Wifi Revolution

Trying to woo high-end luxury car shoppers into dropping big bucks isn’t the easiest task, so great customer service counts.

 

But for a large car park in Valencia, Spain, things just got a lot easier.

 

AeroScout announced today that the Valencia, Spain-based Mercedes-Benz dealership has successfully deployed its “Vehicle Tracking and Management” system.

 

This full system comprises AeroScout Wi-Fi Tags, AeroScout Exciters, a Cisco 3350 Mobility Services Engine with Context-Aware (News - Alert) Mobility Solution and AeroScout’s MobileView software. All of this works with the Cisco (News - Alert) Unified Wireless Network, which is used for WiFi and voice applications. The system works with an application developed by Telefónica, which provides car history reports and points to the location of vehicles on a site map.

 

Using the AeroScout system, the Mercedes-Benz dealership is able to extend operational efficiencies to its service department and “ensure the distinctive, high-quality customer experience associated with the Mercedes-Benz brand,” according to AeroScout.

 

The Valencia campus, which encompasses 28,000 square meters, has seven workshops and four large parking areas. Within that domain, AeroScout’s tracker now monitors the real-time location of every vehicle brought in for servicing, whether indoors or outdoors.

 

Now cars that need maintenance and servicing will be fitted with AeroScout tags; the tag (News - Alert) identification number is automatically associated with the specific car using a license plate reader. Once a vehicle is tagged, the service department can monitor the location of the car anywhere in the dealership in real time. The result is a reduction in the time staff spends locating vehicles.

 

“Knowing where every car is on the lot at all times has helped us increase the throughput of our servicing department while delivering a level of service that strengthens our customer relationships,” said Vicente Mesado, CIO at Mercedes-Benz Valencia. “For example, we can quickly see if a particular car has moved from the body shop to the paint area without having to send someone to search the entire facility. This means we can accurately predict how much time is left before the work on a particular car will be completed and keep customers updated accordingly.”

 

In September TMCnet reported that U.K.-based Arnold Clark Automobiles, which upgraded to a WiFi (News - Alert)-and-RFID-based system via the Cisco Unified Wireless Network this summer, has already saved 125 hours per month. Cars have become so much easier to track that the European independent auto dealer has been able transfer service workers to other areas.

 

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