Raiffeisen Energie Nord is the first Raiffeisen company to offer payment by smartphone directly at the fuel pump. The Connected Fueling mobile payment platform from PACE makes this possible. Five questions to the Managing Director Moritz Heitmann of Raiffeisen Energie Nord and Klaus-Dietrich Gast, Head of Sales at PACE.

Conveniently pay from the car, without the hassle of rummaging for your mask and wallet, without waiting in line, without having to enter your PIN number; Raiffeisen Energie Nord GmbH is a Connected Fueling partner of the smart mobility provider PACE Telematics GmbH from Karlsruhe. As of now, customers can use the PACE Drive app to pay for gas from within their cars using all common mobile payment methods and, as of January, also with the digital fuel card from DKV.

The Managing Director of Raiffeisen Energie Nord, Moritz Heitmann, and the Head of Sales at PACE Telematics, Klaus-Dietrich Gast, answer five questions about paying at the pump.

It is already possible to pay without cash, and with Apple and Google Pay, contactless payment is also possible. What makes Connected Fueling different?

Moritz Heitmann: With Apple and Google Pay, customers still have to go to the cash register, even if they actually just want to fill up their car. Connected Fueling, on the other hand, makes it possible to pay directly at the pump. That means no mask, no waiting in line, and a digital receipt sent directly to the smartphone or via email.

How is it that Raiffeisen Energie Nord in particular has forged ahead like this and is the first in the Raiffeisen network in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to introduce this innovative solution with PACE?

Moritz Heitmann: Raiffeisen companies have existed for 170 years because they have always moved with the times, adapting and changing to meet the needs of their customers. Raiffeisen Energie Nord is one of the most progressive within this group. Digitization has arrived in every household–accelerated by the corona virus, so it would be negligent from a business perspective not to react to it.

With Oil-Fox, we introduced a smart solution for liquid fuel level monitoring years ago. This IoT (Internet of Things) solution brings benefits to our customers in terms of continuously controlling inventory and operational reliability, and for us it has the advantage that we can plan deliveries precisely. So it was only logical to improve the processes at the gas station as well. We are constantly driven by questions about the future: Does our analog fuel card alone have a future? What benefits can we offer our customers? How can we win over the younger generations as well? People today are used to paying quickly and easily via their smartphones, and we are meeting this need for convenience and security with Connected Fueling.

KD Gast: Making it as easy and convenient as possible for end customers is the key success factor today. Everyone has a smartphone in their hand, or at least within reach. It is a navigation system, a means of communication, an entertainment channel, a planning tool, and much more–so what could be more obvious than to use the smartphone for the digital management of refueling processes as well?

Our sales and IT partner Tanktechnik Kunze in conjunction with the cash register manufacturer Ratio were thrilled with the simplicity of the implementation. I particularly like the fact that we were able to give the interface our own branding in Raiffeisen green

Moritz Heitmann, Managing Director Raiffeisen Energie Nord

How long did it take to implement Connected Fueling at Raiffeisen Energie Nord?

KD Gast: It took less than two months from the first contact to the start of operations. Moritz Heitmann was immediately convinced by the functionality of the Connected Fueling platform, the user-friendliness of the app interface, and the performance for the end customer and did not hesitate for long.

Moritz Heitmann: Our sales and IT partner Tanktechnik Kunze in conjunction with the cash register manufacturer Ratio were thrilled with the simplicity of the implementation. I particularly like the fact that we were able to give the interface our own branding in Raiffeisen green

KD Gast: In addition to the old tried-and-tested fuel card, Raiffeisen Energie Nord can now also accept digital fuel cards, for example from DKV, Hoyer, ZGM Zieglmeier and many others. Connected Fueling is also an interesting offer for members and customers of automobile clubs, car manufacturers, banks and mobility service providers. As the platform grows, so do the benefits for customers, gas station operators, and app operators.

In summary: Mr. Gast, what exactly are the benefits of Connected Fueling for Raiffeisen Energie Nord customers?

The six most important benefits for end users are as follows:

1. Payment directly from the vehicle using the smartphone and the payment method of one’s choice: the digital fuel card, Apple Pay, PayPal, the credit card–others such as Google Pay and paydirekt will follow
2. Quickly finding the next Raiffeisen Energie Nord gas station and all other suppliers with price comparison.
3. Transfer of all receipts–directly within the smartphone app and simultaneously via email.
4. No additional costs or commitments for end customers.
5. No advertisements of third parties.
6. And everything compliant to the GDPR.

In summary: Mr. Heitmann, what are the other benefits for Raiffeisen Energie Nord of using PACE Connected Fueling and working with PACE Telematics?

In addition to the benefits for our customers, there are three further advantages for us as a company:

1. We remain fit for the future and gain further perspectives with the digital customer fuel card.
2. We offer our customers more service and convenience and thus achieve greater acceptance, especially among younger customers.
3. PACE is a German provider with excellent service, fast response times, good understanding of the industry, and a highly viable platform.