Quoting software for the auto and truck parts counter

Why parts requests take so long to quote

A parts counter sells against numbers, but the numbers a customer gives are rarely yours.

• Numbers from everywhere: an OEM number read off a worn part, an aftermarket brand’s number, a competitor’s number, or no number at all.
• Descriptions with a vehicle: “LOF filter for a Cascadia”, “front pads and rotors, 2016 F-150 XLT 5.0”, “serp belt for a 2018 Silverado 5.3”.
• Shop shorthand: “LOF” for lube, oil and filter, “16.5x7 shoes, 4707 lining”, “5.5 auto slack”, “type 30 chamber”, “amber 2-1/2 LED marker”.
• Several versions of one need: OEM, premium and economy lines, new or remanufactured.
• Units that change by part: each, pair, axle set, quart, case of 12, pail, drum.
• Account pricing: fleet, shop and body-shop levels, often list less a multiplier.

Each line is a lookup, a stock check and a price, and each wrong guess costs a trip back. Qotora prepares that work; your counter keeps the judgement.

From the fleet’s email to a quote you can check

1. Receive the request in the format it arrives: an email, pasted text, a PDF, an Excel sheet, a photo of a handwritten list or a voice note.
2. Find each line in your catalogue: Qotora reads “LF9009”, “16.5x7 4707 shoes” or “5.5 auto slack” and searches your own products, with your part numbers.
3. Apply your price rules: the customer’s account level, your discounts and your margins. Prices come from your own catalogue data; Qotora never invents a price or a margin.
4. Flag what is unclear: when a line fits several parts, Qotora asks a precise question instead of guessing.
5. Review and send: a person checks every line, then sends the quote. Nothing goes out automatically.

Part numbers, cross-references and what Qotora learns

Qotora matches a request against your catalogue as your system holds it. If your catalogue carries OEM and interchange numbers, a customer’s number can find your part. If it does not, Qotora does not invent a cross-reference: it flags the line, your counter person picks the right part, and the choice is kept for the next request.

A remembered match is an exact one: the same number or the same words, written the same way. A different number is a different question. That is deliberate, because a loose match that sticks is a wrong part that keeps coming back.

Qotora does not decode a VIN and does not look up fitment by year, make and model. If your counter uses a fitment catalogue for that, keep using it. Qotora works from what the customer wrote or said and from your own catalogue.

When the request does not say enough

The same goes for brand and grade. When a customer asks for “pads” and you stock three lines, Qotora does not pick the cheapest or the most common. If a customer always buys one line, that preference can be remembered for that customer. If a part is out of stock, Qotora can propose an equivalent from your catalogue, but it stays a proposal until a person confirms it.

Units, account pricing and what stays with your counter

Your packaging rules are loaded during setup, so “2 cases” of oil or “a pail” of grease turns into the quantity you price and pick. Qotora shows what the customer wrote next to the quantity it worked out. The account level you have set for a fleet or a shop applies to the whole quote; for a new customer with none on file, the person reviewing picks one and it is remembered.

Core charges, warranty terms and fitment calls stay with your counter staff. Qotora puts each line in front of them with the customer’s original words beside it.

For a part you do not stock, such as a dealer-only item, the Team and Network plans can draft a price request to the right supplier, without naming your customer. It is ready to open in your email, you send it yourself, and the supplier’s cost goes through your margin rule before it reaches the line.

Your catalogue, your prices, your control

• Your catalogue and stock: Qotora matches against your own products, not a generic list.
• Your price rules: account levels, discounts and margins are the ones you set.
• Read-only on your system: Qotora reads your data and never writes into your software.
• A human decides: every quote is reviewed before it is sent, and there is no automatic sending.
• Corrections are remembered: when your team fixes a line, the correction counts the next time the same words arrive.

Getting started

The Counter plan is US$49 for the first month, then US$149 a month, for up to 150 quotes sent per month and unlimited users. Setup is included: our team connects Qotora to your software or imports your catalogue, stock and prices. You have a 7-day money-back guarantee, counted from the first quote you send with Qotora.

Distributors that send more quotes can choose the Team plan (US$349 a month, up to 500 quotes sent) or the Network plan (US$799 a month, up to 2,000 quotes sent).