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ShowMeTheParts Catalog
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By Counterman
ost of our workdays are spent typing and mouse-clicking our way through hundreds of parts requests and catalogue prompts, and we rely heavily on computers for most aspects of our daily operations. Think of the last time your store’s internet or server network went down. Catalogue and inventory information, ordering and receiving functions, invoice printers, driver dispatch and order tracking, and even time clock access are all crippled when the plug gets pulled. Chaos ensues, and if there is no backup plan in place, work grinds to a halt. Depending on corporate policy, you may even have to close the doors until you are back up and running.
Even when our computers are running at peak efficiency, the quality of the information we feed into the system has the potential to create a snowball effect of errors, wasting time, personnel resources, inventory dollars, and, ultimately, disappointing our customers. The phrase “garbage in, garbage out” dates to the early days of the computing industry and is a simple way of recalling that no matter how far information technology has progressed in the past 75 years, we still need to capture the correct information to begin that automated process successfully.
It all begins with the customer. We rely on them to present us with the basic vehicle and diagnostic information required to catalogue the correct parts, but once we take control of the process, we still need to maintain the integrity of that information. Asking the right questions, following relevant prompts, and verifying options that differentiate similar products lead to successful sales and reduce the number of returns.
When you call the parts department at your local OEM dealer, their initial reply is often to ask for the last eight digits of the VIN. That (relatively) simple bit of information serves to eliminate a lot of these errors, identifying the vehicle and all its individual options. It eliminates multiple questions that must be asked (and correctly answered) to lead the parts specialist to the appropriate listings. This reduces the margin for error, but certainly does not eliminate it altogether. Just as a customer might misquote their vehicle descriptors, the customer may misread or misspeak the VIN information, or the parts specialist might write it down incorrectly. It is also a good practice to keep accurate notes (on paper) to keep track of previous calls and orders. These notes also may help your coworkers get up to speed if they need to take over for you with a customer, so legible handwriting counts! Complete notes will help refresh your memory in the event of a comeback or complaint, and may come in handy if you are asked to explain what went wrong with a particular transaction.
I prefer to repeat a customer’s information back to them, showing that they have my full attention and confirming that what I think I heard is what they believe they asked for. They should not have to repeat themselves, but confirmation is critical at this point in the process. It is certainly better than getting through an entire transaction before realizing the customer who just told you they drive a “Cherokee” is now busy loading their parts order into the back of a GRAND Cherokee!
Incorrect information anywhere within the conversation can skew the results, and guessing at vehicle identification or options is a recipe for returns. Occasionally, we can skip through irrelevant screen prompts, or even bypass the computer altogether when we know something by heart, but when in doubt, ASK THE QUESTION! We may not be able to prevent our customers from guessing at critical answers, or even from giving us inconsistent information, but we are able to limit the amount of “garbage” that we feed into our computer on our customer’s behalf.
When we do encounter a legitimate catalog error, we shouldn’t just blame the computer. In these cases, the “garbage out” is the result of an error (likely made by another human) that was fed into the database. The computer is just repeating the answer it was programmed to give based on the information requested. It is important to report these errors so that the catalogue provider can investigate the error and make any necessary corrections quickly.
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By Counterman
Carter has won the 2023 Catalog Excellence Award from the Automotive Content Professionals Network (ACPN) for its brand-new Carter water pump catalog.
The Catalog Excellence Award acknowledges organizations that provide industry-leading product catalogs, evaluating criteria such as catalog quality, resourcefulness, creativity, content, effectiveness and overall excellence.
The award recognized Carter’s dedication to producing exceptional catalogs that educate its audience and support continuous product innovation for its growing water pump lines.
“Carter is committed to enhancing the ease of our customer’s job by providing support for quick and accurate access to product applications, resulting in improved repair processes,” the company said in a news release. “Engineered to move fluids efficiently and reliably, Carter water pumps are specifically designed to meet the evolving technologies and high-temperature environments of modern engines. With an emphasis on quality, performance, and warranty, Carter engineered water pumps provide peace of mind.”
For more information, visit
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By Counterman
Carter has expanded its popular line of Rapid Fit water pumps and now is offering 33 part numbers covering 80.8 million vehicles in operation.
Carter Rapid Fit water pumps are engineered with pre-mounted components to deliver time-saving installation for the professional technician. Designed to be installed directly out of the box, Rapid Fit water pumps help save an average of 15 to 25 minutes in the bay, according to the company.
“Expanding the coverage of our Rapid Fit pumps gives our customers more options to help get the job done and save time.” said Ryan Gernheuser, repair group director, product management/aftermarket engineering at First Brands Group.
Also now available is the release of a new Carter online water-pump catalog. Gernheuser added that the new catalog “is another valuable resource for automotive technicians providing vehicle-specific information for engine cooling applications on the road today.”
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By Counterman
First Brands Group has released a new Raybestos product online catalog that will be available on a USB drive for those attending the AAPEX in Las Vegas.
