White Paper

Introduction

This white paper discusses the benefits offered by illustrated spare parts catalog software. It will also describe key features of the software and how it can impact the after-sales service operations for OEMs. 

Executive Summary

Gaining customer satisfaction and building brand loyalty in today’s competitive landscape demands an efficient after-sales service. Conventional paper-based spare parts catalogs are prone to errors and inconvenient to update frequently. Consumers also need a long time to navigate through these catalogs. Illustrated spare parts catalog software turns out to be a powerful solution here and streamlines the parts identification and ordering process for both customers and businesses. 

Challenges of Traditional Spare Parts Catalogs

• ‍Inaccurate and Incomplete Information: Updating paper catalogs frequently is inconvenient for OEMs, making paper catalogs prone to outdated information and missing parts listings.‍
• Difficulty in Navigation: Equipment layouts are usually complex, making it difficult to find the right parts without enough visual aids.
• ‍Manual Processing: Spare parts searching and ordering processes involve manual work and often lead to delays in fulfilling customer requests.
• ‍Limited Accessibility: Users cannot access paper catalogs remotely, nor are they suitable for mobile usage.‍
• Inventory Management Issues: Due to inaccurate or incomplete information, users may misidentify the parts. This causes stock mismanagement and increases stockout instances.   

Benefits of Illustrated Spare Parts Catalog Software

• ‍Improved Accuracy: A systematic approach for managing data helps OEMs to ensure all parts information is complete and up-to-date.
• Intuitive Navigation: This software provides interactive features like exploded diagrams and search filters to simplify the parts identification process.
• Improved Efficiency: When workflows and ordering processes are automated, it reduces turnaround times considerably.
• Enhanced Customer Service: Easy identification of spare parts allows technicians to fix repairs quickly. Faster resolution to customer issues makes them happy, improving customer service.
• ‍Reduced Costs: OEMs save on printing and distribution expenses that were otherwise involved in the case of paper catalogs.
• ‍Accessibility and Mobility: With secure online access, customers and employees can find parts from anywhere.
• ‍Advanced Inventory Management: Real-time tracking feature allows users to regulate stock levels instantly and prevent stockouts.
• ‍Improved Sales Opportunities: Integrated features can facilitate online parts ordering and upselling opportunities.

Result 

After-sales service departments incur extensive labor costs in multiple processes, including processing orders, assisting with parts identification, and resolving parts-related customer inquiries. Most of these tasks are automated by illustrated spare parts catalog software, which reduces labor hours. 

Let’s assume labor costs account for 50% of the total expenses incurred by a company in providing after-sales services. If the company reduces labor costs just by 10% in this area, it can achieve a 5% (10% of 50%) cost reduction. 

Let’s combine these savings on labor costs further with other efficiency gains such as fewer returns and faster order fulfillment. Combined, the company can reduce the overall costs by 5-10% in after-sales services operations. 

Numbers in Action

• Studies reflect a 35% reduction in customer wait times when OEMs used illustrated catalogs for parts identification.
• Automated order processing facilitated by the software can save service teams up to 10% in labor hours per service call.
• A 40% improvement in after-sales efficiency can translate to a direct cost reduction of 5-10% in after-sales service operations.
• Studies show exploded diagrams can improve parts identification accuracy by 25%. This also helped in reducing errors and improving repair speed.
• According to a 2023 user survey by a leading software provider, filtering by model compatibility can reduce search times by 50%.