Viessmann's Mission to Digitize Mobile Heating Rentals with Agilo
- Industry: Mobile heating solutions
- Location: Allendorf (Eder), Germany
- Founder: Viessmann Solutions & Services GmbH
Since its establishment in 1917, Viessmann Climate Solutions has pioneered intelligent climate and energy solutions and has long been a global leader in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. As a part of Carrier Global Corporation, this 4 billion dollar enterprise, with over 13k employees, takes a holistic approach to creating safe and reliable environments through its integrated solution portfolio.
Viessmann introduced the MobileHeating platform to respond to the increasing demand for mobile heating systems. The primary challenge was to digitize the rental process and to make that process swift, transparent, and user-friendly. Viessmann needed a platform that could link rental service providers with businesses in need of mobile heating solutions, facilitating the easy selection and booking of equipment.
Rental Multi-Vendor Marketplace on Medusa
To address this challenge, Viessmann partnered with Agilo to create an e-commerce platform aimed at simplifying the rental process. Agilo's expertise in developing open-source Medusa marketplaces made them the perfect collaborator for this project.
Our vision is to create the Booking.com for mobile heating and cooling solutions. We plan to transform the industry by providing a seamless, transparent, and efficient platform that makes renting temporary heating and cooling units as simple as booking a hotel room or a car.
Jordan Lunetta
Service Owner at Viessmann Climate Solutions
The platform was built on Medusa, its open-source e-commerce building blocks offering a robust foundation for the project. Prioritizing a rapid market launch, we opted to utilize as many existing Medusa components wherever possible. The multi-vendor marketplace was designed to maintain the integrity of the core Medusa infrastructure, allowing us to concentrate on the custom features essential for the project.
A Versatile and Efficient Provider Management System
The platform includes a sophisticated provider management system enabling Viessmann to onboard and manage multiple rental service providers. Each provider has a dedicated profile showcasing detailed information about their locations, units, and services. This comprehensive system ensures customers have access to a broad selection of mobile heating solutions from top providers.
The business logic we had to build into our new platform required a lot of definition and fact finding. Agilo really helped us capture the complicated customer needs into the platform - all while maintaining a much simpler user experience.
Baris Buchholz
Business Development Manager at Viessmann Climate Solutions
A significant challenge was developing a flexible system capable of accommodating the diverse requirements of different providers regarding their units, delivery, insurance, services, accessories, pricing, and other details. All these factors influence pricing based on what the provider offers and the customer needs. In addition, it was important to take into account that the pricing for units, services, and accessories is calculated based on the rental duration (days, weeks, months), and ensure the system is adaptable enough to manage differing pricing strategies. For example, some providers offer fixed prices for specific periods, while others provide discounts for longer rental durations.
An Intuitive Customer Marketplace
The Customer Marketplace is designed to offer a seamless experience for businesses looking to rent mobile heating solutions. The platform categorizes heating units by type, location, and availability, making it straightforward for users to find the right equipment for their needs. Transparent pricing and real-time availability information enable users to view rental costs and check the availability of heating units instantly.
The booking process is designed to guide customers through a simple sequence, from entering a delivery address and selecting units to confirming the booking. Customers can specify rental durations, select additional services and accessories, and even flag their rental as an emergency. The platform ensures customers have all the necessary information to make informed decisions and book the right solution for them quickly and efficiently.
Streamlined Booking Flow
The booking flow of the platform has been customized to ensure a streamlined and orderly process for managing bookings of heating and cooling units. The process begins with a form submission on the homepage, where customers provide essential details such as address, start date, end date, power, and unit type. The information is then used to filter and list providers based on the availability of matching units and the distance between the customer's address and the providers' stock locations.
Upon selecting a unit, customers proceed through a straightforward booking process that captures all necessary details, such as rental duration and additional service requirements. The platform then notifies the provider of the booking request, ensuring prompt and efficient communication between customers and providers. This well-structured booking flow assures smooth interaction between all parties, making rental a quick and hassle-free task.
We've been able to get a product to market in a much faster time frame, and most importantly, deliver more value to our customers. Now that we have a great product base, we're now able to scale it to other international markets in a much easier way than we had before.
Jordan Lunetta
Service Owner at Viessmann Climate Solutions
Effective Communication
To ensure effective communication within the platform, automated email notifications have been implemented. These notifications are tailored to the specific needs and interactions of each role:
Providers: Receive a welcome email when added to the platform and notifications of new bookings, prompting them to review and respond appropriately.
Customers: Are informed if their booking has been rejected by a provider, ensuring transparency and clear communication.
Admins: Receive alerts about new bookings, rejections, and acceptances, allowing for efficient management and tracking of booking activities.
Mission Accomplished
The MobileHeating platform has revolutionized the way companies rent mobile heating solutions. Instead of months of phone calls and piles of paper, finding and booking mobile heating units can take mere minutes. By digitizing the rental process, Viessmann has made the whole process simpler and faster for businesses. The platform has garnered positive feedback from users who appreciate the transparency, ease of use, and wide choice of heating solutions available.
Continued Collaboration
Viessmann continues to collaborate with Agilo to enhance the platform and introduce new features that will further improve the user experience. With Agilo's expertise in developing e-commerce platforms and Viessmann's dedication to innovation, the MobileHeating platform is poised to become the premier destination for businesses seeking to rent mobile heating solutions.
The Agilo Team was the perfect fit - amazing teammates, incredible to work with, understood the business requirements and helped us deliver the best possible experience for our customers.
Jordan Lunetta
Service Owner at Viessmann Climate Solutions
Let's work together to shape your ecommerce future.
Get in touchCareers
- Looking for a job or have a question?
Don't be shy and let us know!
