Cardex Autoteile OHG

In Wuppertal, Germany, restoring, repairing, and servicing cars is a way of life.

So for Denis Spiecker and Christian Honeger — who describe themselves as friends first and business partners second — it made sense to open Cardex Autoteile OHG, a car parts business, in 2014.

To buy car parts in Germany, a customer must provide the retailer with the vehicle’s registration details. In the past, Denis says documentation was exchanged via email or traditional post, which was time-consuming and complicated.

In August 2018, Cardex transitioned to the WhatsApp Business app to streamline this process.

As Cardex’s primary customer communication tool, the WhatsApp Business app accounts for almost 90 percent of its sales. And in less than a year, they received more than 15,000 customer requests.

“Customers send us a picture of their vehicle’s registration document and a voice or text message asking for a car part. This way, the sales process is faster,” explains Denis.

The WhatsApp Business app’s labels feature helps Cardex organize orders, and away messages mean it can respond to customers immediately, even during busy times.

This level of customer service has not gone unnoticed.

“With my volume of work, I need to communicate very fast, and WhatsApp allows me to optimize my work much better,” explains Lars Wolfertz, a local car workshop owner who orders up to 15 products at a time.

Adds another customer, “I have chosen Cardex Autoteile because with their WhatsApp service, all the steps to acquire a piece of a car are much easier.”

Even in car-crazed Wuppertal, Denis and Christian hope to establish Cardex as the go-to destination for car parts, service, and even cleaning. And with the WhatsApp Business app helping them stand out from their competition, this is a more achievable goal than ever before.