AI-Driven Inventory & Quote Automation for Auto Parts Retailers
Business Type
Auto Parts Stores
Location
Oxnard, CA
Size
4 locations, 18 counter staff
Challenge
Counter staff were overwhelmed by 100+ daily 'is it in stock' calls, delaying commercial order fulfillment.
The Challenge
The primary bottleneck was the high volume of inbound calls for simple availability checks and price quotes. Counter staff were spending over 60% of their day toggling between Epicor Vision and WorldPac catalogs while customers waited on hold. This friction resulted in a 15% call abandonment rate, primarily from high-value commercial accounts who moved to competitors for faster service.
Furthermore, the manual tracking of core returns was failing. Discrepancies between physical core returns and digital credits in the WHI Solutions system were costing the business roughly $1,400 per month in unrecovered core charges. The staff needed a way to automate the 'check and quote' process to free up time for complex technical sales and relationship management.
The Solution
Services Used
- • AI Voice Agent for Inventory Lookups
- • Automated Core Return Reconciliation
- • Commercial Account API Integration
Timeline
7 weeks
Integrations
- • Epicor Vision
- • PartsTech API
- • WHI Solutions
- • WorldPac SpeedDial
The Results
22 hours/week per location
Time Saved
$4,800/month
Cost Saved
18% increase in commercial account capture
Revenue Impact
42% fewer lookup calls
Phone Volume Reduction
99.2% accuracy rate
Core Credit Recovery
"Read Laboratories integrated an AI voice agent that handles our basic inventory lookups directly through Epicor. Our counter staff can now focus on high-ticket commercial orders without the constant interruption of simple price check calls."
— Regional Operations Manager
Implementation Timeline
The project kicked off with a 2-week audit of the Epicor Vision database and PartsTech API mapping. By week 4, we deployed a beta AI voice agent to handle after-hours availability inquiries. Weeks 5 and 6 focused on integrating the core return tracking module to sync with WHI Solutions. The final week was dedicated to training the counter staff on the new dashboard and optimizing the AI's response logic for commercial pricing tiers.
FAQ
Can the AI check inventory across multiple store locations?
Yes, the system is designed to query your primary POS (like Epicor or WHI) and report real-time stock levels across all branches and local distribution centers.
How does the AI handle commercial vs. retail pricing?
The system uses Caller ID and account databases to recognize commercial clients, automatically applying their specific pricing tiers from your PartsLogic or Epicor setup.
Does this replace our counter staff?
No. It acts as a digital filter for low-complexity inquiries, allowing your experienced staff to handle technical lookups and high-value commercial account management.
Can it integrate with WorldPac or PartsTech?
Absolutely. We specialize in connecting these catalogs to your internal systems so customers get accurate availability and lead times without human intervention.
How do you handle core return tracking?
We implement an automated reconciliation layer that flags outstanding cores in your system and sends automated SMS reminders to commercial accounts to ensure credits are processed.
Want results like these?
Free consultation. We'll look at your specific situation and tell you exactly what's possible.
Book a Call →Serving Auto Parts Stores businesses nationwide. Based in Westlake Village, CA.