Toyota Dealerships Help Collision Repair Centers Improve Profit and Reduce Cycle Time

One of the best resources for your collision shop is your local Toyota dealership. That’s because working directly with a Toyota Parts Manager ensures streamlined, accurate delivery of Toyota Genuine Parts and access to Toyota-specific expertise.

“Toyota Parts Managers are able to supply components much more quickly than their non-OEM counterparts due to their direct link to Toyota,” explains Steve Brodie, Wholesale & Retention Senior Parts Field Analyst, Toyota Motor North America. “A collision facility working directly with a Toyota Parts Manager enjoys increased efficiency and productivity due to the one-day (and in some cases, same-day) availability and delivery of Toyota Genuine Parts.”

Brodie adds that most markets are eligible for overnight delivery, and in most metro areas Toyota dealers offer same-day service, which helps speed the repair process. The benefit to your customer is a quality repair using Toyota Genuine Parts and a swift return to the road.

Toyota Dealerships Offer Solutions to Shops’ Difficult Problems

“At Toyota, we empower our dealers to support independent repair facilities,” says Eric Mendoza, Manager, Wholesale Parts & Certified Collision, Toyota Motor North America. “We work with our dealers, not around them. We provide dealers and shops with best practices on how to maximize the benefits of the shop/dealership relationship.”

Mendoza and Brodie stress just how much a Toyota dealer can help the independent collision repair shop.

“When working with an IRF, the Toyota Parts Manager can recommend A, B and C for ancillary parts specific to each repair,” Brodie says, “and the relationship IRFs gain with a Toyota Parts Manager is quite valuable—you’re working with a Toyota professional who has firsthand experience to help you through your order. You’ll receive exactly what you need to get the job done right the first time. You can go right to work and finish the job without reordering, return or exchange.”

Improve Productivity and Efficiency with Toyota Support Tools

Productivity and efficiency improvement is key to success, and working with Toyota dealers can help. Reducing cycle time is critical—the clock starts when the customer drops off their vehicle. The faster IRFs can order the right parts, the faster they’ll help the customer and improve their shop’s bottom line.

“We provide online tools to our dealers that help to optimize support to their wholesale customers,” states Mendoza. “A great example is Auto PartsBridge, the premier OEM parts ordering system that connects collision centers with Toyota dealerships and gives access to the same parts information that the dealer has.”

“The estimate comes through Auto PartsBridge and presents the parts to the collision center so they can see what the insurance company wrote for OEM parts and what they deemed non-OEM,” Brodie explains, “and service writers at the shop can see the non-OEM parts, their prices, and whether or not they can buy from the dealer. It gives them an opportunity to make a fact-based decision before they purchase and place the order. And, if the shop has software challenges, the dealer can initiate then order them!”

Other support tools available to shops who work with their Toyota dealer include:

• OPS Technology Suite

The OPS Technology Suite is a robust collision supply-chain management solution built to enhance relationships, reduce costs and increase efficiency by getting the right part at the right time.

• Toyota Technical Information System (TIS) 

TIS provides the technical information shops need to diagnose and determine the proper repair procedures. It gives your shop online access to everything from technical specifications and repair suggestions to tips for calibration measurements and real-time updates to safety campaigns. 

“TIS is a valuable resource for collision shops,” Brodie says, “and dealers are able to offer a subscription to their wholesale customers. When a new Toyota vehicle gets in an accident, the aftermarket may not yet have the information for that new vehicle. The information in TIS, however, is up-to-date and accurate.”

Tap into the expertise of your local Toyota Parts Manager—from systems and support to troubleshooting and proper technical help, your Toyota dealer is your best resource for Toyota Genuine Parts. To learn more about how your local Toyota dealership can help improve your efficiency, productivity and bottom line, visit toyotapartsandservice.com.