Microsoft Office SystemCustomer Solution Case Study

Citroën U.K. Rebuilds Web Site in Three Months, Attracts 27 Per Cent More

OverviewCountry or Region: United KingdomIndustry: Manufacturing—Automotive

Customer ProfileCitroën UK Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PSA Peugeot Citroën. It is one of the top 10 automobile manufacturers in the United Kingdom with market share of 4.2 per cent.

Business SituationCitroën wanted to enhance the usability and visual appeal of its corporate Web site, optimize search results so users could find the site easily, and reduce the time and cost of updating site content.

SolutionCitroën worked with Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Dot Net Solutions to build a Web content management solution based on Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007.

Benefits Enhanced business development Increased site presence and

flexibility High productivity Effective marketing, reduced

“With Office SharePoint Server 2007, …. my team can spend more time on business development, and we can respond more dynamically to the commercial needs of the business.”Jules Tilstone, Head of Digital Marketing, Citroën United Kingdom (U.K.)Citroën UK Ltd wanted to enhance the visual appeal and shrink the administrative burden of its Web site. It wanted to reduce manual processes when updating site content and reach out to more prospective customers. Working with Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Dot Net Solutions, it built a new Web site based on Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007 that went live in just three months. As a result, the appeal and the usability of the Web site have dramatically improved, and content updates take half the time they took before. With a rich user interface, improved site performance, and automated content management, Citroën increased site visits by 27 per cent, reduced costs, enhanced the user experience for site visitors, and made site administration simpler and more productive.

SituationCitroën UK Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of PSA Peugeot Citroën. With a 4 per cent share in the U.K. passenger car market, Citroën is one of the top 10 manufacturers in the country. And in the light commercial vehicles industry, its impressive 7 per cent market share puts the company in fifth place.

The organisation’s strong market position relies on its widespread network of 250 dealers, customer-focused services, and, most importantly, its Web site. “Today, consumers’ buying behaviours are highly influenced by the Internet,” says Jules Tilstone, Head of Digital Marketing at Citroën. “A Web site is the easiest way for prospective customers to access vehicle information, which is why it’s the right place for us to conduct marketing campaigns to generate sales leads.”

In 2007, Citroën U.K. reviewed its six-year-old Web site—a custom-built site that was advanced at launch, but in urgent need of an update. First, the usability and visual appeal of the U.K. Web site didn’t match the quality standards of Citroën vehicles. The company wanted to improve the user experience on the site and consequently increase site traffic to enhance the results of its marketing efforts. Because the Web site URLs were not optimized for major search engines, Citroën had to spend a significant amount of money on pay-per-click advertising.

But the main challenge Citroën wanted to overcome was a time-consuming content-update process. Regularly, the U.K. office received flat files with price increases or other modified car specifications from France. Lack of features in the system meant content teams had to manually upload data on each Web page individually. Sandrine Lavoisé, Webmaster at Citroën UK, not only had to use an external agency to assist her with regular updates, but when new products were launched, she spent up to a week publishing the information. Citroën needed a more flexible Web site where it could update content easily and quickly, whenever necessary.

“We urgently needed a new site that could eliminate manual data entry but retain important information and services such as the dealer and postcode look-up from the existing Web services,” says Brian Woodroof, Web Operations and Development Manager at Citroën U.K. “At the same time, we required search engine optimization so users could find the site easily, even without knowing the correct URL.”

SolutionAfter finalizing the Web site design, Citroën decided to build the site on Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007 because of its ease of use and scalability. The company wanted to go live with the new site in time for the launch of the new Citroën C5 model, and it needed an IT partner

“We urgently needed a new site that could eliminate manual data entry but retain important information and services … from the existing Web services. At the same time, we required search engine optimization so users could find the site easily.”Brian Woodroof, Web Operations and Development Manager, Citroën UK Ltd

that could take the solution live within a tight delivery deadline of just three months.

In December 2007, Citroën started working with Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Dot Net Solutions to build an enterprise-ready Web content management environment based on Office SharePoint Server 2007. With Office SharePoint Server 2007, Citroën and Dot Net built a Web site managed on four servers being run at a hosting partner in the U.K. The site includes more than 4.2 gigabytes of data, and more than 8,500 content items on approximately 1,000 pages.

