Improved Customer Satisfaction with zCore and Lotus Enterprise Integrator

The Client

Service Group works to enhance and improve profits and customer satisfaction in automobile dealerships by providing products, services, and training which maintain the highest standards of integrity, ethics, and quality.

The Challenge

Service Group’s existing data is stored in DB2 databases and is accessible only from a terminal emulator connected to the AS400. They sought ways to improve and make reports more readily available, especially from a secure web site, to managers and field personnel nationwide. Connectivity using the terminal emulator was unattractive and the AS400 environment was not user friendly. Therefore, users had difficulty retrieving data for their reports. This resulted in an unmanageable amount of requests for custom reports that were time consuming to develop and maintain by the Information Systems team. Communication of business data was dependent on connectivity to the AS400, the user’s knowledge of the AS400 environment and paper copies of reports that may be out of date as soon as they were printed.

The Approach

Service Group engaged zCore Business Solutions (zCore) to create a pilot run for connectivity between Domino and DB2 on the AS400. The pilot included the installation of LEI on one AS400 machine and configuration of LEI to connect to a DB2 database on a second AS400 machine. LEI was configured to replicate data from DB2 to Domino as well as retrieve and display real-time data. In zCore, Service Group found an IBM and Lotus Premium Partner with depth of experience in designing solutions and a strong local practice prepared to provide rapid on-site support and responsiveness.

Once the zCore team clarified project requirements, it was quickly evident that Service Group needed a more user friendly and cost-effective way to retrieve data from their AS400 environment.

The Solution

The zCore project team installed LEI on an AS400 and configured it to connect and retrieve data from a DB2 database on a second AS400. Working closely with Service Group's in-house Technical staff, zCore developed a number of reports and queries based on existing ones used by Service Group. This allowed Service Group to test the Domino to DB2 connectivity, response time for data retrieval as well as to compare the time and effort it takes to create reports on the AS400 versus using LEI and Domino.

The Results

Service Group’s goal was to improve reporting capabilities, achieve better turn around time and to provide better interface for users and the executive staff. These expectations were met by providing connectivity to back-end data using LEI and improved user interface and report distribution via Lotus Notes and web browsers. Jim Hall, Vice President of Service Group, and Bob Newton, Vice President of Information Systems, noted that the solution was a huge step forward in providing reporting capabilities and optimum results for their customers and end users.

“We have been very happy with the results of this solution. This solution gives both our home office staff and our external sales staff access to real time corporate information through the internet and their Lotus Notes Client”