SC October2011.pdf - Parts & People

Fast Undercar expands by maintaining a customer-driven environment
Continued from page 1
Douglass said he didn’t offer a lifetime
warranty in the beginning. “Customers told
us they couldn’t keep all of the different
warranties straight, so we just went to a nohassle,
no-limits warranty regardless of who
made the part.”
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He said his customers wanted to be
assured that they could take care of their
customers without confusion or concern.
“So we took a variable and made it a
customer-driven constant — end of worry.
Every part we sell is guaranteed to deliver
full customer satisfaction forever.”
Douglass said a key attraction for Fast
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Brad Davis, Program Director
bdavis@armstrongprofessional.com
Undercar is its commitment to
investing in the latest technology to
provide a superior customer
experience.
Among the tools he said he uses is
a bar-code system for inventory
receiving and management, the latest
in electronic cataloging, Voice Over
Internet Protocol connecting all of
the branches, and automatic
inventory replenishment on a daily
basis.
“When an account calls us, they
know they will receive immediate
pricing and availability information
from an experienced counterperson,” he
said. “They also know with nearly 100-
percent certainty that their replacement
parts will be delivered immediately.”
What the customer doesn’t know,
Douglass said, is that the order has activated
a just-in-time replenishment process
involving an electronic purchase order that
is quickly transmitted to the manufacturer,
which restocks the appropriate store’s
inventory the next day.
Douglass said the basis of any customerdriven
organization is its employees and, in
the case of Fast Undercar, its franchisees.
“It’s all about personnel,” he said. “Having
the right people who are talented and have
the aptitude tied with a long-term
commitment to the industry.”
Training for employees and franchisees is
an ongoing process, Douglass said,
including on-site training using product
manuals and through online training offered
by most of its vendors.
“Training and other programs are no
substitute for a motivated individual,” he
said. “From the beginning, we wanted
owner/operators — someone who is
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Monroe shocks and struts are among the lines
moving well for Fast Undercar, company founder
Bruce Douglass says.
making a full-time commitment to the
business. Not just an investor.”
The outcome, Douglass said, is an
organization with people who are motivated
to take care of their individual customers
and are loyal to the larger organization.
“This is a group that really stands together,
which results in the best customer service
and strong supplier relationships.”
Fast Undercar offers nearly every major
brand of undercar products, but Douglass
said products from Monroe, Timken, Exide,
Raybestos, and Centric are moving well.
“This year we’ve also added engine
management components including
Standard Motor Products, NGK, Autolite,
and Champ filters,” he said.
A growing service trend Douglass said he
sees is the replacement of complete
assemblies such as control arms and halfshafts.
“Electronic Ride Control (ESC) is
still new to the aftermarket, although ridecontrol
companies recognize the potential
in future years.”
The biggest challenge on the parts side is
SKU proliferation, which Douglass said has
been a challenge for years and will
continue. “Service professionals are
challenged by the complexity and diversity
of suspension systems that integrate electromechanical
and other complex
components,” he said.
Douglass said nearly all of the company’s
downstream efficiencies depend on the
counterperson’s ability to provide
immediate, accurate pricing, and
availability information to his customers.
“We’re investing in a new graphical
electronic catalog from our solutions
provider, Activant, called ‘eCat’ which
includes thousands of product images, key
part specifications, technical service
bulletins, installation instructions, and other
information that will enhance the value we
provide to our professional accounts.
“If you boil it all down, it’s about
culture,” Douglass said. “That’s what
differentiates one organization from
another. Just about everything about Fast
Undercar is customer-driven.” n
Page 24 October 2011 Parts & People www.partsandpeople.com