Listers Group, England’s largest privately owned car dealer group, has partnered with managed hosting provider NTT Europe Online to host its business websites as well as its national vehicle database. Both listersgroup.co.uk and car.cast.co.uk will be hosted on an NTT Europe Online platform, helping Listers Group streamline its online operations and improve the way it shares business-critical sales data with its growing customer base.
At a time when many businesses are struggling to cope with the impact of the recession, Listers Group is investing in technology to make a tangible difference to its operational performance. It has used NTT Europe Online’s managed hosting platform to unify over forty centres by giving them reliable and secure access to a database of over 80,000 vehicles via the Internet. The move ensures its disparate operations can work as a complete company and continue to offer outstanding customer service at point of sale.
Anthony Williams, New Media Manager at Listers Group, said: “Bucking the industry trend is what we do best at Listers; when others run for cover, we tend to expand, invest and grow. In order to remain ahead of the competition and prosper, we continually focus on our customers. Making sure they have the right information is critical to this, and we rely on our database and sites to deliver on our promise. It’s no good if our employees or customers can’t access the information they require at point-of sale.”
NTT Europe Online manages the front and back-end platform that supports the group’s websites and vehicle database. It is this database which feeds into the two sites, providing customers, both trade and consumer, with up-to-the-minute information on all the cars it currently has at its dealerships. It also allows staff at Listers Group dealerships to identify exactly where stock is held and provide their customers with all the information necessary to make a purchasing decision.
Williams continued, “No other managed hosting provider offered the same level of flexibility and scalability. We’re growing all the time and we need a platform that can grow with us, rather than hold us back. We also needed a provider that was going to answer when we had any questions and be as responsive as we are to our customers. NTT Europe Online fitted the bill and we now have a dedicated account manager with round-the-clock support and a technology platform that reacts to our needs.”
Damian Skendrovic, Regional Director for NTT Europe Online, said “NTT Europe Online shares the same customer-focused values as Listers Group and we’ve developed a reputation for helping dynamic brands grow their online business with managed hosting as the backbone. Listers Group is using technology and the web to create efficiencies in its operations – putting the company in the best possible position to capitalise as market conditions improve. It needed a secure and reliable platform from which to grow and we’ve worked closely with it to deliver on our promise.”
Listers Group has over forty centres in the UK, stretching from Cheltenham, through the Midlands, all the way up to Hull and Lincolnshire. It sells new and approved used vehicles from prestigious brands including Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Mini and many more.
Listers Group is the UK’s 9th biggest dealer group and England’s largest privately owned dealer group. Listers represent some the most prestigious automotive names in the world, acting as franchise partners with Audi, BMW, Honda, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, SEAT, Smart, Toyota and Volkswagen.
A former Automotive Management “National Retailer of the Year” and “Large Dealer Group of the Year”, Listers’ focus ensures that customers visiting any one of over 40 centres will experience the highest level of service and attention.
NTT Europe Online provides managed hosting, security and application management services to businesses globally. These services provide the reliability, availability, security and scalability needed to underpin business success online.
NTT Europe Online is certified to ISO27001 for Information Security Management and, as part of NTT Communications, has the global reach and scale to support businesses of all sizes. NTT Communications is the global data and IP services arm of the Fortune Global 500 telecom leader, Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation (NTT). For further information visit www.ntteuropeonline.com
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