OEReplacement News

March 5, 2009 – Commerce Township, MI

On the 5th of January, 2009, the launch of a small family owned website OEReplacement.com set out to change the way auto parts are sold on-line. “You are never sure what you are getting when you buy a part over the internet.” commented Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Josh Kaplan, when asked why he was pursuing a change.

The primary task was to come up with a way to complement the internet with customer service so that the customer receives what they expect without any unnecessary misunderstanding. One year before the launch of OEReplacement.com it was obvious to Josh Kaplan and Chief Information Officer (CIO), Josh Razgunas, that this was not an easy task, and that many of the automated processes which make selling products over the internet so inexpensive had to be revised. “Many companies lack the key pieces of information that tell the customer what to expect with their purchase, and it isn’t enough to just place it in a text box and hope the customer sees it.” stated Josh Razgunas.

So how does a company compete with prices on the web and still find a way to give the customer what they expect? “Contact! Contact! Contact!” remarked Andrea Kaplan, Director of Internet Operations. “We have found that the best way to make sure the customer is satisfied is by picking up a phone and contacting them, not only after the sale is completed, but before the sale ever takes place.” The company has two major points of contact. The first is within 24 hours of the order being placed, in most cases less than an hour. The second point of contact is after the order is delivered. The customer is contacted to ensure that the order was received, the contents were as expected, and that the customer is pleased with the order.

The OE replacement auto parts sales team expects that this will be a new frontier for internet sales – The one that finally takes the “robot” out of the equation. This is a mixed media format, combining telephone with internet sales. Many companies have been known to have separate divisions for both formats, but few if any have ever made the leap into combining these experiences. This is why OEReplacement.com believes that the winner will ultimately be the customer. They believe that with the right price and the right customer experience there is no reason for you to buy parts for your vehicle anywhere else.

Filed under: OEReplacement News by Josh Razgunas On: March 5th, 2009