Keeping Construction Moving: Meet Our Field Parts Representative Paul Austin

After more than 20 years in Scot JCB’s parts department, Paul Austin is taking his experience on the road in his new role as Field Parts Representative. Covering customers across Ayrshire, Glasgow & Lanarkshire, Paul will be taking a more direct approach to parts support, regularly visiting businesses to understand what they need from Scot JCB.

The aim is simple: to make it easier for customers to access the parts support they need while building stronger face-to-face relationships with the businesses Scot JCB works with every day.

Bringing Parts Support Directly to Customers

Paul’s new role is about much more than delivering parts. While he will be able to drop off scheduled orders when he is already in the area, the focus is on getting out and meeting customers, understanding their businesses and becoming a familiar point of contact. Regular visits will allow Paul to discuss upcoming requirements, whether that is service kits, filters, grease, AdBlue or other commonly used consumables.

The role also complements the existing Glasgow parts department. Customers will continue to order through the Glasgow team as normal, with Paul providing an additional level of support when he is out visiting their area.

For Paul, one of the biggest attractions of the role is the opportunity to get back to having proper conversations with customers. “When you're out physically at their site, it's one-on-one time, it's their time.” After years of working in a busy parts department where much of the communication now takes place over email and phone, being able to spend time with customers in person is welcomed by Paul.

Helping Customers Plan Ahead

A key part of Paul's role will be helping customers think ahead about the parts and consumables they are likely to need. Rather than waiting until something is urgently required, Paul can use regular visits to discuss upcoming servicing and identify what customers may need in the weeks ahead. If a customer knows they have a service coming up, for example, Paul can arrange to bring the relevant parts with him on his next visit to the area.

Paul can utilise LiveLink to help customers identify machines that are approaching scheduled servicing requirements. This approach means Paul can plan his visits around what customers need, while customers have another way to make sure the right parts are available when they need them.

The role is not intended to be an emergency delivery service. Instead, it is about scheduled support and making the most of the time Paul is already spending in each area.

More than 20 Years Experience

Paul's experience is a major part of what he brings to the role. He joined Scot JCB almost 23 years ago, initially working in the wash bay and carrying out general labouring around the yard before moving into the parts department after around two and a half years. He has now spent approximately 20 years working in parts, building up extensive knowledge of JCB machines, components and the customers who rely on them.

His time in the wash bay also gave him something particularly valuable: hands-on experience with the machines themselves. Rather than only seeing machines through parts diagrams, Paul spent years physically working around them, climbing into cabs, opening panels and seeing where components were located. That knowledge has proved invaluable when helping customers identify parts.

“When a customer phones you up and says, ‘The part is sat down beside that switch at the right-hand side,’ I know where that switch on the right-hand side is.” It is an understanding that Paul believes can make a real difference when identifying a part from a description alone.

His approach is straightforward. If he can't find what he needs from the parts drawings, he'll go and look at the machine itself. “If I don't find it within 10 minutes, I'll be out in the yard working that machine.”

That practical knowledge, combined with more than two decades of parts experience, gives Paul a strong foundation as he moves into a more customer-facing role.

A Van Stocked Around Customer Needs

Paul will carry a selection of fast-moving parts and consumables in his van, giving him the ability to make certain purchases directly while he is out visiting customers. The initial stock includes items such as fuel, oil and transmission filters, grease, rags, gloves, paint, brake pads, isolator keys and AdBlue. He will also have a card payment facility, meaning customers can purchase items directly from him where appropriate.

However, the van's stock won't remain fixed. As Paul spends more time on the road, he will build up a better understanding of what customers in his area need. “If I'm 4, 5, 6 weeks in here and I realise nobody's asked me for that... there's no point in me carrying it about”, Paul added. The idea is to develop the stock around real customer demand, creating a van that reflects the needs of the businesses Paul is visiting.

A Familiar Face for Scot JCB Customers

Ultimately, one of the biggest benefits of Paul's new role is the opportunity to put a face to the name. Many customer interactions now take place through emails and phone calls, meaning customers can regularly communicate with people they've never actually met. Paul hopes his regular visits will change that by “Having a point of contact that they can put a face to.”

Importantly, nothing changes when it comes to the Glasgow parts department. Customers can continue to contact the team there as they always have, with Paul providing an additional point of contact when he is out in their area. His role is about strengthening that existing relationship, not replacing it.

By combining more than 20 years of parts experience with regular face-to-face customer visits, Paul will be able to understand businesses on a more personal level, identify what they need and help them plan ahead.

When discussing what the new role meant to him, Paul stated, “I'm looking forward to not being stuck in an office and seeing some of the country.”

To take advantage of Scot JCB’s Field Parts Service, customers can get in touch with Paul directly on 07803 843749, or alternatively at paul.austin@scot-jcb.co.uk