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<\/a><\/p>\nA driver with a dead alternator and a mechanic collecting parts for a job already on the lift can end up at the same parts counter, both in a hurry and neither sure who is next. That everyday moment is what <\/span>Wavetec<\/span><\/a> set out to improve when <\/span>NAPA Auto Parts<\/span><\/a> chose a queuing solution for its store checkout counters. This case study explains what was deployed, how the pieces work together, and why a structured queue matters in automotive parts retail.<\/span><\/p>\n The improved journey starts off with customers taking a ticket from a NAPA-branded M-18 kiosk, which gives every visit a clear starting point. Counter associates then call the next customer with a wireless handset instead of shouting across the store, while Spectra QMS allocates tickets and routes each customer to the right counter. Donatello screens, UNO-Q station lights and speaker announcements all point the customer to that same counter at the same moment.<\/span><\/p>\n NAPA Auto Parts was founded in 1925 and belongs to Genuine Parts Company. By NAPA\u2019s own count, it supplies more than 800,000 unique parts through over 6,000 stores and 18,000 NAPA Auto Care centers in the United States. Its counters serve repair professionals, fleet buyers and everyday drivers, often with a deadline attached. Wavetec have provided their solution to NAPA Auto Parts in Denver, Colorad Wavetec owns the whole stack: in-house hardware, in-house software, and the deployment and support that go with them. At NAPA that meant the kiosk, station lights, handsets, signage and queue engine all came from one team and worked as one system. With 11 offices and deployments in more than 80 countries, Wavetec pairs global capability with local delivery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A parts counter is rarely quiet. Customers arrive in bursts, many are time-pressed, and the people serving them are juggling lookups, stock checks and payments. <\/span>Without a clear order of service<\/span><\/a>, customers are left guessing who is next, and associates are pulled into managing the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n The cost of getting this wrong is documented.<\/span> PwC\u2019s 2025 Customer Experience Survey<\/span><\/a>, based on 5,511 US consumers, found that 52% had stopped using or buying from a brand after a bad experience with its products or services, and 29% had stopped because of poor customer experience, online or in person. The survey does not isolate waiting, but a confusing queue is one of the most visible forms of in-store friction.<\/span><\/p>\n Wavetec combined its own hardware and software into a single flow. The kiosk creates the ticket, Spectra QMS decides where it goes, and the counter, screen and speakers tell the customer when and where to move.<\/span><\/p>\nWho is NAPA Auto Parts?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>o.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhy Wavetec<\/h2>\n
What challenge was NAPA Auto Parts facing?<\/h2>\n
The solution: one queue engine, four ways to guide the customer<\/h2>\n
How the Customer Journey Works<\/h3>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nSolution Architecture<\/h3>\n