the vast majority of general automotive vehicle servicing and repair work. The Burson EZYParts interface provides a broad view on parts availability, detailed technical information and accurate repair time data to enable repairers to see the stock available at multiple Burson Auto Parts stores within their proximity.
ACA Research says that regardless of whether you’re manufacturing, distributing, retailing, or fitting auto parts, running a business is hard
You need to tap into any advantage you can, which includes using data to help you make better decisions. This can however be challenging, with too much information available and not enough time to make sense of it, so here are some tips to get you started. Firstly, we must remember that data by itself is useless. Data helps us answer a question, so that’s where we must start: a clear question that is unique to your business. Once this has been defined, we can find the ‘right tool for the job’. It is also important to factor in our knowledge and understanding of our business, industry, customer base, local area, etc., as all of these help us work out what’s important, and what will provide meaning. Organisations like the AAAA can also play a key role, supplying information that can help members with this process. Here are three example questions we might ask, and the data we might use to answer them.
1. What vehicles will I be servicing? The speed and efficiency of the Burson EZYParts system is enhanced with intuitive vehicle search functions that include Registration, VIN and Free Text capabilities to help you find the exact replacement or service parts required. Burson EZYParts also includes detailed product information and product images covering the vast range of quality service and replacement parts in the Burson Auto Parts range. The system also easily allows for side-by-side parts comparisons to be made before making parts purchasing decisions. Burson Auto Parts trade customers can also customise their Burson EZYParts interface to perfectly suit their own customised profit, quotation and other cost factor requirements. This ensures greater accuracy of customer quoting, reducing the possibility of invoicing errors and inconsistencies. Updated vehicle Log Book Service guidelines ensure that customers receive the correct service as required for their specific vehicle requirements, also enabling more accurate labour time estimates. For more information, visit www.burson.com.au/trade-centre/ezyparts 90
Australian Automotive Aftermarket Magazine May 2022
Construction and Transport and Logistics businesses. Supporting these businesses will require a level of confidence servicing vans and utes, so I now know I need to invest in these vehicles before targeting this opportunity.
Electric vehicles are coming, but how fast? While they will be relevant in the future, I’m not yet seeing them in my workshop. It’s more relevant for me to look at what’s currently operating in my local area.
Figure Two: AAAA member localised car parc data
3. How do I make better staffing decisions? Staffing has always been a challenge, but it’s getting worse. I need to understand the context here, as it impacts how I manage my people, and the potential for growth. Looking at listings for trade jobs on Seek, I can see that they’ve increased from ~8,000 in May 2020 to over 30,000 today. This tells me how competitive the market is for talent, and that I need a clear point of difference to attract new staff, exactly the same as when it comes to attracting new business. Also, it highlights the value of investing in training for current employees, given how hard it would be to find talent externally.
As can be seen in this extract from the AAAA member exclusive car parc tool, the top vehicles in my area are small cars, with a heavy skew to Toyota. I need to ensure I invest in the tools, technicians, and training to service these vehicles before I start thinking about EVs. Figure Three: Trade jobs on Seek
While these are three examples of questions that might be asked, yours could be completely different. Regardless, there is data that can help you answer them, and give you more confidence in your decisions moving forward. Figure One: AAAA member localised car parc data
2. Where are the opportunities for my business? While I’ve got a good business servicing Toyotas in my local area, I want to grow. I’m interested in the fleet market, so can look at the businesses operating in my local area. As shown in the Figure Two chart (using publicly available data), the region is dominated by
Remember though… the first step is identifying the right questions to ask! This column was prepared for AAA Magazine by ACA Research, the AAAA’s partners in the AAAA Aftermarket Dashboard which is delivered to AAAA members each quarter. For more information, visit www.acaresearch.com.au or contact Ben Selwyn on bselwyn@acaresearch.com.au
