Mercedes-Benz Financial last Fall became the first auto finance company to offer account management features with the launch of its iPhone application. Since then, the application has been downloaded more than 10,000 times and the company realized that expanding to other platforms was the sensible next move.

“We have a ‘go mobile’ strategy,” said Andreas Hinrichs, vice president of marketing at Mercedes-Benz Financial, Farmington Hills, MI. “When we look at our inbound customers contacts, two thirds happen online and if we look at Mercedes-Benz customers, three out of four have a smartphone.

“So coupling these two facts leads us to understand that we need to embrace a mobile strategy to give customers choices and put us in the palm of their hands,” he said. “What we see from adoption rates is that our strategy is well founded.

“With our iPhone and smartphone capabilities we see instant traffic on the devices and have already collected more than 2,000 payments. We’ve had 10,000 downloads of the iPhone app and customers don’t just play around with it, they actually use it recurrently.”

Mercedes-Benz Financial provides financing for Mercedes-Benz dealers’ inventories and their retail customers. Currently, more than 450,000 drivers in the United States enjoy the benefits of leasing or financing their Mercedes-Benz vehicles through Mercedes-Benz Financial.

Account holders must first register online at http://www.Mercedes-BenzFinancial.com to access secure account management features.

All smartphone users, even those who are not customers of Mercedes-Benz Financial, will be able to locate the nearest Mercedes-Benz authorized dealer, contact a customer service representative and see what’s new from Mercedes-Benz Financial.

Account holders of Mercedes-Benz Financial will be able to make a payment, view their account summary and request a payoff quote.

“We want to strive for customer satisfaction and Mercedes-Benz is known for meeting and exceeding customer expectations,” Mr. Hinrichs said. “The same is true for the finance company and customers increasingly want to self service their account and with the smartphone capability we give them this ability.

“Consumers know Mercedes Benz as a leader in innovation and green technology and we pursue both of these angles with mobile,” he said. “With mobile we get to make customers happy and be eco-friendly while at the same time saving costs.

“If you look at evolution of Internet, it started with stationary computer and then became more flexible with the netbooks. But now with mobile, the Internet is in your pocket wherever you are and Mercedes Benz Financial wants to be with you on that journey.”