IntelliDealer parts management: what to check

Why parts matters

Machines get the glory. Parts pays the bills. A good parts system knows what you have, what you sold, what to reorder, and what the factory has. VitalEdge lists parts management and OEM connections as core IntelliDealer features.

What OEM connection means

An OEM connection lets your parts counter order from the factory inside the DMS. It can also pull price updates and file warranty claims. Ask which of your brands are connected. A connection for a brand you do not sell is worth nothing to you.

What to test in the demo

• Look up a part by number and by description.
• See on-hand, on-order, and sold-this-year counts.
• Check a factory's stock without leaving the screen.
• Build a reorder list from sales history.
• Sell a part over the counter and watch stock update.

The rekeying test

If your parts person types the same order into the DMS and then into a factory website, that is double work. Use the tool below: count the orders typed twice each month, times the minutes each. That is the labor a real OEM connection should remove.

Honest limit

Public pages do not list which factories connect or how deep the connection goes. Depth matters: a price file update is not the same as live factory stock. Get the list for your brands in writing.

A worked task: one week of double-typed orders

For five working days, have your parts person tally every factory order typed into your current system and then typed again into a factory website. Inputs: order count and minutes per order. Expected output: a monthly labor number you can compare against the cost of a real OEM connection. The exception that changes the math: a connection that only pushes price files. Price updates alone do not remove order typing, so ask which of your brands get live ordering, not just price sync.

Do this week

Write down your top three brands by parts volume. Those are the only OEM connections that matter to your quote. A long connection list for brands you do not sell is worth nothing to you.