Relationships Matter
Thirty years ago, a car dealership was born out of the dreams of a longtime automotive industry professional. In 1990, Dennis Alf purchased a car dealership, then expanded it four years later to include St. Charles Toyota. In that time, he’s steadily built it with sons Michael and Steven into one of the most successful dealerships in the Chicago area business community. And when you’ve successfully built a business based on forging relationships with your customers and the communities you serve, communication and easy access to key information is a big piece of the puzzle. It’s for that reason that St. Charles Toyota turned to Metronet.
The biggest names aren’t always the best options
St. Charles Toyota had been utilizing a national, highly recognized company for its primary Internet service―which terminated at their new car facility―and another provider for primary service at their used car facility.
However, they had experienced several issues with their Internet connectivity, which can hamstring a business that, like St. Charles Toyota, relies on Internet connectivity to support its entire operations. According to General Manager Michael Alf, “We use iPads for everything. Everything we use goes through the internet, including our IP phones. It’s important that we have a system that’s reliable.”
Michael saw a Metronet professional performing an installation at a neighboring business. After a little research into Metronet and its service and speeds―not to mention its 100% all-fiber, symmetrical Internet connectivity―he was intrigued, but figured that given all its benefits, the pricing would probably be cost prohibitive. It wasn’t. “Metronet's pricing beat the other carriers by a long shot,” said Michael, who had also priced out options with several other providers. “Metronet was so much lower than the competitors, it wasn’t even fair.”
Preparing for the Primary
Prior to installing a 200 Mbps Internet circuit from Metronet to serve as its primary connection, including another at its used car facility to serve as backup there, a Metronet engineering and installation professional conducted an on-site survey to determine the best way to take the fiber from the Metronet network to the customer’s two demarcation points. The preparation paid off, as it always does. The installation went off without a hitch. Metronet buried the fiber to each of the two locations through directional boring, which didn’t leave unsightly trenches or fiber strung aerially.
Even though Michael, who has a B.S. in Computer Science from Ohio State University, knows that it’s IT101 not to use the same provider for the primary service at two connected locations, he’s so confident in Metronet's service that, in his words, “using Metronet for both primaries is the way to go to ensure we won’t have any downtime.”
Selecting Metronet as your communications provider—that’s IT101
While Metronet provides the region’s fastest, most reliable Internet access, they also provide an array of business voice services an multiple wide area network solutions. And when any, or all Metronet business services are bundled together, their already affordable services become even more so.
St. Charles Toyota
The Alf name represents close to 30 years of family-owned automotive sales and service operations in the Greater Chicagoland area. They take a hands-on approach to running the dealership’s day to day operations. It is their belief that this approach benefits their customers and team members on every level.
If you’d like more information about St. Charles Toyota and how they can address your new and used car needs, contact them at 630-584-6655. They’d love to hear from you. Or visit them online at https://www.stcharlestoyota.net/.