Why invest in a customer-specific spare parts catalogue
Buying clothes, building materials or pet food online is not usually a very stressful process. However, the situation is different when a company's production line or equipment stops due to a faulty pneumatic cylinder, for example. The process is rarely so simple that the customer can click on a product in their shopping basket after a single search and continue their business without any major concerns.
When a spare part is needed, the customer must contact the equipment supplier, for example by telephone or via digital channels. At this stage, identifying the spare part takes an unreasonable amount of time if the exact spare part number is not known. The equipment supplier must search through their own documents to identify the part's serial number, year of manufacture or model. At worst, this can take weeks, while several other similar enquiries are being processed at the same time. Once the part has finally been found, the equipment supplier places an order and the part begins its journey to the customer. However, there is still a risk at this stage: has the correct spare part been found and is it definitely compatible with the customer's equipment? If the risk materialises, it will take even more time to credit and return the parts.
The generic spare parts catalogue model described above works when the equipment is not complex, does not contain many wear parts, and identifying spare parts does not take too much time. But what if, for example, the device is a pneumatic cylinder or other component whose required dimensions, stroke lengths and thrust vary from one device to another?
The customer-specific spare parts catalogue available on our customer portal offers a smoother alternative to the generic spare parts catalogue. Thanks to the customer-specific catalogue, the equipment supplier's customer has access to view all the equipment they use and examine their exploded views. The customer can easily identify the spare part they need from the catalogue and order the correct part with confidence.
When using the customer-specific catalogue in the customer portal, there is no need to search for spare parts, so there is minimal disruption to the customer's business. Other equipment suppliers cannot compete in the process, as the customer does not need to consult external technical experts or source spare parts elsewhere in the hope of faster delivery times, for example. The equipment supplier also receives up-to-date information about their products: the customer's order information is organised in the system, making it possible to track which parts are worn and how often. This makes it easier to draw up maintenance contracts, for example.
For equipment suppliers, our customer portal is the ideal solution when the goal is to develop more customer-oriented operations. Our customer portal provides customers with an up-to-date view of their own equipment and helps them identify the right parts. The customer portal reduces the duration of unplanned maintenance and makes it easier to plan scheduled maintenance. The equipment supplier's work is made easier when customers need less help in finding the right parts. This frees up time for both parties to develop their business.