“Now, everyone in our company can focus on what really matters in this business—keeping customers happy.”

Vlatko Ramač, Deputy Director-General, General-auto

General-auto, a leading car dealership in Serbia, has grown rapidly over the past 12 years. Its business information system couldn’t support such rapid change, so the company worked with Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Ipsylon to build a flexible and scalable solution based on Microsoft technologies. The new system is simple to use and didn’t require any training or customisation.

Business NeedsEstablished in 1990 in Novi Sad, Serbia, General-auto also has a retail and service centre in Belgrade. Until 1998, the company employed 12 people who serviced vehicles and sold spare parts. The business became an authorised retailer and service centre for Iveco vans and lorries, as well as passenger vehicles manufactured by Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and Mazda. The company’s revenue is now 50 times greater than it was 10 years ago, and it currently employs 164 people.

Dragan Marinković, Director-General at General-auto, says: “We would not be able to achieve such rapid growth without the use of IT.” But the company’s IT

infrastructure couldn’t cope with this expansion. With more than 100 invoices created daily, many products to be stored, and business tasks developed, General-auto needed a new system. It had to be dynamic to support development, but also agile and easy to adjust to different needs.

General-auto first tried to satisfy these demands with an SAP solution, and at one point held more than 50 licences. Marinković says: “We needed a scalable solution. The company couldn’t financially sustain a continuous need for additional licences—we realised we were serving the system, instead of the system serving us.”

SolutionGeneral-auto has a reputation for early adoption of IT trends. In keeping with this practice, the company was one of the first Microsoft clients to deploy Microsoft Office 2010. “We wanted to test its new features, so we participated in the beta testing,” says Marinković. As soon as this was complete, General-auto deployed Microsoft Office 2010 across the company.

Impressed with Microsoft Office 2010, the management team at General-auto consulted with Ipsylon and chose the Windows-based software package ACORD. Slavoljub Arsenijević, Marketing Manager for Ipsylon, says: “ACORD was developed for businesses with a number of operational activities and business units in different locations that need detailed data and analyses. Since General-auto already used Microsoft Office applications, it was an easy decision to implement ACORD. Staff are already familiar with this environment, so the solution requires minimal staff training.”

All ACORD reports can be imported into Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Word is used to print reports and other documents. “Our employees found it easy to adjust to this new system, because they’re familiar with Microsoft software,” says Marinković.

Customer: General-autoWebsite: www.generalauto.rsNumber of Employees: 164Country or Region: SerbiaIndustry: Manufacturing—Automotive and industrial manufacturing Partner: Ipsylon

Customer ProfileOperating out of two locations in Serbia, General-auto is an authorised retailer and service centre for Iveco vans and lorries, and passenger vehicles manufactured by Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and Mazda.

Software and Services Microsoft Office− Microsoft Office 2010

Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Windows Small Business Server 2008

R2− Windows 7

For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit: www.microsoft.com/casestudies

Microsoft Office SystemCustomer Solution Case Study

Automotive Dealership Supports Rapid Growth with Easy-to-Use, Scalable Solution

BenefitsACORD easily integrates with Microsoft Office applications, so training is minimal and staff can quickly access important information. Vlatko Ramač, Deputy Director-General at General-auto, says: “Now, everyone in our company can focus on what really matters in this business—keeping customers happy.”

Familiar interface minimises the need for additional training. Borislav Knežević, Windows and Database Administrator at Ipsylon, says: “As soon as we started testing Office 2010, we noticed that it was easier to use.”

Security and safety features protect the business environment. Security features of Microsoft Office 2010—such as active content alerts—reduce the risk of attacks from malicious software. Additional security features include Protected View, providing a safe environment to view suspect files, and File Block, preventing potentially dangerous, outdated file types from opening. “Software security is important, and this type of functionality provides computers with efficient protection from potential threats,” says Knežević.

Ease of reporting improves business intelligence. Better reports improve insight into the business. Quick production of these reports is just as important as simplicity of use. “I create a number of reports every day and don’t want to spend more than 10 minutes on each of them,” says Marinković.

Employees reach customers through powerful multimedia presentations. With new audio and visual Microsoft PowerPoint capabilities, staff can create compelling material.

For More InformationFor further information about Microsoft products and services, please visit www.microsoft.com/uk

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Document published November 2010