Vertical Development Has Shifted to Digital Catalog Software

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Vertical Development, Provider Of Automotive Aftermarket Catalog Services, Celebrates 30 Years

Vertical Development is an award-winning technology development firm providing digital catalog software and services to more than 300 aftermarket brands.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
Published:

Vertical Development Celebrates 30th anniversary

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NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Vertical Development is celebrating its 30th year in operations.

Based in the greater Chicago area, Vertical Development got its start as a small programming firm, but soon shifted to digital catalog development when contracting with Champion Laboratories in neighboring Albion, Ill. Today, Vertical Development is an award-winning technology development firm providing digital catalog software and services to more than 300 aftermarket brands.

“Over the last seven years, we have been standardizing our vCat application, allowing us to add features and roll them out to our clients quickly,” the company said in a news release. “We have grown from a software provider to full-service catalog services organization and will continue to operate on the cutting edge of technology to bring state-of-the-art aftermarket catalogs to our clients.”

In 30 years, Vertical Development’s reach has grown to include products at each stage of aftermarket parts sales, from digital catalog development to data mapping to eCommerce and mobile apps. The company’s base software enables customers to easily map their catalog to common industry formats such as ACES, PIES and NAPA PartsPro for distribution to wholesalers and retailers. The firm’s ShowMeTheParts database, the world’s largest public parts database, is designed to make it easy to set up websites for parts information and sales through computers and mobile devices.

Aftermarket companies such as Trico and AP Exhaust build catalogs and publish through ACES for themselves and/or their resellers in a variety of column and page formats to make paper and CD catalogs. At the same time, this information can be published on the web through ShowMeTheParts for greater access via computers and smartphones. The APIs let ShowMeTheParts work well with WordPress, particularly using the recently announced WordPress Plug-In by Spork Marketing, and can be themed to match company website designs for seamless integration.

“Today, Vertical Development continues to be on the cutting-edge of database technology with software that provides coverage reports using Vehicles in Operation (VIO) information from Experian or IHS/Polk,” the company said. “VIO reports help managers quickly find gaps in coverage. In addition, support for comment translations in French and Spanish have also been added to Vertical Development’s software, making it easy for our clients publishing catalogs either directly or through ACES. It also ensures greater readability for end users across North America.”

To celebrate 30 years in business, the company said it plans to release a schedule of presentations to help aftermarket companies and other tech firms look to the future and grow. To receive notifications of the presentation schedule and other aftermarket news, visit www.verticaldev.com/newsletter-sign-up.

 

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Customer Service: How It’s Done

Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
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This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

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