“The Mercedes name is synonymous with high quality, innovative vehicles – a standard that we want to extend to our customers through the Vision system. The result is a more effective and efficient system that increases both dealer and customer satisfaction.”

Pascal Cousin,IT CIO, Mercedes-Benz Belgium

Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz streamlines dealer ordering and enhances customer service

Mercedes-Benz

Owned by Daimler, Mercedes-Benz is a luxury vehicle dealership in Europe and is synonymous with luxury, high quality and customer satisfaction. Mercedes-Benz automobiles are available in over 190 countries. In Belgium, Mercedes-Benz uses Micro Focus OnWeb to deliver a web-based application to its Belgian dealer network. The application is integrated with Mercedes-Benz’s corporate systems in Germany and allows dealers across Belgium to configure and order new cars online.

Outdated system for ordering a new Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz Belgium wanted to improve its customer service by providing a more flexible system with up-to-date information on car specifications and availability. The answer was to develop a new application that would provide accurate information about vehicle production, reduce the complexity of ordering a vehicle and provide accurate information about the production of the vehicle. Until that point, dealers had to look up codes in large binders and enter information into multiple systems. This process was both labor intensive and open to error. Any new Web-based application would have to integrate with the existing factory systems handling order processing, logistics, and factory slot-booking.

OnWeb delivers a dealer extranet that streamlines an integrated process

Micro Focus OnWeb proved an ideal solution, enabling Mercedes-Benz to create Vision, a complete dealer extranet that integrates with the factory systems to handle all vehicle order processing. This included configuration, pricing, locator services, delivery times, and factory slot-booking. Leveraging investment in the existing enterprise ensured expedient processing of real-time

Challenge

Mercedes-Benz Belgium needed a flexible system, with up-to-date information on car specifications and availability as its dealers had to look up codes in large binders before entering information into multiple systems.

Solution

Micro Focus OnWeb®

URL: www.mercedes-benz.comIndustry: AutomotiveCountry: Belgium

Improved customer satisfaction Streamlined order and logistics management

Improved dealer loyalty

www.microfocus.com

Highlights

customer success

Mercedes-Benz

www.microfocus.com

customer success

information. For Mercedes-Benz, the goal was to simplify the ordering procedures for dealers and improve the buying experience for customers at the same time. Now in full use across Belgium, the Vision system has made the ordering process more efficient and promoted customer satisfaction with more accurate and customized service.

The Vision interface is easy to use, allowing both customer and salesperson to “build” the car visually by selecting model, color, and trim. Micro Focus OnWeb is able to integrate the business logic that dynamically calculates the price of the car and the system checks the factory’s systems for availability and production dates. The dealer can then provide the customer with an accurate date for delivery. The flexibility of Micro Focus OnWeb allows the dealer to change the specification of the vehicle using the Vision extranet even after the original order has been placed.

Micro Focus OnWeb’s component-based business logic ensured that the Mercedes-Benz dealer extranet was completed in under 120 person days. As Vision provides access to all dealers via the internet, software distribution costs are eliminated and maintenance costs are reduced by ‘changing once – updating everywhere’. Vision requires minimal user training and support due to its accessible, intuitive design.

Cost efficiencies and improved customer satisfaction

Mercedes-Benz Belgium is realizing a return on investment based on increased customer satisfaction, and the efficiency savings that come from a Web-based system.

The Micro Focus OnWeb solution makes the Vision system friendlier to use and provides information in an integrated fashion, making the whole experience for dealers and their customers more enjoyable.

About Micro Focus

Micro Focus, a member of the FTSE 250, provides innovative software that allows companies to dramatically improve the business value of their enterprise applications. Micro Focus Enterprise Application Modernization, Testing and Management software enables customers’ business applications to respond rapidly to market changes and embrace modern architectures with reduced cost and risk.

Contact us at: www.microfocus.com ©2011 Micro Focus IP Development Limited. All rights reserved.MICRO FOCUS, the Micro Focus logo, among others, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Micro Focus IP Development Limited or its subsidiaries or affiliated companies in the United Kingdom, United States and other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. sCSMBENZ0711