Stronger customer connections help astara increase turnover by 300%
astara boosts lead conversion and customer loyalty by 30% with Einstein 1.
When it comes to driving, consumers’ preferences change fast. One minute, they crave the luxury of a self-driving vehicle, the next, they’re content to rideshare in a practical Fiat 500. Global open mobility company astara recognized that the market was crowded with various companies offering different services to consumers, but none that catered to what they really wanted. However, with so many companies in the industry, it was difficult and costly to compete as a business centered on car distribution, vehicle subscriptions, and connected vehicle software. The solution? Not competitive intelligence, but customer intelligence.
“We needed to transform our entire business model to get closer to our customers. And Einstein 1 helped make it happen,” said Jorge Navea, astara’s CEO.
Using Einstein 1, astara can bring together data that includes dealership interactions and website visits to create a single view of its customer. Now, astara can predict if a driver is going to be more interested in taking out a subscription for a sports car or buying a family 4x4. And that means it can stay one step ahead of its customers – and its competitors.
The transformation has helped astara achieve:
- 300% increase in turnover in six years
- 20% uplift in lead conversion rates
- 30% boost in customer loyalty.
Let’s take a closer look at how Einstein 1 is giving astara the data and tools needed to drive right on the edge of automotive innovation.
TOTAL CUSTOMER-BASED TRANSFORMATION
Development of the platform of the future
1. Listening to customers unlocks new revenue streams.
astara sold 230,000 cars in 2022, a new record for the company even after 43 years in business. Yet, employees were still reliant on data from their B2B dealership partners to understand how its market and customer base were evolving. This created problems, such as spotting new mobility trends and sending personalized promotions to customers. “To stay competitive, we need to listen and connect to our customers directly,” said Antonio Rodríguez, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at astara.
astara built a new platform on Einstein 1, which allows sales, service, marketing, and channel colleagues to collaborate and innovate using the same data.
astara can now assess digital competitiveness in Finland, for example, or whether subscription models have taken off in Peru. Using this data, astara’s sales reps and marketers can build stronger relationships with customers by offering them exactly what they’re looking for. For example, if someone is interested in a specific model or version of a vehicle that is currently unavailable, marketing automation flows can offer alternatives based on customer behavior.
“Salesforce is much more than just a CRM platform; it’s transactional, operational, and social. And it accounts for 70% of our tech stack,” said Rodríguez.
2. Boosting efficiency and visibility with 700+ MuleSoft integration flows.
Better customer experiences don’t just happen on their own. Behind the scenes, astara’s technology department used Heroku Connect and MuleSoft to unify information from more than 70 sources – from banks and third-party lenders to car dealers and shipping firms. It has also connected Salesforce with its SAP enterprise resource planning system, which simplifies subscription billing.
And there’s still more integration to come. astara wants to use Automotive Cloud to connect customer data and vehicle management in the same platform. “With Automotive Cloud, we will be able to increase customers’ lifetime value and decrease operational costs,” said Rodriguez.
astara has created 700+ automated workflows with MuleSoft, which boosts efficiency and ensures the right data is available at the right time. For example, it can assign a final customer sales order to a vehicle that has not been produced yet by assigning the customer to the specific manufacturing slot confirmed by the OEM.
To improve the decision making process, astara uses Tableau and CRM Analytics to visualize mobility and vehicle ownership models trends. “With Salesforce, we can turn data into actionable insights to help our people make smarter decisions and build stronger connections with customers,” said Rocío Rufilanchas, astara’s Global Chief People Officer.
The company, which employs more than 2,500 people, is also using Slack to encourage stronger connections between colleagues. The productivity platform is integrated with Einstein 1, making it easier for teams to share knowledge and accelerate innovation.
250K+
transactions processed
per day with MuleSoft
700+
automated workflows
powered by MuleSoft
3. Smarter opportunity management helps drive 500% growth in six years.
When your organization is expanding fast, it can be hard to keep track of new business opportunities – especially when a lot of your sales come from external partners.
In six years, astara has grown its revenue by 500% and moved into 15 new territories. And it’s not missed a beat. Whether it’s a vehicle sale or subscription, every step is managed in Sales Cloud. Einstein lead scoring provides AI insights that help sales reps prioritize opportunities.
astara also uses CRM Analytics and Marketing Cloud Intelligence to capture data on dealership sales, which means it can promote the right vehicles in the right territories. “We’ve gone from invoicing €1.9 billion in 2015 to €6 billion in 2022,” said Rodríguez. “Our sales cycle is now more collaborative and predictive.” This has helped astara increase its lead conversion rate by 30% and reduce its customer acquisition costs by 20% in a year.
To make sales processes even more efficient, the company has built a customer portal on B2C Commerce Cloud, which means drivers can purchase spare automotive parts without having to contact astara or a dealer. “With Salesforce, we can be more flexible in how we go to market. It helps us keep a start-up mindset,” said Navea.
30%
increase in
lead conversion rate
20%
reduction in
customer acquisition costs
4. Greater personalization helps increase NPS by 20%.
Winning new customers is just the start. You also need to keep them. For astara, this means personalizing every mobility solution and customer interaction. And its strategy has been a great success: customer loyalty has increased by 30% year-on-year and its Net Promoter Score rose by 20% year-on-year.
To nurture its customer relationships, astara has developed more than 250 automated and personalized journeys with Marketing Cloud which are linked to key moments and objectives. The journeys enable astara to maintain direct relationships with thousands of customers – even if they bought or leased their vehicle through a third party.
Engagement metrics are captured in a customer’s record in Service Cloud and used to shape future interactions, such as up-selling conversations and marketing promotions.
astara also uses Marketing Cloud Intelligence to measure the success of new campaigns and initiatives. “Our digital channels clock up to around 50 million visits every year,” said Marta Rios, astara’s Chief Brand Officer. “With Marketing Cloud, we can make sure our content delivers maximum value.”
For astara, providing an excellent experience doesn’t stop when a customer signs on the dotted line. By tracking every customer support interaction in Service Cloud, astara can ensure its personalized approach spans the entire mobility lifecycle.
20%
increase in
Net Promoter Score
30%
rise in
customer loyalty
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