Optimizing Trip Management at Europcar: Improving Efficiency with Power Platform

Europcar Austria is improving the efficiency of its trip management by leveraging the Microsoft Power Platform. Thanks to a customized solution that combines database optimization, automation, and improved user-friendliness, the company was able to significantly reduce manual processes and improve billing accuracy. The result: a future-proof application that not only reduces costs but also increases user satisfaction.

The Path to Optimization and Transparency

Europcar Austria faced the challenge of optimizing its trip management. The company handles approximately 15,000 pick-up and drop-off services and more than 800 transfer services annually as part of its car rental mobility services. Until now, this data was recorded using SharePoint lists, which—due to technical limitations—led to user dissatisfaction and data inconsistencies. The existing solution could no longer meet recent requirements regarding data volumes and filtering capabilities.

To improve the application’s user-friendliness and transparency and to avoid future limitations, it was necessary to implement a new, scalable solution with greater automation and optimized usability.

“We are excited about the new, scalable solution that perfectly meets our requirements.” – Josef Herzog, IT Manager at Europcar Austria, ARAC GmbH.

Efficient Data Management with Power Platform and Dataverse

To address this challenge, Macaw utilized components fromthe Microsoft Power Platform’ . The process began with workshops to define requirements, design and plan the user experience, and create prototypes to ensure the solution met user needs.

The technical implementation focused on three main areas:

Backend

• Database solution: Microsoft Dataverse was chosen as the database solution due to its extensive functionality and native integration with the Power Platform.
• Entities and views: Twelve entities were created and supplemented with custom views and business rules to ensure a robust data structure.
• Security concept: Security requirements were ensured through a detailed security concept and the creation of detailed security roles and column security profiles.

Front-end

• Model-Driven App: The application was developed as a model-driven app, consisting of various sections, levels, and forms for data entry and management.
• Business Rules and JavaScript: Business rules and JavaScript control the forms and their fields, while security roles restrict access to specific sections.
• Visualization: PCF components enhance the visual presentation of various datasets, and the command bar was streamlined by removing unnecessary actions and supplemented with JavaScript web resources for billing logic.

Automations

• Power Automate: Power Automate was used to implement notifications and exports.
• Notifications and Exports: Reminders for pending tasks and personalized exports were developed, with a focus on generating and sending billing documents.
• FetchXML transformations: Complex FetchXML transformations consolidate the data, which is then inserted into customized document templates and sent to the relevant departments.

“The collaboration with the project team was excellent and contributed significantly to the successful implementation of the Power Platform. The improved efficiency and automation have led to a significant optimization of processes and maximum user-friendliness. We are enthusiastic about the new, scalable solution that perfectly meets our requirements.” – Josef Herzog, IT Manager at Europcar Austria, ARAC GmbH.

The Driving Force Behind the Success

The result of these efforts is a future-proof, model-driven application that impresses with its ease of use and significant reduction in manual work. The use of Dataverse eliminates storage limits and enables the seamless management of large volumes of data. Clear and customizable views ensure an enhanced user experience, and structured forms simplify data entry and management. Business rules guide user interaction and reduce data entry errors, ensuring an audit-proof billing process.

Thanks to the intuitive design of views, tables, and forms, time-consuming manual processes have been reduced to single-click actions. The previously manual invoicing process has been streamlined to interactions with just a few UI elements, leading to a significant reduction in manual labor and approval processes. Customized security roles ensure data protection, and features such as exports and automated notifications round out the solution.

The implementation resulted in significant cost savings, consistent availability of the application at the point of sale (POS), and automation of billing processes, thereby directly connecting all stakeholders.