SCHAUMBURG, Ill. Motor Coach Industries hopes to make it easier for motorcoach operators to run their businesses with its new Pro Support initiative.

The program is designed to bring together all of the company service efforts and expand many of them, including its online parts store.

"MCI is not just about selling coaches," said Ken Russell, vice president of aftermarket customer support. "We also can now offer our customers an expanded menu of customizable training, marketing assistance and many other elements that can help make the difference between surviving nicely and succeeding greatly."

The Pro Support network puts together under a single umbrella MCIs full line of aftermarket services technical support, parts, service, financial services, training, emergency roadside assistance, warranty claims and marketing resources.

The company also strengthened its customer service efforts by increasing its technical support staff, adding classes that are taught in Spanish and expanding its regular service hours.

Additionally, several new features were incorporated into its parts Web site, PartsStore.mcicoach.com.

Included are a log-in page with a rotating carousel that identifies the most popular parts and products favored by customers, an expanded feature menu so shoppers can quickly find the part they need, and an enhanced navigation system. It also updated the quick-order entry element so customers can enter as many as 10 items at once to reduce order processing time, and introduced a "view-alt" link that lets customers see if there may be an alternate part available at a lower price.

"We want to encourage our customers to give ordering parts online a try," said Russell. "You cant beat the convenience and speed, and our new features simplify the process."

Customers can open an online account by going directly to the parts story Web site or visiting www.mcicoach.com.