New Leister Website – Fresh Design and Interesting Functions

Author: Silke Landtwing, Corporate Communication Manager, Leister Switzerland

Lukas Odermatt, Head of Corporate Business Development, was responsible for the project and successfully implemented it with his team and with the support of numerous Leister colleagues from all over the world. In this interview with Lukas, you can expect to learn many interesting facts about the project and the new functionalities on www.leister.com.

Our new website has been online since May 12, 2021 and it is another milestone in our company's history. A lot of work has gone into it. How are you doing after the launch?

On the one hand, I am very relieved to receive so much positive feedback. On the other hand, we are already working to further develop the Leister web platform based on many constructive ideas.

Since the launch of the new website, many Leister employees who contributed to the success of the project can look back on an exciting, challenging and instructive time. We are all proud of what has been achieved.

How long did the team work on the new website?

The preliminary project began in the fall of 2018 and was completed in the summer of 2019. Implementation then started in the fall of 2019, followed by two and a half intense years with many highs and a few lows (laughs). We were finally able to launch the site in May 2021.

Do you know how many of our colleagues were involved in total?

Over 60 Leister employees from all over the world have contributed to the success of the new Group website and the Leister platform. I am very grateful for the broad support and trust in the core project team. In this sense, a warm thank you once again to each and every one of them.

So far, the new website has mainly been communicated internally, because we first wanted to make sure everything was working properly. Have you received any feedback and has there been any initial, external reactions?

As briefly mentioned at the beginning, we have received various feedback. Even though we tried to correct as much as possible through internal checks before the launch, we were aware that an error-free launch is hardly realistic for such a large project. We have consistently received positive feedback from our sales partners. We will be intensely measuring the extent to which we are meeting customer needs over the next few months and making adjustments where necessary.

Why was the new web presence initiated?

Leister's new web platform corresponds to a modern and scalable architecture that allows for innovative, digital customer solutions. It has been completely "headless," meaning that the front-end (in other words, the presentation level) is separate from the back-end system (e.g. the content management system). Thus, we retain the flexibility of content preparation and delivery. For example, the product data is pulled directly from the product information system (PIM for short) and placed on the web platform. This makes it possible to have more consistency with our content across several channels at the same time: the website, catalog and mobile apps.

By integrating the myLeister feature and establishing single sign-on, we have taken another step towards customer centricity at Leister. Our customers, sales partners and employees can log in to all myLeister portals, including the myLeister app, with the same username and password and thus enjoy all the benefits that Leister has to offer.

What new functions are there? In other words, what has improved from the user's point of view?

Our goal is to consistently improve the customer experience. That's why we offer users a web platform with many exciting features.

Here's a list of the most important new features:

• myLeister single sign-on (single sign-on myLeister app and web platform)
• Managing personal information by yourself
• Saving wish lists under your profile
• Directly requesting a quote from your wish list
• Device registration and administration (synced with the myLeister app)
• Sending service requests via device list
• Direct access to the device's operating instructions and other documents
• Saving a favorite contact in your profile
• Interactive sales and service points map
• Forwarding quotation requests to the selected Leister partner
• Extended product comparison function
• Advanced accessory search (search for product-specific accessories)
• Integrated extranet for Leister employees and partners for the respective product

Thanks to the chosen architecture, it is possible for us to constantly expand the range of functions. We already have many ideas that we will continue to implement in the near future. It's still very exciting for everyone and a visit is always worthwhile.

Can visitors purchase Leister and Weldy products online now?

Currently, all Leister and Weldy products can be requested via the intuitive quotation process. Some of our national subsidiaries and sales partners offer online web stores where visitors can order Leister and Weldy products directly online.

Are there any other innovations in the pipeline regarding the Leister Group's web presence?

At the moment, we are focusing on stabilizing the overall system. The team is currently working on improvements like optimizing the websites speed, for example.

Also, we are pushing ahead with the redesign of the Axetris AG website. Like the websites of the Leister Group and the myLeister platform, Axetris is also expected to present itself in a new, fresh look by spring 2022.

Thank you very much for the interesting interview. I wish you and your team continued success. I'm already looking forward to what we'll be reporting next time on Leister Stories.

So stay tuned. Leister Stories provides you with interesting Leister news on an ongoing basis.