Using the Agile software development methodology, which emphasizes short timeframes and adaptability, Dot Net delivered the most important parts of the site as quickly as possible, developing each section in production quality, ready to go. This iterative approach, coupled with continuous feedback and collaboration with Citroën’s IT team, helped to avoid delays and mistakes that could have compromised the project budget or delivery schedule. Every day throughout the development process, Woodroof and Lavoisé met the nine Dot Net developers working on the project. Together, they reviewed the code iterations and discussed customizations to ensure minimum redevelopment. By combining the Agile methodology with the efficient Web site development and deployment capabilities in Office SharePoint Server 2007, Dot Net

provided quick turnaround and met Citroën’s tight delivery deadline.

“The delivery deadline was not going to move because Citroën had invested a lot of promotional money into the C5 launch date,” says Ravi Nar, Head of Projects at Dot Net Solutions. “In conjunction with the benefits in Office SharePoint Server 2007, our project delivery methodology meant that we could deliver the Web site incredibly quickly and on schedule.” Using Office SharePoint Server 2007 and other Microsoft products and technologies—including Microsoft SQL Server® 2005 data management software, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Integration Services, Windows® Communication Foundation (WCF), and the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5—Citroën automated the content update process for its Web site. For instance, Citroën requested separate pages for every dealer, including contact information, maps, and details on the services each one provides. The dealer Web pages are maintained through a data feed received daily via File Transfer Protocol (FTP). The site automatically uploads the data and generates new content. Another data feed contains vehicle information, including prices, offers, colours, technical information, and available equipment options. That data is received in a ZIP file and uploaded through one of the site administration areas.

“With Office SharePoint Server 2007, we used existing languages … to speed development and add features easily. It could have taken us up to nine months to develop the same site in a non-Microsoft environment.”

The flat data file is imported to SQL Server 2005, and then Citroën uses SQL Server 2005 Integration Services to automatically extract, transform, and load data on the appropriate Web pages. Dot Net created custom-built server controls using the .NET Framework to manage page layouts and used the Office SharePoint Server 2007 versioning feature to maintain data versions for each Web page.

Dot Net developed a tax calculator for the Web site, so users in the U.K. can determine their tax burden if they accept a company car from their employers. The tax calculator is exposed through Windows Communication Foundation, a Microsoft environment for building connected systems using the .NET Framework.

Using out-of-the-box features in Office SharePoint Server 2007, Dot Net provided site administrators with a simple system-management interface, which helps the Citroën digital team quickly collect data from the car database and publish it. To enhance the experience for site visitors, Dot Net created a rich user interface using ASP.NET technologies such as AJAX, which simplifies site navigation and reduces download times. Using site map providers in Office SharePoint Server 2007, Dot Net developed an XML representation of the site structure, a human and machine-readable view of data, which gives site administrators more flexibility to change the site as necessary while maintaining the

versioning control and content management functionality of Office SharePoint Server 2007.

To help increase manageability and efficiency, Dot Net used Office SharePoint Server 2007 to develop screens that Content Administrators use to automatically manage banners, videos, or images that appear on the sides or bottom of some site pages. Citroën wanted to be able to specify which banner could be inherited by a particular site or pages, so administrators could place the same banner on numerous pages without having to define it multiple times. Dot Net developed custom fields in Office SharePoint Server 2007 to allow administrators to define a banner, and then specify which pages would inherit that banner, including time and date parameters.

To provide developers with a structured, object-orientated view of data, Dot Net used LINQ to SQL to run queries against the database. Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) is a set of features in the Microsoft Visual Studio® 2008 development system that introduces standard, easily-learned patterns for querying and updating data. With LINQ, developers can avoid mistakes and save time when building or modifying site pages.

In addition to LINQ, Dot Net also took advantage of native Office SharePoint Server 2007 technologies, including SharePoint Lists, the .NET Framework 3.5, and ASP.NET 3.5, to develop the

“The site is now a major contributor in helping customers choose Citroën models over other available options before they approach a dealer.”Jules Tilstone, Head of Digital Marketing, Citroën UK Ltd

features it built on top of the Office SharePoint Server 2007 Web content management system. For instance, to maintain control over mark-up so that screen readers and search engines can understand it, Dot Net developers had to write many sub-controls, a process made simple with ASP.NET technology.

BenefitsBy using Office SharePoint Server 2007 and other Microsoft technologies, Citroën was able to develop and launch an effective, efficient Web site within its tight deadline. With its new Web site, Citroen U.K. has increased the company’s Web presence, enhanced site flexibility, and improved the productivity of site administrators. The company has reduced the cost of managing the site, made its online marketing efforts more effective, and improved the site experience for users.