In addition, Raybestos has released 32 new part numbers covering more than 11 million vehicles in operation (VIO). New brake-pad coverage is available for late-model passenger and transport vehicles, including the Buick Enclave, Cadillac CT4 and CT5, Ford F-150 and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
“We look forward to participating in Joe’s Garage at AAPEX this year and having the opportunity to talk with show attendees about our updated Raybestos catalog and the new coverage that’s been added to ensure that we are continuously meeting the needs of our customers,” said Lou Kafantaris, director of marketing, braking, First Brands Group. “Be sure your AAPEX plans include a visit to our Booth A3638 and stop by Joe’s Garage to be one of the first to get a copy of the new catalog.”
Raybestos representatives also will be conducting onsite technical and product training at the Joe’s Garage booth. Brake-clinic topics include “Today’s Rotor Technology,” “Preventing Costly Brake Comebacks” and “Tips and Tricks Diagnosing Brake Issues,” to name a few.
Product training sessions include “Pick the Right Friction for Your Vehicle” and “Rotors – the Foundation Brake Component.” The brake clinics run 30 minutes in length while the training sessions are 10 minutes. Visit Raybestos in Joe’s Garage to see the complete training schedule.
First Brands Group will exhibit at AAPEX in the Venetian Expo, Level 2, booth A3638 and in Joe’s Garage, Level 1, Bay 1. To obtain the Raybestos USB drive, visit First Brands Group in Joe’s Garage.
The complete family of Raybestos brake products include disc pads and shoes, drums and rotors, master cylinders, wheel cylinders, calipers, hoses and hardware. To learn more about new part numbers and their applications, customers should contact their First Brands Group representative.
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By Counterman
Sunsong North American recently switched from an in-house cataloging solution to ShowMeTheParts.
Sunsong North America is a technology company specializing in research, development, manufacturing, sales and distribution of automotive fluid transfer hoses and lines.
Prior to using ShowMeTheParts, Sunsong was using an in-house solution created in 2014 by its IT department.
“It was an OK catalog, but it had some deficiencies in that it was very simplistic,” said Dan Lewis, director of product management for Sunsong North America. “You would put in year/make/model and it would pull up everything from brake hoses to power-steering hoses. You couldn’t filter on just the part type or front vs. rear. It just brought up everything.”
Another shortcoming of the existing lookup tool was that users couldn’t select specific attributes such as “with or without ABS brakes” to accurately narrow down their product choice. It also would provide a list of part numbers, but it wouldn’t show the pictures for each part. Each of these limitations combined to make it very time-consuming at times to find parts, according to Lewis.
While the in-house lookup tool was useful to search for OE interchanges, Lewis and the team at Sunsong felt an improved search tool would be good for business. The in-house solution hadn’t been updated since its launch and alongside the launch of their new website, they began looking for solutions to upgrade their online cataloging.
Selecting a Replacement Solution
Sunsong wanted to ensure the new lookup process was easy to use, accurate, and displayed information in an intuitive way. The company also needed to move quickly and had heard that Vertical Development had helped other companies get up and running in a short time period.
Sunsong offers bulk hose and end fittings in a range of sizes and needed a search tool that would help customers find these products that people might not lookup via application. This feature allows customers to look up by diameter and length to determine the proper number to order.
Customers also call in frequently for special applications such as a brake-hose assembly that is several inches longer than the original hose because the customer added a lift kit to their truck.
“ShowMeTheParts came up with an ‘Attribute Search’ feature where you could go in and say ‘I want to select a category such as brake-hoses hose’ and input fitting size, type and overall length,’” resulting in a list of hoses that meets those parameters, Lewis explained. “This gives people an easy way to find parts when everything isn’t by application.”
By creating a way to quickly find these items using key attributes, customers can quickly find what they need for customized applications. This custom feature puts the tool directly into the customer’s hands vs. having to call customer service or a product manager to manually do research through a series of spreadsheets or diagrams.
While the “Specialty Application” search upgrade was significant, it’s not the only advantage Sunsong has realized since switching to ShowMeTheParts.
One new feature that wasn’t possible with the in-house solution is to narrow search by engine size. This is particularly important for power-steering and A/C hose assemblies that can greatly vary by engine size.
More robust 360-degree images give customers a great way to see all aspects of a part.
Time Savings
Since switching to
link hidden, please login to view, the improved search functionality saves considerable time. Users are able to quickly enter key attributes that narrow down results, eliminating confusion or ordering errors. “Now, you can see pictures of all results in a row,” Lewis shared. “You don’t have to go back and key in other numbers. Simply scroll through and see all the images and options listed for the vehicle and narrow it down by selecting the position to see what options are presented. It’s dramatically faster.”
Working with Vertical Development
“I can’t imagine working with someone that doesn’t know the parts business,” Lewis said with a laugh. “That would be a nightmare.
“You absolutely have to have a company working with you that knows the parts business and knows cataloging. Working with Vertical Development is so much easier because they know what they are doing and they’ve done hundreds of these things.
“You don’t have to explain a whole lot as they just know how to do it. They ask you key questions and then it’s done. If you see something that isn’t quite right, then you let them know and it gets fixed.
“It’s very easy working with Vertical Development because of their background experience and how many ShowMeTheParts implementations they’ve done.”
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