The parts department of an RV dealership can make or break your business. When managed well, it keeps customers happy, drives revenue, and boosts overall efficiency. But when things go wrong, it can lead to frustration for both your team and your customers.
To help you streamline your parts department, here are five practical tips to improve operations and increase profitability.
1. Enhance Inventory Management
Track LOST Sales. Keeping tabs on the parts you could have sold—if they were in stock—is just as crucial as tracking the ones you did sell. A well-managed inventory keeps operations running smoothly. Overstocking ties up capital, while understocking leads to missed sales. With Lightspeed dealership software, you can automate inventory management, gain real-time stock insights, and simplify reordering—so you never miss a sale again.
2. Speed Up Turnaround Times
Faster turnaround times mean quicker service and happier customers. Consider optimizing your parts ordering process to reduce wait times. Streamlining your workflow, improving internal communication, and using tools that track order status can ensure your parts team responds faster and more efficiently to customer needs.
3. Leverage Technology to Improve Customer Interactions
Customers expect fast, personalized service. With the right technology, you can track customer preferences and history, allowing your team to quickly identify their needs—whether they call or visit. An integrated system across sales and service ensures customers feel valued at every touchpoint.
That’s where Lightspeed’s Parts Dealer Locator comes in. With over 4,000 participating dealers, finding that hard-to-get part just got easier.
Got parts collecting dust on your shelves? Lightspeed’s Dealer Network helps clear them off your books. Someone, somewhere, needs that part—even if you don’t!
4. Keep Staff Trained and Informed
A knowledgeable team is a productive team. Regularly train your parts department staff on new systems, product knowledge, and best practices for customer service. (Or have them attend Lightspeed’s free webinars.) When your team understands how to use the latest tools and information, they can deliver faster and more accurate results, improving both customer satisfaction and sales.
5. Optimize Parts Pricing and Margins
It’s essential to regularly review your pricing strategy to ensure you’re competitive while maintaining healthy margins. Using a DMS, you can track parts performance and adjust pricing accordingly to maximize profitability. Keep an eye on market trends and stay flexible with your pricing to ensure you’re offering the best value without sacrificing profit.
If you’re ready to dive deeper into these strategies and learn how Lightspeed can help you optimize your RV dealership’s parts department, be sure to REGISTER for our upcoming webinar: “Maximizing Profits and Efficiency: A Deep Dive into the Lightspeed Parts Department.” In this session, we’ll show you how to implement these improvements and more, so you can run a more efficient and profitable operation.
We can’t wait to see you there and help you unlock the full potential of your parts department!
Brad Lloyd
I’ve been with Lightspeed for over 20 years, and in my role as Sales Account Executive in the RV Division, I get the opportunity to show recreational industry dealerships how Lightspeed can transform their business. I work with hundreds of RV, Trailer, Powersports, and Marine Dealers across the country, guiding them through the process of upgrading to a DMS. It's a complex process, but I find it incredibly rewarding.
An added bonus to my current role, is that I get to travel all over the country. I recently purchased a new 2022 Shadow Cruiser travel trailer, so now I spend most of my time on the road, experiencing the lifestyle that I promote.
Fun facts about me: I'm a US Army Veteran and served for 23 years in the Utah Army National Guard as an Army Musician specializing in Saxophone and Clarinet performance. Music is a huge part of my life, and I even took over my dad's Swing Band after his passing in 2020. When I'm not working or playing music, I love spending time with my five adult kids and one granddaughter, with another one on the way.
