During the pandemic, auto body shops were struggling to get parts, cycle times were impacted negatively and it became more like a scavenger hunt that parts people weren’t enjoying for obvious reasons. In many cases, cars sat while customers and insurers fumed.
But one company excelled during the pandemic by providing CAPA-certified quality parts for shops throughout the country. By filling orders others couldn’t, Go-Parts became a savior during highly uncertain times.
Freedom Collision Center in Morgantown, WV, is one shop that benefitted greatly. Parts Director Jack Sloan was able to save the day by working with Go-Parts, tapping into its inventory of approximately 200,000 parts to get parts on time.
Freedom Collision Center
Morgantown, WV
304-241-1325
www.freedomcollisioncenterwv.com
Company At A Glance...
Type: Collision Repair
Facility Employees: 35
In Business Since: 2021
Number of Locations: One
Production Space: 34,000 square feet
With more than two decades of experience in the parts game, working for dealerships and independent shops over the years, Sloan has seen the industry evolve dramatically, and pivoted accordingly.
“In the old days, we could work with a limited number of vendors to get what we needed for each and every repair,” he said. “Now, we have to work with multiple vendors on almost every job. With three vendors minimum per vehicle, we never know who we will call upon and, in many cases, we have to reach out to more than that to get what we need.”
To repair 118-135 cars every month without exception, Sloan uses PartsTrader for the lion’s share of his repairs.
“We love working with this software because it gives us a lot of information that makes all of our jobs much easier,” he said. “We put the job out there, and the parts suppliers tell us everything we need to know, including availability, our cost, list price and of course, our profit margin, which is a huge part of it. With Go-Parts, they have been very successful in filling many of our orders, which is vital when we work on so many brands. From a bracket all the way to a headlamp, Go-Parts.com helps us to streamline the entire process from start to finish. In many cases, they are getting parts the dealership does not have and by using PartsTrader, we can get that data quickly.”
In the old days, an estimator would have to see the vehicle firsthand, but now many of the repairs start out with a photo estimate.
“In some cases, we can get all of the parts we need up front, but sometimes we will discover a bracket behind a fender that wasn’t on the sheet,” Sloan said. “It’s very easy for us to jump on their website to get that single part, and their delivery times are very prompt.”
A perfect scenario that often transpires involves a pre-order, so when the car comes into the shop, Sloan and his crew are ready to roll.
“When the technician gets the job, he already has everything he needs, which means we can meet our ECD [estimated completion date] and it won’t impact our cycle time,” Sloan said. “We have a lot of DRPs, and the insurance companies like it when we hit our numbers in that regard. It’s frustrating when a car is sitting waiting for a molding or a bracket, and Go-Parts has been able to come through for us on more than a few occasions.”
Another major plus is the overall quality of the parts Sloan gets from Go-Parts.
“Price and delivery are a major deal, but quality is No. 1,” he said. “We won’t get a part unless we are confident that it is just as good as the OE, because we guarantee every repair for the life of the vehicle.”
Order accuracy and follow-through is what makes or breaks any parts supplier, and Sloan said Go-Part’s track record is awesome.
“I have only one person working with me in the parts department, so we are constantly busy. When I come in at 7:30 a.m. every morning all the way until 4:30 p.m. at the end of the day, parts are coming in and we need to know what they are and what we still need,” Sloan said. “Go-Parts has no restocking fees and no cancellation fees, and they stress quick turnaround, so their customer service has always been excellent.”
Communication is paramount and that’s why tracking every part accurately and on time is mandatory if Sloan wants to keep his customers happy. Stock-checking and acquiring parts is like a big puzzle and Go-Parts is enabling Freedom Collision Center to put the pieces together easily and seamlessly.
“We want to know in real-time where are parts orders are, and Go-Parts has enabled us to achieve that,” Sloan said. “If someone has a question when it comes to where a part is and when we will be getting it, we always have the answers.”
Go-Parts is taking the good ol’ over-the-top customer approach and leveraging the latest technology---a combination making shops more effective and positioning them for continued success.
Go-Parts
844-321-PART (7278)
order.go-parts.com
Facebook: @gopartsautoparts
Instagram: @GoPartsRacing
YouTube: @GoPartsAutoParts
TikTok: GO_PARTS
To read more auto body shop profiles from the June 2023 Shop and Product Showcase, click here.
