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PartsTrader Recognizes Top Performers
Click here to see who was recognized for their performance in the month of June.
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Customer Care Tip of the Month
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| Miles Olson |
I always advise our users to increase their page size for lists, so they are not scrolling through multiple pages to find a job.
To do so, the user should navigate to Profile ->My Profile where the Page Size For Lists setting can be found about halfway down the page. Use the drop-down menu to select up to 50 per page, and then click Save at the bottom of the page.
(Bonus tip: The column headers on each PartsTrader dashboard page will sort jobs on that page when you click.)
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Word on the Street
"We like the the ease of use of PartsTrader. Instead of making three phone calls, just one click of the button gets us what we need. If there is a delay in a repair, it is easy to document returned damaged parts for the insurance company. PartsTrader is very user-friendly."
-- Craig Stewart,
Stewart's Collision Center, Georgetown, PA
Editor's note: it's more than one click, but we're glad it seems that easy!
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Quoting Recycled Parts
Recyclers are asked to price all parts as though they were clean and undamaged.
Recyclers quoting a part that will require clean up or that is damaged, should accurately represent the ARA Condition Code in the Part Type they select and communicate the clean up or damage repair time in the Comments field provided within PartsTrader. ARA Damage and Location Codes may also be included in the Comments field, as well as any allowance or concession the recycler might wish to offer a repairer to restore the quoted part to a clean and undamaged condition.
For more information on ARA guidelines, click here.
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In June, PartsTrader processed its 1,000,000th Quote Request from a participating repairer seeking parts quotes from their local supplier community.
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Share your PartsTrader Tips...
Send your best user tip to [email protected]. If we use your tip in an upcoming issue, we will buy lunch for you and your office mates.
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http://partstrader.us.com
855-932-7278
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PartsTrader Honors Troy Holm's Service to the Industry 
Long before he was the first PartsTrader employee hired from the industry in March 2012, Troy Holm was a familiar face and valued friend to hundreds of collision repairers across the country for more than twenty years. The industry suffered a painful loss when Troy succumbed to cancer a little over a year ago. In memory of Troy, PartsTrader has worked with the Collision Repair Education Foundation to create a fund that will award several $1,000 travel grants each year to high school tech students attending the annual SkillsUSA competition. PartsTrader has made the initial donation of $5,000 and all industry participants are encouraged to contribute. Click here to learn more
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View from the Field
Are you using PartsTrader for all ROs? As I meet with shop owners, estimators and parts buyers, I'm hearing how PartsTrader is reducing communication errors and SAVING the time previously spent recovering from communications blunders.
Here's some food for thought:
- If you're using the phone to order -- You know who you're talking with, but you must admit there are often mix-ups between "right" and "left." If you're ordering by phone, there are loads of details that need to be communicated. If your day is filled with phrases like "is it painted?" "what was that VIN again?" "5 or 6 spokes on that wheel?" or "Sorry to call back and bother you again," then you risk communication gaps on a daily basis.
- If you're using a fax to order - You have no idea how long your order rests on the printer/fax machine at the other end, and you won't know who actually received your order. Are the list prices correct, or are there going to be parts price adjustments to deal with when the invoice arrives, before you submit the final bill?
Whether you use PartsTrader to order instantly (direct order) or order after considering supplier quotes, they show up to the supplier as an "Incoming Order" with all of the pertinent details. The advantage of ordering parts with PartsTrader is that everything is documented:
- Who initiated an order, and when it was placed
- Who received the order, and when it was processed
- Confirmed delivery dates and methods
- Supplier-verified prices that can flow back to your estimating system with line notes and correct prices (what a time-saver!)
- Real-time alerts when a part is not available, so you can quickly source from another supplier
You may think this is only applicable for large jobs with a lot of parts, but many shops are telling me that even small jobs show a dramatically better cycle time with efficient communication.
-- Fred Bissler, Field Sales Manager
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Improved Estimatics Integration 
In response to frequent requests for better handling of assemblies, PartsTrader has just completed a multi-month project which should deliver immediate benefits to all users.
"Repair shops needed a way to reduce the probability that labor times would be inaccurate when assemblies were selected to repair a vehicle," said Margaret Ho, PartsTrader's Integration Director. "We've worked with CCC, AudaExplore and Mitchell to accomplish an improved integration which is a huge step in both efficiency and risk reduction."
Throughout May and June, PartsTrader updated all repairers' PI Clients across the country to enable new functionality that recognizes when a repair shop has written an estimate for several parts, and then selects a vendor assembly to satisfy that need.
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Repairers:
Improved Job Summary View
The Job Summary page in PartsTrader now includes a new Insurer View tab. The Job Summary has been useful for repair shops who wanted to quickly review the current status of parts; this new feature takes that a step further by providing details and sourcing history commonly requested when an insurance review is performed for a claim.
To learn more, click here.
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Training:
New Webinar Series
Launched last month, PartsTrader's Completing the Path to Efficiency series of webinars helps current PartsTrader users learn some simple techniques to boost their productivity.
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Are you Attending NACE? 
Send an email to [email protected] by July 20, 2014 and let us know which of the ten official NACE hotels you will be calling home, and we'll have a gift waiting for you when you arrive. (Be sure to give us the name under which your room is reserved, so the hotel can present your gift.) |
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