Efficient Site DeploymentAnnouncing the release of the new Citroën C5 model, Citroën launched the new Web site in March 2008, right on schedule. “With Office SharePoint Server 2007, we used existing languages—the .NET Framework and Microsoft Visual C#®— to speed development and add features easily,” says Nar. “It could have taken us up to nine months to develop the same site in a non-Microsoft environment.”

Enhanced Business Development

Citroën has preserved the existing site’s data and services by using redirects, and its independent micro sites draw content from the main site and avoid the duplication of data input—ensuring a consistent customer experience. “The site is now a major contributor in helping customers choose Citroën models over other available options before they approach a dealer,” says Tilstone. “With Office SharePoint Server 2007, we reduced administrative workloads. My team can spend more time on business development, and we can respond more dynamically to the commercial needs of the business.”

Increased Site Presence and FlexibilitySince Citroën launched the new Web site, site visits have increased by 27 per cent in one year and page views also went up by 27 per cent. Currently, 300,000 to 400,000 users visit the site each month, and total site visits continue to grow.

Visitors can use the Web site to order brochures, request test drives, send feedback to Citroën, or look up the vehicle ID number for their own car. The total number of these types of transactions on the site has increased by between 14 and 19 percent.

With versioning, Citroën can prepare new product data in advance. As soon as the new car arrives, the company can update its site with the latest product information. “With Office SharePoint Server 2007, we were able

to eliminate a time-consuming manual task from the previous system,” says Nar. “Now, site administrators upload information in advance, and on the correct date, somebody just clicks a button and it all goes live.”

By using LINQ to SQL to query and update data, site developers can get fast query results that are simple and intuitive, avoid run-time errors, and modify the Web site easily and efficiently.

High ProductivityReduced manual data entries help the Citroën digital team update the site in half the time it took previously, decrease its reliance on external agencies, and concentrate on marketing activities. “The value for Citroën is that now they can just FTP up a file with all the information about all the dealers and the system, and then the Web site handles everything itself,” says Nar. “Now they can give the Citroën customer timely, accurate information about the dealers, vehicles, and services the company offers with a minimum of effort.”

With the improved management interface for site administrators, Citroën now has a central point where it can manage all site banners rather than having to define them for every page, avoiding maintenance challenges if it needs to change a banner due to a mistake or because the image is no longer relevant. For example, if an offer is only applicable for one month, Citroën can make sure

that its banner is only displayed during the relevant period of time. “Previously, site managers had to remember where they put all these banners and remember to delete them all individually when a promotion expired,” says Marcus Tillett, Head of Technology at Dot Net Solutions. “Now, they can set it and forget it. A lot of the management screens we developed have similar features in terms of ease of use, ease of maintenance, and basic ease of life for administrators.”

Effective Marketing, Reduced CostsWith automatically generated URLs that cut content deployment times and help optimize search results, Citroën enjoys an added advantage when carrying out short-term online marketing campaigns using micro sites. With search engine optimization, Citroën Web site URLs are the top results on most search engines. As a result, Tilstone reduced spending on pay-per-click advertising activity for the company.

Enhanced User ExperienceWith caching techniques in Office SharePoint Server 2007 and AJAX, Citroen has been able to improve page download speeds on the Web site, making it easier for site visitors to find the information they’re looking for. “Before, users spent an average of 6 minutes 23 seconds on the site. They now stay on the site for 5 minutes 11 seconds as they get to the relevant information faster,” says Tilstone.

“With Office SharePoint Server 2007, we were able to eliminate a time-consuming manual task…. Now, site administrators upload information in advance, and on the correct date, somebody just clicks a button and it all goes live.”

Microsoft Office SystemThe Microsoft Office system is the business world’s chosen environment for information work, providing the programs, servers, and services that help you succeed by transforming information into impact.

For more information about the Microsoft Office system, go to: www.microsoft.com/office

For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: www.microsoft.com

For more information about Dot Net Solutions products and services, visit the Web site at: www.dotnetsolutions.ltd.uk

For more information about Citroën UK Ltd products and services, visit the Web site at: www.citroen.co.uk

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published March 2009

Software and Services Microsoft Office

− 2007 Microsoft Office system− Microsoft Office SharePoint

Server 2007 Microsoft Server Product Portfolio

− Microsoft SQL Server 2005− Microsoft SQL Server 2005

Integration Services

Technologies− Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5− Microsoft ASP.NET− Microsoft Visual C#− Language-Integrated Query

(LINQ)− Windows Communication

Foundation