Trying to replace a broken part on your salt spreader, snowplow, trailer, or dump truck should be as simple as just driving to the store and picking it out, however, that is not usually the case. If you go to a retail parts store, you could be stuck with a worker who doesn’t understand your work, can’t understand the part you’re describing, or all around just does not care.
ONLINE SHIFT
These problems could all be contributing factors in the creation of online parts retailers, but were the main reasons ITE Parts was founded. For work truck industry expert, Jerry Southern, the founder of ITE Parts, the ambition for creating an online parts retailer started from his work in his family business, Intercon Truck Equipment. Intercon Truck Equipment outfits work trucks on a daily basis. His vision was to bring the same level of reliability found in his physical business to an online store, accessible to everyone. Companies like ITE Parts are capitalizing on the ability to deliver an unbeatable level of convenience to a digital space without sacrificing reliability.
When you’re mid-way through a job and a piece of equipment breaks, your first instinct may be to run to the store, try to explain your situation to a worker, and then learn that the store won’t have your part for anywhere between two to four weeks. Now you have wasted an entire day trying to find a replacement part that you could have found online in mere minutes. Many part retailer websites are designed by members of the industry who know that having a broken part means you aren’t making money. They also know an easy-to-use website will save time and lead to more money in your pocket.
INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE
One of the biggest concerns that people seem to have when switching to an online parts retailer is whether they can trust the website enough to buy from it. The lack of a physical representation can cause customers to worry if the products they are buying are actually legitimate. However, it is important to remember that most online parts retailers are made by people who are also heavily involved with the work truck industry.
With ITE Parts, everyone from the web designers to the customer service staff has intense knowledge of the industry. Even the headquarters for ITE Parts is attached to the main center for operations of Intercon Truck Equipment. ITE Parts believes that keeping the website embedded in the actual work of the industry will keep the business from losing base with its customers.
MAKE IT EASY
In the work truck industry, it is common that a customer does not know the name of the exact part they need. Business owners who use work trucks aren’t always up-to-date on maintenance technology or part innovation. It is unlikely that fleet owners will always know the exact name of the specific bolt that has broken on their trailer or the exact blade that broke on their snowplow. Unless you contact the manufacturer directly with the full part number of your piece of equipment, it can be difficult to find an exact match to the part that has broken.
This is where an online parts retailer can help make the part finding process easier. ITE Parts allows its customers to see an online diagram of their exact damaged piece of equipment. For example, say you damaged the platform chain on your Tommy Gate lift-gate, and all you know is that the model of the lift-gate is G2-42. With ITE Parts, you would be able to look at a diagram on the website and visually see the part that broke according to that diagram, allowing you to find the part you need without any extra hassle.
“We find ITE Parts to be a convenient, 24-hour parts supply source with very convenient and fast shipping options,” says Joseph Lorenz, president of Lorenz, Inc. “They help us save valuable man hours that would normally be wasted with shop employees driving all around town to procure the parts.”
With the work truck industry constantly evolving with the times, it only makes sense that retail replacement parts evolve with it. Of course, it is completely normal for there to be doubts about the reliability of online retailers—especially in such a tangible realm of work. However, that is why there are those working hard to prove that idea wrong with a ground-breaking level of innovation and service to the industry. Whether you have used them yet, online parts retailers are determined to become a redefining part of the work truck industry.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Find out more about ITE Parts, visit www.iteparts.com.
MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS: JULY 2018 ISSUE
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