Use case: MAN Truck & Bus
Why MAN chooses Ishtar365 as partner for their Extranet portal.
Who is MAN?
MAN Truck & Bus NV (Belgium) is a leading player in the transport and logistics sector and is part of the international MAN Truck & Bus Group. With a wide network of dealers and service points spread across the country, the company focuses on innovative and sustainable mobility solutions for trucks and commercial vehicles. Efficient communication and collaboration based on the most recent product information and technical documentation is crucial to serve MAN’s customers optimally. This is especially true for the employees of the 29 MAN dealers in Belgium, who need access to the same information as the internal team of MAN Belgium.
What was the reason to set up an Extranet portal?
Louis Ballaux, Product Coordinator Light & Medium Range says: “At MAN, we have been using a SharePoint solution for our internal document management and smooth collaboration between employees at headquarters and our own 7 branches for many years. However, when we also wanted to give our 22 independent dealers (private capital) access to the essential information and documents, we ran into various challenges. For example, the internal IT policy of MAN Truck & Bus SE does not allow external stakeholders to be given direct access to the internal SharePoint environment.”
This meant we had to look for an affordable solution for sharing information that was as user-friendly as it was secure, without compromising on control and manageability. That is why we chose an external portal or Extranet, where dealers get access to relevant information in a structured and controlled way, without this being in conflict with our internal security guidelines. Moreover, we are so sure that they always have the latest versions and correct information about our models, programs, and services available.”
"The implementation went exceptionally smooth and was completed within two days."
Why did MAN Belgium choose Ishtar365 and how did the implementation go?
Based on previous positive experiences with SharePoint services by the Ishtar365 team and after a convincing demo of Ishtar365 External Portal, MAN Belgium decided to select this off-the-shelf available SaaS solution for collaboration with their independent dealers.
“The implementation went exceptionally smooth and was completed within two days. During this short period, not only was the portal fully set up and configured by the Ishtar365 team, but I also received extensive training to manage and maintain the portal myself.”, testifies Louis Ballaux.
“Thanks to the user-friendly configuration options, I was able to get started right away without technical knowledge to adjust settings, manage users, and organize the various libraries. This allowed us to be operational in no time and our dealers can now work with the portal in a very efficient way.”
"Using and managing the portal is a no-brainer. Thanks to the no-code principle."
How do you experience using Ishtar.Portal?
Louis Ballaux continues: “Ishtar.Portal is extremely user-friendly. Thanks to the no-code principle within the entire platform, both using and managing it are a no-brainer.
We can easily adjust settings ourselves, add new users, manage permissions and content without being dependent on IT or external partners.”
Would you recommend Ishtar365 and the External Portal to other organizations?
“Absolutely”, says Louis Ballaux, “Ishtar365 is user-friendly and implemented very quickly, unlike when we would, for example, have a custom application built. Moreover, our IT manager has confirmed to me that it is also a very affordable solution.
Thanks to the no-code principle, you can easily configure everything yourself and you don’t need IT knowledge or consultants. This not only saves costs, but also ensures that we can implement changes very quickly.
And because this platform is so intuitive and simple to use, our dealers can get started immediately without extensive training, complicated processes, or lengthy onboarding. And because metadata is added to every document, searching for information is also extremely easy and fast for them.”
"And because this platform is so intuitive and simple to use, our dealers can get started immediately."
Finally, some key benefits of Ishtar365:
“The simplicity of the solution is essential. A simple email login that takes you directly to a portal and immediately finds the documents you want via metadata — that is exactly what our dealers need.”
“Thanks to the principle of metadata added to every document, searching for information is also extremely easy and fast for them.”
“The speed of implementation and the great service from the Ishtar365 team. Thanks to their excellent training, it was very easy to understand the tool and learn to manage it ourselves.”
~ Louis B., Product Coordinator Light & Medium Range
