Earlier this month, Epicor Software Corporation announced the acquisition of MechanicNet Group, Inc., a leading provider of customer relationship management and retention solutions for service repair businesses and their clients.
Scott Thompson, senior vice president, automotive and business services, Epicor Software Corporation, spoke with Motor Age about the acquisition, how MechanicNet fit into Epicor’s existing portfolio and what is to come for the future of the companies.
What set MechanicNet apart to Epicor?
MechanicNet has been a pioneer in CRM and retention services for vehicle repair shops, and its platform was developed specifically to meet the needs of these front-line businesses. The solution works with most of the shop management systems and has a large base of users who rely on its tools every day to help grow their businesses. And its purpose and capabilities are perfectly aligned with each of our other solutions for aftermarket businesses. This is a great fit.
Is there a plan to integrate current Epicor shop customers onto the MechanicNet platform?
Our existing portfolio of shop solutions includes the Epicor PartExpert eCatalog, which is embedded in many popular shop management systems; the Epicor Parts Network B2B eStore, which enables over 100,000 repair shops to look up and source parts through any of thousands of suppliers; and the Epicor Integrated Service Estimator solution, which helps service writers dramatically reduce the time needed to generate estimates and order the necessary parts and supplies for virtually any service occasion.
MechanicNet extends our portfolio to include outbound marketing, appointment setting and related CRM capabilities that help bring new and returning customers in the door. We are confident these capabilities will appeal to our existing customer base, and, similarly, that many MechanicNet customers will want to learn more about our other business growth solutions.
How do you feel the goals of MechanicNet and Epicor complement each other?
Ultimately, our industry depends on the continued health of front-line service businesses. MechanicNet and our other shop solutions are focused on helping these businesses attract and retain more customers, increase their operational efficiency and bay productivity, and access the latest and best information to complete each repair and provide a superior customer experience.
About MechanicNet Group, Inc.
MechanicNet Group, Inc. is an innovator of technology and provider of customer retention services specific to the automotive aftermarket. With 14 years of leadership in delivering Customer Retention Systems CRM and services to customers including General Motors and Genuine Parts Company, MechanicNet has a proven history of both providing turnkey technologies to Automotive Service Centers as well as managing corporate scale development and deployment projects. In delivering right sized solutions to each customer, we bring to bear a team deep in automotive aftermarket domain expertise, supply chain strategy knowledge, and technology development experience.
About Epicor Software Corporation
Epicor Software Corporation drives business growth. We provide flexible, industry-specific software designed to fit the precise needs of our manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industry customers. More than 45 years of experience with our customers’ unique business processes and operational requirements are built into every solution―in the cloud or on premises. With this deep understanding of your industry, Epicor solutions dramatically improve performance and profitability while easing complexity so you can focus on growth. For more information, connect with Epicor or visit www.epicor.com.
