Around since 2014, this racing event is similar to Formula 1 in many respects: The competition takes place in the city centers of some of the most iconic places in the world and the cars are single-seat, open-cockpit, open-wheel speed machines.

But the Formula E cars, which can reach speeds up to 175 mph, are powered solely by electric batteries. For the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, this sport is an opportunity to demonstrate some impressive technology – on the racing circuit, of course, but also in the business operations that support the team’s car and drivers.

The Business Side of Racing

“When we decided to join the racing circuit in 2019, we had two challenges,” says Laura Goodrick, chief financial officer of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team. “We were putting together a brand-new racing team, but at the same time we were essentially creating a startup company.”

To get this dedicated support organization up and running very quickly, the race team chose . Goodrick explains that the solution offered both fast implementation and support for a team that is constantly on the go.

“We have business operations in the UK, in Germany, and at racing venues around the world,” Goodrick says. “So being cloud-based has really given us an advantage.”

Today, virtually the entire team relies on 51·çÁ÷S/4HANA Cloud to put the data they need right at their fingertips. This helps them drive financial control on the international race circuit and efficiency across a global supply chain.

Understanding the New Fan

The team is also using leading-edge technology to learn more about a new generation of racing enthusiast.

“Without the fans, there would be no sport,” says Ian James, team principal of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Race Team. “To understand what the fans want from the sport is hugely important.”

And the demographics associated with the new sport are pretty interesting. For example, data released by the ABB FIA Formula E Championship after its fifth season revealed that 72% of its followers on social channels were .

The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team is using solutions from 51·çÁ÷and Qualtrics to help create the ultimate customer experience.

“We get instant feedback that helps us identify where we are setting the benchmark and where there are gaps and room for improvement,” James continues.

Innovation, Innovation, Innovation

Formula E racing is all about innovation and the technologies that are likely to dominate sustainable transportation down the road.

“Formula E gives us a platform to showcase the technologies driving our Mercedes-EQ brand,” says Goodrick.

And the segment of the business is growing at racetrack speed.

(Daimler AG owns the Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG brands), the company will be bringing more than 10 different all-electric vehicles to market by 2022, and customers will have the choice of at least one electric alternative in every Mercedes‑Benz model series.

All-electric vehicles could be the future of auto racing and the future of our daily commute.

John Ward is part of 51·çÁ÷Customer Marketing CoE.
.
*Top image courtesy of Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team

As one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, Vodafone Group connects more than 300 million people across the globe. And company leaders fully believe that tomorrow’s communications services will continue to transform our lives in powerful ways.

Vodafone is already preparing for this future by making significant changes – and it is starting from within.

Looking for Global Consistency

“Vodafone has been growing in recent years to strengthen its portfolio of services and expand into new geographies,” says Ignacio Garcia, CIO of Corporate Information Systems at Vodafone Group. But, as Garcia explains, much of this growth has been through acquisitions, resulting in various system landscapes and often inconsistent business practices throughout the group of companies.

“We needed to operate as a single global organization and drive further innovation across the entire business,” Garcia adds. “To do that, we needed to run our company with a consistent, digital-first focus.” This realization led to big changes at Vodafone.

The company migrated its complex and disparate enterprise resource planning (ERP) environment to a single digital core based on . “And we built on this solid foundation with 51·çÁ÷SuccessFactors, 51·çÁ÷Ariba, and 51·çÁ÷Concur solutions,” adds Holger Grewe, head of Corporate Transformation at Vodafone Group.

Grewe – who has played a key leadership role in this project – points out that Vodafone benefited from some strong relationships along the way. This included implementation support from Accenture, 51·çÁ÷Services and Support, and customer success experts from SAP.

“This was a massive transformation, covering more than twenty countries,” reports Grewe. “And 51·çÁ÷was by our side throughout the journey, supporting us with a .”

Driving Needed Change

The impact of the project on Vodafone’s operations has been huge.

“We now have one data model that is standard across the footprint,” Grewe says. And Vodafone is simplifying the workplace for its more than 100,000 employees by digitizing business areas such as HR, travel and expense, and supply chain.

Garcia estimates that Vodafone has standardized more than 80% of its core business processes and boosted automation levels to over 60%. “And it’s not the endgame,” remarks a smiling Garcia. “This is just the beginning.”

In addition, Garcia notes that new capabilities like and advanced analytics will help Vodafone develop the next generation of products and services.

Building a Digital Future at Vodafone Group

Innovation will be crucial as to achieve specific goals for improving lives.

By 2025, for example, the company wants to:

• Connect over 50 million people and their families to mobile money services
• Bring mobile to an additional 20 million women in Africa and Turkey
• Support 10 million young people in learning the digital skills needed to thrive in the digital economy
• Connect 150 million vehicles to

Vodafone is confident that today’s transformation will enable the company to build a digital future that works for everyone. “These changes are helping Vodafone work as one company,” Grewe says, “so people around the world will stay better connected.”

