What Makes a Good Parts Customer?

What Makes a Good...

It’s true what they say: Relationships are a two-way street. Good partnerships rely on what both sides put in. One of the most important relationships in the auto body world is the one between collision repair shops and their parts suppliers.

Both need each other to survive. Shops can’t repair vehicles without parts, and suppliers cannot operate without clients buying their products.

Last month, New Jersey Automotive heard from body shops who shared what they seek and want most from their parts suppliers. (See bit.ly/NJA0822.) When we asked body shops what makes a good parts supplier, good communication and customer service seemed to be at the top of their list. This month, we set out to find what parts suppliers believe make the ideal customer.

Not surprisingly, parts suppliers agree that good communication is key.

“To me, the ideal customer is someone we can have open communication with,” shares Christine RizzoDonaruma of Ciocca/NJ Parts of Flemington. “That is the biggest thing for me. I’d like to think body shops want the same. Having clear communication makes everything flow smoothly.

...Parts Customer?

“We like to have fun with our customers, and we want to develop friendships,” adds Rizzo-Donaruma. “When I go on the road, I develop friendships with our customers, and they become part of our family. It’s great walking into a shop where everyone knows who you are and is happy to see you.” On the flip side, zero or ineffective communication can spell trouble for suppliers. Mike Kaufmann of the Mike Kaufmann Dealer Group has witnessed this a number of times where customers will order parts they wind up not needing. Many factors can lead to that happening, but when they fail to cancel the order, they compromise the dealer who went out of their way to obtain and deliver the part. “It would make things better if they simply told the dealer, ‘I located the part. Please cancel the order,’” Kaufmann suggests. “That way, the dealer doesn’t have to deliver the part – they can put it back in their stock and maybe deliver it to someone else if it’s a hard-to-get part.

“Shops want communication from the dealer; well, it goes the other way too. Shops need to communicate back,” adds Kaufmann.