Can distributors and jobbers use business management technologies to strengthen their customer relationships, beyond enhancing order accuracy?
Absolutely. Integrated customer relationship management technologies can help aftermarket businesses of all sizes capture new accounts and strengthen existing relationships. One of our latest distributor business systems includes an interactive CRM module that enables executives and counter professionals to focus on the unique needs of each customer to ensure a more personalized and profitable relationship. Imagine calling a local jobber and having them instantly know not only who you are but also your brand, product, delivery and invoicing preferences. That’s a huge differentiator in the mind of that shop owner or technician. We can also use CRM to track service dealer purchases in multiple ways and trigger outbound calls to anticipate their needs in many cases. CRM, in our view, is a tremendous new opportunity for distributors and jobbers to demonstrate their unique value to the service dealer segment. Would you say that aftermarket distributors and jobbers are as aggressive in their
