Preventive maintenance is the most predictable work a fleet shop does. Every truck, van or bus comes in on a schedule for oil, filters, a brake inspection and a lube. The parts needed are well known. Yet the order for those parts often arrives in a rush, by phone, because somebody noticed the shelf was empty the morning of the PM.
Repeat orders like these should be the easiest business you have. The app has three tools for them.
Reorder: the same order again, in seconds
Reorder lets a customer buy a past order again or pick from saved items. The parts clerk who orders the same oil filters, fuel filters, air filters and bulk oil every couple of weeks opens the last order, checks quantities and sends it. No searching, no typos, no forgotten filter.
AutoPilot reorder: usual items on a schedule
AutoPilot reorder orders the customer's usual items on a schedule so they never run out. It can be tied to scanning, so one scan orders what the shop actually uses, based on how many days of stock they want to keep.
The customer chooses how much control to keep with a simple dial:
- Suggest: the app suggests the reorder and the customer places it.
- Ask first: the reorder is prepared and waits for the customer's yes.
- Run on its own: the customer's own schedule releases the order without a check-in, for items they have chosen to trust to it.
Most shops start on Suggest or Ask first. After a few months of watching, a fleet manager might move filters, oil and shop towels to Run on its own and keep costly items like batteries or brake drums on Ask first. The customer sets the dial and the schedule; the app follows them. From your side, you can see which customers have AutoPilot turned on.
Blanket orders: releases against a contract
Many fleets buy on contract. A municipal fleet might agree to a year's supply of oil and filters at fixed prices. A truck upfitter might commit to a set number of lighting kits or mud flaps for a production run. Blanket orders let the customer release against that contract in the app, without a new PO each time.
On your side, a blanket gives you visibility into what is coming, which helps purchasing. The buyer's desk lets your team reorder by vendor with minimums and free freight levels in view, chase late vendor POs and track special orders.
Why predictable orders matter
When PM parts arrive on time, PMs happen on time. That means fewer roadside breakdowns, fewer emergency calls and happier fleet managers. It also means your counter spends less time on routine reorders and more on the breakdown calls that need real knowledge.
Seasonal items fit well too. Wiper blades, washer fluid, block heater cords and batteries ahead of winter can be scheduled before the first cold snap, rather than ordered in a panic after it.
Batteries and wiper blades are a good test case. They are predictable, they fail at the worst time, and nobody wants to remember to order them. Put them on a schedule before the season turns and the shop will notice the difference the first cold morning.
Look for the accounts that order the same PM items every few weeks. Start them on Reorder, then offer AutoPilot on Suggest. Once they see it work, they will decide when to turn the dial.
Want to see it with your own parts and fleet accounts? See how it works.