The automotive industry faces many challenges when it comes to finding complete point of sale inventory and auto parts management software.
Few software solutions are able to manage part lists, service orders, accounting, and all the other day-to-day tasks that go on behind the scenes.
The best solution is an integrated automotive point of sale software with modern technology like barcodes and scanners, access to vendor part information, and scheduling tools. Such a system can help auto industry companies become more efficient and profitable over time. Here are some ways a system like this can help.
Service Scheduling
The longer a vehicle sits in your shop, the more money you are losing. Delays caused by unavailable parts and additional repairs can cause a major problem.
With the help of a comprehensive ERP solution, it is possible to closely monitor your service schedule for significantly improved efficiency and less downtime. If parts are being ordered in, you can schedule the service to match the estimated arrival date of the parts.
In addition, your system can help monitor the estimated man-hours needed for the service to ensure that there is enough room in the shop for all of the vehicles that are scheduled.
All of these scheduling tools will be available directly from the POS portal to streamline your order placement and scheduling into one action.
Buying and Selling
The hardest part of selling in the automotive industry is staying on top of the vast collection of part numbers available from each manufacturer.
In order to serve customers well, you must be sure that the part numbers you have on file are compatible with the year, make, and model of the vehicle being working on. This gets more and more complex each year as auto manufacturers add variations and options to their parts lists.
Your software needs to allow for cataloging all available parts, as well as a range of special order parts. It also needs to give you the ability to search the year, make, model at the POS to access vendor parts and stock level information, as well as the ability to purchase a non-stock item from a vendor.
Your customers will appreciate your ability to identify and locate the parts they need, as well as having up to date information on order status and pricing.
Pricing Tools
The automotive industry is full of wide-ranging pricing models that can be unpredictable. Sometimes prices fluctuate based on outside factors or industry news.
In order to serve your customers with the highest degree of accuracy and the best possible prices, your automotive point of sale solution must be directly connected to your vendors for up to the minute pricing information.
This also includes the ability to set up any promotional and special pricing while tracking margins to keep on top of profitability. This will also help avoid any confusion when there are specialty parts that must be ordered in from off-site locations.
Barcode and Scanning Technology
The problem of managing so many part numbers becomes more apparent when it is time to organize these parts in a warehouse or shop location.
With the help of barcode and scanning systems, you will have the ability to assign parts to bin locations within your warehouse for easy locating on demand.
This system can also help prevent similar parts from getting mixed together and can serve as an important part of your first in-first out rotation. It will be integrated with your search system so that you can identify parts for the customer and then pick the part right off of a shelf.
The Complete Overview
Your automotive point of sale inventory software can also solve problems for your back-end business as well. This includes everything from your accounting systems to your order procurement process.
By having an integrated system, you will have access to a complete overview of reports regarding all aspects of your business. This will streamline processes, increase transparency, and make it easier to make the best decisions for your business.
From manufacturing and service appointments to accounting and HR, your automotive ERP solution needs to cover all your bases.
With a top-notch ERP system in place, it is possible to gain control of your entire automotive business and bring all of your data under one umbrella. This makes it easier to see where your strengths and weaknesses are so you can improve your processes, and serve your customers with a higher degree of efficiency and great service.
If you have been struggling with multiple software systems and separate reporting procedures, now is your chance to put everything together into a big picture view of how your business is performing and what you can do to scale up to the next level.
Learn more about automotive ERP solutions from Eagle Business Software today and see how we are serving automotive companies around the world.
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