Epitomy Delivers Pioneering Product Support Solution to UK Trailer Manufacturer
Lawrence David leads the way with online aftermarket support
Epitomy Solutions, the Product Information Management (PIM) specialist, is pleased to announce the implementation of its PIM portal for Lawrence David Trailers – the first of its kind to be introduced to the UK trailer market.
The Peterborough-based manufacturer commissioned Epitomy to design a solution which would support its dealer network, enabling users to quickly and effectively identify parts by chassis number, check stock and place orders via the Internet.
“Typically, maintenance of commercial vehicles takes place outside usual business hours”, recognises Andrew Vernon, Eptiomy’s Managing Director. “Therefore 24/7 online access to product support information – and the capability to place orders at any time – adds value to both Lawrence David’s customer service offering and its customers’ operations.”
James Walker, Commercial Director at Lawrence David, adds “I am delighted that Lawrence David is at the forefront of customer support with Epitomy’s PIM service. Early customer feedback suggests dealers like the portal’s ease of use and have quickly adopted the technology.” He continues, “They appreciate that, unlike with a paper catalogue, we can update the portal immediately with new parts, supersessions and offers.”
The immediate benefits have been related to better parts identification. In a matter of months order errors from part misidentification have diminished to zero – and in-bound product support calls have reduced by 70%. Much of this is due to the Trailer Search facility which returns the Bill of Materials by chassis number for the specified trailer. Narrowing the search in this way dramatically reduces the risk of order error.
Furthermore, these specific trailers can be added to a list of ‘favourites’ – which can then be filtered, sorted and searched – making fleet maintenance easier. The introduction of the portal has also helped facilitate the company’s diversification into offering chassis parts to its dealers.
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