Parts personnel - the real heroes behind the counter

Monday, December 3, 2012

They can make or break a farm equipment dealership and make the difference between whether or not you can get your farm machinery back up and running

by RALPH WINFIELD

From a very young age, I have encountered and learned to deal with parts counter personnel at equipment dealers. They are and should be the real heroes of any company, providing after-sales customer service.

While service advisors/service managers play an important role at a dealership, they often play a subordinate role to the parts counter personnel, especially at a farm equipment dealership.
When a piece of farm machinery breaks down in the field, be it a tractor or combine or the planting unit, time is of the essence.

Most of us, as experienced machinery operators, are generally, but not always, able to determine which part it is we need to get the equipment back up and running.

When we call the dealership, we expect the parts person to have available to them the model and serial number of the machine we own, if it was acquired from that dealership. That is absolutely essential for two reasons. First, parts numbers change as upgrades occur during the build of a specific model. Secondly, we may have to send a farm hand or a spouse who has absolutely no clue as to what the part should look like – or what the serial number of the machine is.

The old way. When I purchased my second used combine many years ago, I was intrigued by the simple method the dealer used in order to have serial numbers available at the parts counter.

They listed the names of customers (owners) for each combine model on a separate page in a three-ring binder along with the combine serial number. When the combine changed ownership, they simply changed the owner name. Even as the second owner, when I arrived for parts, the parts person simply reached under the counter and pulled out "the book" to see if there had been a parts update based on the serial number. If so, he could verify it quickly without any questions.

The new way. Most dealerships now maintain an electronic serial number record of every tractor, combine or other sophisticated piece of equipment owned by an individual customer. That technology is really great if the parts person knows how to operate it and also pulls the item from the correct bin!

Regardless of the system, the competence of the parts person is still the key to making the system work. In addition, many experienced parts personnel know most of their regular customers on a first name basis. As soon as you approach the counter, they have already pulled up your equipment listing and profile. And yes, I have on rare occasions had the wrong part pulled, even though the part number on the bill was correct! That comes into the almost inexcusable category.

Every good parts person deserves a bonus at the end of the year. I hope every dealership parts manager is reading this. The parts counter personnel are indeed the real heroes of the customer satisfaction rating of farm equipment dealerships. BF

Agricultural engineer Ralph Winfield farms at Belmont in Elgin County.