Shell Brazil chooses Windows Phone to lower costs and increase employee productivity

SAO PAULO, Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Microsoft Brazil and Shell on Tuesday announced that Shell will deploy approximately 200 Windows Phone 8 devices to company distributors, which will increase its number of Windows Phone devices from 100 to 300 during 2013. These devices will support the entire sales force of the company's distribution network in Brazil, which is made up of company resellers tasked with visiting individual gas stations to collect client requests. The newly deployed Nokia Lumia devices, including models such as the Lumia 520 and the Lumia 920, were chosen based on cost benefits and security.

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The adoption of these Windows Phone 8 devices has enabled the company to significantly lower costs, which would not have been possible with the iOS devices Shell also considered. The phones have also helped improve the productivity of its commercial team, which previously required software installation and updates to be made on each individual device. Now Shell is able to make these changes directly on the server, and the program is updated automatically on all fixed and mobile networks.

To increase the data analysis resources available to the team, Shell invested in Blink Mobile, a sales force automation solution developed by Microsoft solutions partner Blink Systems. The investment in this application is a reflection of Shell's strategy to increase productivity throughout its distributor network with the use of better-equipped devices. Automatic updating is another important advantage of the Blink Systems application. Now Shell distributors have a tool that streamlines searches, accelerates the ordering process and is easy to use for the sales force. Thanks to the incorporation of the Windows Phone-based app, the network is now easier to use and more practical in terms of information gathering.

In addition to the cost benefit and reliability of the platform, Windows Phone integrates seamlessly with the rest of the Microsoft servers used at Shell. Windows Phone supports advanced security and administration solutions, which can be synced with other devices running the same platform. "This effortless integration has been a determining factor in the decision-making process for companies such as Shell," said Celso Winik, managing director of Windows Phone at Microsoft.

About Microsoft Brazil

Founded in 1989, Microsoft Brazil has 14 offices throughout the country and generates locally direct opportunities in technology for over 18,000 companies and 424,000 professionals. In the last 10 years, the company has invested more than R$167 million in social projects, bringing technology to schools, universities, NGOs and communities in need. Microsoft Brazil is one of the 112 subsidiaries of Microsoft Corp., founded in 1975, the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help companies and individuals realize their full potential.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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SOURCE Microsoft