Comcast Business announced in March that Jim Ellis Automotive Group, Atlanta’s largest family owned and operated automotive group, has deployed Comcast’s Ethernet services to connect all of its dealerships on one wide area network. The fiber-based network provides the #3 dealer in the U.S. in Internet sales volume, with the scalable bandwidth needed to support online sales and customer service, business applications hosted in its private cloud and Wi-Fi for on-site customers.
Starting as a single dealership more than 40 years ago, Jim Ellis Automotive Group has grown to a network of 14 dealerships that employs over 900 local residents at locations across metro Atlanta including Marietta, Kennesaw and Buford. The company sells new and used vehicles including brands such as Audi, Buick, Chevy, GMC, Hyundai, Maserati, Mazda, Porsche, Volvo and Volkswagen. In addition, the company services all the brands it sells and has a collision center that is manufacturer-certified to perform repairs on any of its brands.
Jim Ellis Automotive Group’s locations were once linked by T1 connections that were costly and complex to manage across various providers, and increasingly too slow to support its digital business requirements. In addition to needing faster Internet speeds to support online sales and Wi-Fi for customers, the company also began using a new, bandwidth-intensive Dealership Management System (DMS) to help manage finance, sales, parts, inventory and administration across its dealerships. To bring more convenience to its customers’ mobile lifestyles, the company also developed the Jim Ellis Garage App for iOS and Android that gives customers local traffic, weather, access to owner’s manuals and the ability to schedule service appointments.
“Whether it is allowing customers to view our available inventory, purchase a car online, schedule service appointments or take advantage of our Wi-Fi service, the Internet drives virtually all aspects of our business,” said Eddie Gonzalez, IT Systems Director, Jim Ellis Automotive Group. “Comcast Business was uniquely able to provide a comprehensive network solution that touches every part of our organization across all of our locations, and gives us the performance and bandwidth required to support our digital initiatives.”
To address Jim Ellis Automotive Group’s need, Comcast installed its Ethernet Network Services to provide wide area connectivity between the company’s 14 locations, including 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) connections to its main campuses in Marietta and Chamblee, and 10 Mbps connections to its 12 other locations. The group also added two Ethernet Dedicated Internet lines at its Marietta and Chamblee campuses that provide each with a 50 Mbps connection. With this network solution from Comcast Business, Jim Ellis Automotive Group can now contact one vendor for fast response time and simplified billing.
“Jim Ellis Automotive Group is a great example of a forward-thinking company that is leveraging technology across its operations to make an impact on the most important part of its business – customer satisfaction,” said Bob Deckard, regional vice president, Comcast Business. “With our advanced and redundant fiber network across metro Atlanta, it was easy for Jim Ellis Automotive Group to connect all of its sites using our high-performance Ethernet services, giving them a consistent platform to help drive their diverse technology initiatives.”
For more information, contact Alex Horwitz, 770-559-2803
Alex_Horwitz@cable.comcast.com
About Comcast Business
Comcast Business, a unit of Comcast Cable, provides advanced communication solutions to help organizations of all sizes meet their business objectives. Through a next-generation network that is backed by 24/7 technical support, Comcast delivers Business Internet, Ethernet, TV and a full portfolio of Voice services for cost-effective, simplified communications management.
About Comcast Cable
Comcast Cable is the nation’s largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to businesses and residential customers. Comcast has invested in technology to build an advanced network that delivers among the fastest broadband speeds, and brings customers personalized video, communications and home management offerings. Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.