With the introduction of the XENTRY Support System, Mercedes-Benz AG is reorganising its global after-sales organisation. A centralised service management platform harmonises support processes, increases transparency and lays the foundations for data-driven services, automation and the future use of AI. In collaboration with Materna, a solution has been developed that consistently combines technological modernisation, organisational change and the customer experience.
Within the Global Customer Service & Parts division, specifically within the Retail Operations organisation, Mercedes-Benz supports workshops worldwide in their day-to-day operations. For many years, a bespoke ticketing system based on BMC technologies was used for this purpose. Whilst this solution was closely tailored to the needs of individual business units, it was based on a technology stack that had since become obsolete.
As the Group’s digitalisation strategy progressed, requirements increased significantly. Differing processes, media discontinuities and a lack of transparency made cross-departmental and cross-border collaboration increasingly difficult. At the same time, there was a growing need to seamlessly integrate telematics data and digital workshop processes into support.
Against this backdrop, the decision was taken to fundamentally realign Retail Support. The aim was to harmonise the workflows of all support units via a central service management platform, thereby enabling more efficient handling of customer enquiries and better collaboration across all levels.
In terms of processes, the aim was to reduce the workload on support levels, simplify routing structures and preserve knowledge in the long term. At the same time, the support organisation needed to be structured in a scalable manner and end-to-end transparency established – from ticket creation and processing right through to reporting and compliance with service level agreements. In addition, operating costs were to be reduced and a foundation laid for automation and potential centralisation.
With the new XENTRY Support System, Mercedes-Benz is relying on the latest standard products from BMC Helix, in particular BMC Helix Digital Workplace and BMC Helix Business Workflows. The solution runs in a container-based environment and is operated on-premises in the customer’s own AWS cloud. The switch from Oracle to PostgreSQL as the database system helps to reduce licence costs and harmonise the IT landscape.
Through its close integration with the XENTRY after-sales ecosystem, the system is connected to numerous existing applications and interfaces. Workshops worldwide can submit support requests via a guided ticket creation process. Structured questionnaires ensure that all relevant information is available from the outset, regardless of whether a ticket is created manually or automatically from a diagnostic device.
Tickets are pre-filled based on context, automatically forwarded to the relevant support teams and can also be processed on the go via smartphones and tablets. This is complemented by a multilingual knowledge base and integrated live reporting, which provides transparency regarding workload, trends and service quality at all times.
The benefits are particularly evident in the day-to-day work of dealers and support units. Thanks to the standardised ticket creation process worldwide, the number of incorrectly completed enquiries has fallen significantly. Follow-up enquiries are reduced, processing times are shortened and support processes are more robust overall.
A key shift in perspective was to consistently align the system with the needs of workshop staff. Whilst the focus had previously been primarily on ease of use for support staff, the new system is designed to meet the requirements of end users. This ensures a high level of acceptance in the markets and a noticeably improved customer experience.
“When you switch from a system that has been established for over 18 years, it’s always a change process,”
says Dr Alexandra Voit from XENTRY Retail Support, Quality & Contract Management at Mercedes-Benz.
“There was some resistance at first, but acceptance has risen steadily as the roll-out has progressed. Feedback has been particularly positive from service centres, as the processing of support enquiries has become faster and significantly more efficient.”
A key advancement lies in integrated live reporting. Trends can now be identified in real time, whereas previously they only became apparent in retrospect. This enables proactive support and has a positive impact on downstream processes such as spare parts procurement. In addition, the knowledge base provides quick access to self-help guides and reduces waiting times in workshops.
The benefits of the new solution are also evident in particularly complex markets. In China, for example, it has been possible to speed up processes that previously had to be mapped across multiple systems due to regulatory requirements.
The XENTRY Support System has been deliberately designed with the future in mind. In future, generative AI – such as HelixGPT – is set to further support support processes. Plans include the automated analysis of diagnostic information, the provision of clear summaries of lengthy ticket histories, and easier access to knowledge bases. This would enable known incidents to be identified and resolved more quickly – a further step towards proactive, predictive support.
A key component of the project’s success is the long-standing collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Materna. For over 20 years, Materna has been supporting the Group in the field of BMC technologies, contributing in-depth expertise in BMC Helix, business workflows and the digital workplace. Added to this is a close partnership with BMC and a high degree of trust in their joint capabilities.
The result is a solution that not only addresses existing weaknesses but also creates a sustainable foundation with standardised processes, a high degree of transparency and a clear focus on user and customer experience for the global after-sales operations of the future.
