The two companies will integrate and jointly market ARI's EMPARTweb, EMPARTviewer and EMPARTpublisher software and publishing services with Entigo's Order and Warranty channel management software.
The new partners said in a statement that the arrangement would strengthen Entigo's catalog management functionality and extend ARI's catalog and content publishing offerings to include real-time order processing and warranty claims management. The integrated product offering will allow manufacturers to provide more value and support to the dealer and service network while increasing dealer effectiveness and improving customer satisfaction, the partners asserted.
Through the joint offering, manufacturers' field service technicians electronically accessing illustrated parts catalogs, technical and procedural information on content platforms powered by ARI will now be able to order parts and register warranty claims at the time the need for part is discovered and maintenance work is being performed. Technicians also will have real-time access to pricing and inventory availability and can monitor the status of an order.
By providing service technicians with the ability to perform event-based parts ordering and online warranty registration, manufacturers potentially can reduce order cycle time, decrease errors, speed the entire repair process and accelerate customer service while building brand loyalty within the channel, Entigo and ARI said in their statement.
"The aftermarket service and parts industry is a multi-billion dollar industry," noted Mark Demers, vice president of marketing and business development at Entigo. "Manufacturers are just now waking up to the fact that post-sales products and services is both a high-stakes and high-margin business. Manufacturers that fail to recognize and capitalize on this key business function risk their brand as well as the future of their company."
Commenting on the deal, Brian Dearing, chairman and CEO of ARI, said, "Our products complement their overall solution when a customer's product line consists of many complex goods." According to Dearing, part of ARI's business strategy is to partner with e-business solution providers who can sell ARI products, provide referrals to new customers, incorporate ARI products into broader, integrated offerings, and extend and customize products for markets ARI is not in today.
