“With Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, we’ve realized our vision of DMS leadership by offering a highly usable solution that integrates with other Microsoft products to foster a productive, enjoyable workplace.”

Karsten Rudolph, Senior Director, Solutions Management, incadea

Business NeedsFounded in 2000, incadea has grown to be one of the world’s leading providers of dealer management systems (DMS). More than 41,000 people in 71 countries use the company’s product, incadea.engine, at car dealerships and vehicle importers around the globe. In addition to its headquarters in Salzburg, Austria, and a development center near Munich, Germany, incadea has offices in Madrid, Spain; Moscow, Russia; and Tokyo, Japan. The 20 partners in incadea’s channel adjust the solution to meet specific customer needs and local regulatory standards. incadea engages with leading car manufacturers to incorporate their input in solution enhancements.

incadea developed incadea.engine based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Karsten Rudolph, Senior Director, Solutions Management at incadea, explains, “Microsoft Dynamics NAV provides a wealth of business management and enterprise resource planning capabilities and is very easy for us to adjust to the highly complex operating requirements of car dealerships. What’s more, in working with Microsoft Dynamics NAV, we can be extremely price-competitive.”

In a fragmented market where more than 300 DMS providers offer products with similar functionality, incadea strives to offer a solution that encompasses all business processes in car dealerships in a standardized, repeatable approach that can be successful anywhere in the world with minimal customization. However, as incadea.engine acquired extensive capabilities, the solution’s usability did not maintain the same level. incadea looked for a way to enable customers to reach functions with minimal clicks and reduce training requirements. With the automotive industry in a crisis and dealerships’ budgets cut, it was important to show a strong return for customers’ technology spending. incadea

needed to demonstrate that the solution combined high usability and dependability with the features of most relevance to dealerships and a long-term road map for enhancements and support.

SolutionWhen Microsoft released Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 with the Microsoft Dynamics RoleTailored user experience, incadea saw an opportunity to take incadea.engine to the next level of functionality and make the solution easier to learn and use. The company worked closely with Microsoft to establish a sound direction for incadea.engine and address architectural concerns. incadea’s designers used the customization options in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 to create 24 user roles that closely fit the jobs in car dealerships. These roles include, for instance, the service advisor, which is a role that interacts with customers and many different team members; the parts manager; the vehicles sales assistant and inventory clerk; and the accounting manager.

Because of incadea’s experience in the automotive sector, the company’s team was able to build the roles to fit real-life dealership environments. People working with Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 and the new incadea.engine in a dealership can rely on the role that corresponds to their job. By doing so, they can access all the solution capabilities and business information they need by navigating practical Role Centers with a minimal number of clicks. The solution’s graphical user interface and icons are intuitive and comfortable even for first-time users. Specialized pop-up boxes present the most-needed facts about customers, vehicles, sales figures, or other details a role might require. Employees can send each other messages without leaving the solution’s environment. “We gave the roles direct availability of the functionality they need but

Partner: incadeaWebsite: www.incadea.com/en/startPartner Size: 85 employeesCountry or Region: AustriaIndustry: Software engineering

Partner ProfileWith a solution based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV, incadea is a leader in providing dealership management systems. The company is based in Austria and has partners and customers around the globe.

Software and Services Microsoft Dynamics− Microsoft Dynamics NAV

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Microsoft DynamicsPartner Solution Case Study

Leader in Automotive Dealer Management Systems Enters Markets with Role-Tailored Solution

removed the solution’s complexity from the role experience,” says Rudolph.

Channel partners learn about the RoleTailored interface of incadea.engine at special events and workshops incadea offers, where they also have an opportunity to promote solution features customers are very interested in. incadea’s partners use the customization capabilities in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 to adjust the roles to dealership requirements in their respective countries. With assistance from incadea and its channel to facilitate a smooth transition, dealerships using incadea.engine are in the process of upgrading to the RoleTailored user experience.

BenefitsWith the RoleTailored user experience in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, incadea is achieving its goal of offering an optimally usable and dependable DMS that closely fits what dealerships need. “With Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009, we’ve realized our vision of DMS leadership by offering a highly usable solution that integrates with other Microsoft products to foster a productive, enjoyable workplace,” says Rudolph.

Win and Retain CustomersCustomers have given incadea enthusiastic feedback on the new version of incadea.engine that includes role-tailored capabilities and have shared their appreciation for the solution’s ability to make their employees and business processes more efficient. Several prospects who were considering a competitor’s offering decided to go with incadea when they saw the solution’s new features and understood its direction. Says Rudolph, “Customers like that we have a long-term road map for our solution, which is backed by Microsoft. They also love the improved usability with minimal training requirements. When they visualize the opportunities the solution presents to make

their work easier, a decision for an upgrade or purchase is usually close.”

Enable a Successful ChannelPartners benefit from the industry expertise and research incadea incorporated into the new version of incadea.engine. They can perform fast, efficient implementations and upgrades, performing customizations with tools for Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 before they work at customer sites. incadea also offered an early adopter program and best practices for implementations and upgrades so that partners could gain early insight into the solution’s new features and prepare their customers for it. “Our investments in business and technological expertise and the development of a role-tailored solution can translate directly into our partners’ ability to grow their businesses and meet customer needs more effectively,” says Rudolph.

Grow in New MarketsFor incadea, offering incadea.engine with role-tailored capabilities based on Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 means an increased ability to grow and compete. “We can now pursue new business, for example in Japan, where we have a minimal presence so far,” says Rudolph. “The new version of our solution will also be instrumental in attracting new partners to our channel.”

With an increased ability to meet demanding customer needs, incadea expects significant growth in Asia, Europe, the South Pacific region, and South America. Because of the solution’s high usability and flexibility, Rudolph also believes that the company has a valuable opportunity in transitioning customers away from many older systems, which tend to be much harder to customize, learn, and use.

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Document published August 2010