Discount Auto Parts Launches Pro2Call
14 September 1999
Pro2Call to Penetrate Professional Installer Market
LAKELAND, Fla.--Sept. 14, 1999--To supply the professional installer market and help fuel company growth, Discount Auto Parts has launched a commercial division called Pro2Call in five Florida cities -- Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland, St. Petersburg and Miami - with plans for expanding the service to two-thirds of the total store base within three years.The new division's specialty trained and certified auto parts professionals deliver top quality parts and accessories to automotive service centers and garages from Discount Auto Parts' multitude of store locations generally within 30 minutes.
"In our industry, the professional installer market is growing three times as fast as the do-it-yourself (DIY) market is growing," said Discount Auto Parts President Bill Perkins. He added that increased safety regulations and the influx of computers have transformed today's cars into technological marvels -- and made them more difficult to repair. More people now are turning this work over to professionals.
"To better serve the communities we reach and more effectively grow our company, we created Pro2Call to draw professional parts installers into our customer mix," said Perkins.
To keep the commercial business from detracting from Discount Auto Parts' core DIY customers, Pro2Call communicates with professional installers through a separate call center in Lakeland, Fla. "This allows our on-site retail people to continue focusing on the walk-in DIY customer," said Jim Mulligan, director of commercial sales and Pro2Call for Discount.
"Because professional installers demand in-depth parts knowledge, the call center is staffed by team members with an average of 15 years of automotive experience. Most are ASE certified," said Mulligan.
Pro2Call team members seek to develop close relationships with their customers. "We try to ensure the same team of people deal with the same customer every time they call," said Mulligan. "We even have bi-lingual staffers for our Spanish-speaking customers."
To develop these markets, Pro2Call salespeople typically target multi-chain, multi-bay professional installers and the top local independent garages. "We look for installers who purchase $1,500 or more per month in parts and accessories," said Mulligan.
Pro2Call was initially launched in February 1998 after 18 months of preliminary market testing in Lakeland and Orlando. The division is expanding into new markets across Discount Auto Parts' Florida territory. Within three years, company officials expect Pro2Call to reach the majority of markets in the five other southeastern states the company now serves.
"From a competitive standpoint, we are a more convenient option to commercial customers," said Mulligan. "Since Discount Auto Parts has a far greater number of Florida locations than anyone else, we never have to deliver more than five miles from a store. Our average delivery time is within 30 minutes."
All stores serving Pro2Call customers have a dedicated delivery driver. "At no charge, our drivers can deliver anything from a $.49 gasket to a $1,000 engine," said Mulligan.
Through Discount Auto Parts buying volume, Pro2Call can sell parts for less, saving customers money. Pro2Call's supply of quality parts suppliers includes AC Delco, Bendix, Bosch, Cardone, Factory Air, Purolator, TRW and more.
The company also carries high-performing Master Quality alternators and starters, all remanufactured and reengineered for one of the lowest defect rates in the country.
As an added service, the call center is equipped with Mitchell On-Demand. At no charge, Pro2Call can fax automotive technical service information to installers. "This is an especially valuable service for smaller, independent garages. On average, we now fax 10 wiring diagrams a week to our commercial customers," said Mulligan.
Pro2Call often times draws upon parts inventories at Discount Auto Parts hub stores and Parts Express warehouses. Hub stores contain up to 30,000 different items; Parts Express warehouses, up to 50,000.
"And if for any reason we don't stock a particular part in either of those locations, Pro2Call team members are authorized to call around and get it delivered to the installer via special order from pre-approved vendors," said Don Casey, vice president of purchasing. "We do whatever it takes to keep a commercial customer happy."
Future Pro2Call customers may include companies with large automotive fleets. Nationally, this market segment has been estimated at $15 billion to $18 billion.
"From a business standpoint, penetrating the commercial segment of the automotive parts industry is an exciting opportunity," said Discount Auto Parts Chief Financial Officer Mike Moore. "The segment is very competitive and highly fragmented, but we expect it to achieve 15 percent of our total sales volume sometime in the next two to three years."
Discount Auto Parts is one of the southeast's leading specialty retailers of automotive replacement parts, maintenance items, accessories and supplies to both DIY consumers, professional mechanics and services technicians. The company currently operates more than 575 stores throughout Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Louisiana.