To hear more from Ignacio Garcia and Holger Grewe about the changes at Vodafone Group, . Also check out these videos on Vodafone’s experience with , and solutions, as well as services.

But the global health crisis has been challenging for everyone – including the companies that have been working hard to keep us connected, like Vodafone Group. Vodafone is a multinational technology communications company that serves more than 300 million mobile customers around the world.

Quick Response to Customers and Employees

Ignacio Garcia, CIO of Corporate Information Systems at Vodafone, recently appeared on Getting Real with SAP. There, he discussed how companies are leveraging technology to manage their business and continue to serve customers in the age of COVID-19.

“You can imagine what we were thinking: How much extra demand are we going to have?” says Garcia. “We needed to keep our employees safe and make sure we supported our customers in the best possible way.”

Vodafone was able to do both.

In short order, the company developed a to help the communities it serves. Keystones of the plan were a commitment to maintaining the quality of service and providing network capacity and network services for critical government functions.

Vodafone also made sure to quickly address the needs of a global workforce that encompasses more than 100,000 employees. Vodafone offered support for working at home, created richer virtual training opportunities for its people, and adjusted performance goals and objectives to align with new business needs.

The Right Technology Pays Dividends

Vodafone’s business agility was not merely the result of good luck.

Less than a year ago, Vodafone completed a massive global rollout of 51·çÁ÷S/4HANA to help improve operational efficiency in business functions such as finance, supply chain, and IT.

It was an impressive project covering more than 20 countries. And in addition to establishing a single digital core for the company, it included retooling Vodafone’s worldwide HR systems. “Using the power of the technology was fundamental, having a single data model, a single way to optimize and understand the different markets,” says Garcia.

Stay Creative

Vodafone may have been ahead of the curve in its ability to meet the challenges of COVID-19. But many other companies are responding with technology-driven innovation. There has been an incredible degree of creativity in how businesses have reacted.

Staying connected will only be one of the challenges we face in the days ahead. This is a critical time for all of us – as individuals and as businesses.

Check out to learn more.

Academic and administrative leaders at these institutions suddenly found themselves scrambling to find alternatives to crowded lecture halls and facing new financial worries surrounding cash flow, added expenses, and unpredictable enrollments.

These challenges are global, and the future remains uncertain.

Still, there have been success stories. Mexico’s Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Tec de Monterrey) is one of them. And experience management played a big role in what they have accomplished.

Creating the New Normal in Higher Education

Tec de Monterrey is one of the top-ranked schools in Latin America. The institute’s various divisions educates nearly 160,00 students at 58 campuses across the country. It is a huge operation, but the institution responded quickly to the crisis, resulting in one of its best-ranked semesters.

“We were the first university in Mexico to adopt a remote academic model,” says José Juan Carranza Garduño, director of Project Portfolio and Processes at Tec de Monterrey, in a recent telephone interview.

In mid-March – when the school saw the need for social distancing – it began to set up virtual classroom environments in just about a week’s time.

“This allowed approximately 95 percent of our students to continue taking courses remotely,” Carranza Garduño says.

Importantly, the university is also using from 51·çÁ÷and Qualtrics to gather feedback from students and staff on a weekly basis to monitor their concerns and well-being. These surveys help the school understand and address the evolving needs of its community during this new normal.

Experience Management Already in Place

Tec de Monterrey was fortunate to have the technology already in place when the pandemic struck. In fact, school leaders used their experience management tools last year to conduct a survey of its entire workforce. The goal was to identify ways to improve work-life balance for employees and reduce the time spent on administrative tasks.

The understanding they gained helped the school create 1,500 action plans affecting 30,000 employees within the organization.

“We want to provide all our employees with the best experience – with opportunities to grow, to develop themselves – so they can deliver a great experience to all our students,” Hernán García, vice president of Talent and Experience at Tec de Monterrey, said in a made shortly after the project was completed.

This focus on staff and faculty development paid dividends when the university needed to make the rapid shift to distance learning. The school was able to offer courses and other resources very quickly to around 10,000 professors, helping them make their digital curriculums more dynamic and engaging.

When New Classes Begin

Tec de Monterrey that a new semester of classes will begin in August 2020. The current plan is to start the semester remotely and gradually migrate to face-to-face classes as conditions allow.

No one knows for sure what the future holds for school students in Mexico or around the globe. What does seem clear, however, is that institutions with the insight needed to create learning environments that are safe and engaging will be serving their students and communities well.

As García noted even before the crisis, “We’re living in the experience economy. Understanding how people feel and doing something about it is critical to success.”