Your auto parts inventory is a substantial asset that ensures your service department is able to perform efficiently and effectively. It is also critical to serving customers who are looking to fill a parts request quickly.

These days, people don’t have time to wait for you to locate or order in a part. They want their vehicle fixed as soon as possible and as such, maintaining a proper inventory is crucial. 

Part of this is knowing that the auto parts inventory is accurate. You need to trust that your inventory records will help you quickly locate what you need so that you can move onto the next step. 

But that is not the only way an accurate inventory benefits your company.

Scheduling

By maintaining an accurate parts inventory record, you can easily determine how long it will take to get the parts you need to fix a customer’s vehicle. At a glance, you will be able to confidently determine whether or not you have what you need to fix a customer’s vehicle now or whether they will have to bring their vehicle in another day when they have been ordered and delivered.

Accurate inventory management also helps the Parts department manager maintain stock. If the records are effectively maintained, the system should be able notify them when a part gets low and needs to be re-ordered.

Additionally, accurate parts inventory records ensure that you are optimizing space and minimizing obsolescence. If your records are correct, you will be able to track historical trends, over time, to determine optimal restocking numbers and times.

Customer Service

Maintaining proper inventory records increase customer satisfaction. From a parts perspective, if your inventory records are properly maintained, you will be able to answer parts inquiries and fill customer orders faster. If a customer has to wait longer for a response or finds out that a part they were told was in stock isn’t, it can have a negative effect on their opinion of the company.

If you are able to quickly determine whether or not the auto part is in stock and, if necessary, how long it will take to obtain, your customer will feel more confident in your business.

Additionally, good inventory records will help improve time quotes on a job. There are few things less dissatisfying to a customer than having to wait for a part to be ordered after they were told that it was in stock.

Better Use of Time

Effective inventory tracking means that your staff will spend less time looking for parts and more time doing tasks that are focused on improving the parts department.

For example, if your parts department can depend on the inventory management system to provide up-to-date information they can spend less time locating parts and more time organizing the parts storage to increase efficiency and access or they can find ways to reduce inventory costs by researching new vendors or working out better deals with current vendors.