Motorpoint is a leading independent UK retailer of nearly new and used cars. Founded in 1998, the business will soon have 21 stores across the UK and is proud to offer customers a multichannel car-buying experience.
“Node4 provides the IT foundations for our business,” explains Neil Gaskell, Head of IT Engineering and Operations at Motorpoint. “Basically, all the connectivity and infrastructure that makes it possible to sell cars and other vehicles across the country.”
Migrating from Node4’s MPLS to SD-WAN
Motorpoint had been using Node4’s MPLS offering to provide Internet connectivity to its UK stores, HQ and vehicle preparation centres. Neil recalls that MPLS was a great fit for the business, but it now made sense to migrate to Node4’s SD-WAN offering.
“That way, we could retain the tried, tested and trusted MPLS core – and the same support team – but get a bandwidth boost and even more flexible, resilient connections,” said Gaskell.
“Node4’s SD-WAN gives us 100% redundancy and resiliency in each store, because every site has two independent Internet connections. If one carrier fails, the SD-WAN will automatically reroute traffic without the store or its customers noticing.
“Furthermore, everything is centrally managed, provisioned and maintained by Node4, so our store managers don’t need to give any real thought to the IT systems – focusing instead on customer engagement and selling.”
A long-term partnership based on mutual trust and respect
“We’ve been a Node4 customer from the very beginning. In fact, Motorpoint was actually Node4’s first customer, so, if you like, this is also an origin story,” comments Mark Carpenter, CEO at Motorpoint Group. “At the time, we were very disillusioned with the standard of service from our IT service provider – it seemed like their hearts weren’t in it, and that we were just another name on their books.
“We knew Andrew Gilbert before he was Node4’s founder and CEO and had told him about our predicament. Andrew said he could do things differently if we gave him a chance. We duly put our hosting provider on notice and became Andrew’s first customer.”
Today, Motorpoint’s partnership with Node4 goes beyond simply ordering a new kit or calling to adjust server capacities.
“Aside from delivering that vital connectivity via the SD-WAN, Node4 also hosts many key elements of our website. Node4 provides multiple services, infrastructure and support that touch so many parts of our business,” notes Gaskell.
“For that reason, we’ve always seen the Node4 team as consultants and a trusted source of knowledge. We take a collaborative approach, which means my team often calls Node4 to chat through potential tech scenarios and get advice and input. We’ve recently brought this informal consultancy role into a new services and support contract that sets the tone for the chapter of our partnership.
“Since we started working together, Node4 has remained a true and dependable IT partner. We can always depend on the Node4 team for a consistently high quality of service – delivered with that all-important human touch and personal service.”
Reasons for maintaining a long-standing and successful partnership with Node4
Central to Motorpoint’s partnership with Node4 is the high level of trust and understanding that has developed over its long working relationship.
Gaskell explains: “At this stage, we work so closely with Node4 that you would struggle to distinguish their team from our own. They have a deep understanding of our business and how their work will impact things, and we can always trust that they will make decisions and recommendations that benefit Motorpoint – in the same way an employee would.
“Ultimately, it’s Node4’s personal approach and willingness to work as an extension of our team that has helped the relationship last and develop as it has over the years.”
Shaping Motorpoint’s technological evolution and customer experience
Gaskell agrees that the decision to move away from its previous supplier and partner with Node4 has been a huge part of Motorpoint’s continued success.
He continued: “As a business, Motorpoint’s technology landscape has never stood still and that’s largely the result of having a partner who has been able and willing to grow alongside us.
“The ambition and flexibility of our own team is matched by Node4. This is hugely important as we always want to be challenging ourselves to expand what can be offered as part of the car buying experience.”
Migration from MPLS to SD-WAN
The migration from MPLS to SD-WAN was an important step in allowing Motorpoint to deliver a seamless multichannel car buying experience. Utilising the advanced capabilities of the SD-WAN technology and its ability to dynamically add Motorpoint stores means that it is business as usual – even if Gaskell and his team are dealing with something centrally.
As Gaskell explains: “The infrastructure ensures that traffic is prioritised over the best connection at the right times, allowing our customers to move between our digital and physical presence with little to no friction.”
Collaborative approach
Working as an extension of the Motorpoint team, it’s been vital for Node4 to always be open to the next idea or improvement the used car retailer is looking to make.
Gaskell continued: “Our industry has undergone a lot of change in recent years and as a result, Motorpoint has had to work hard to ensure that we’re delivering the best omnichannel experience possible for car buyers.
“Beyond providing support on our current projects, Node4 is always looking for ways to push the business forward. The collaborative nature of our relationship with Node4 and the high level of accountability they provide means I don’t have to worry about whether they’ll be able to support our aggressive goals and ambitious new initiatives.”
Future growth
The relationship between Motorpoint and Node4 is paramount to the business. As Gaskell explains: “As a business, Motorpoint is always looking for ways to surpass customer expectations and make the car buying process as easy as possible for motorists. Technology plays a huge part in how we do this and without our partnership with Node4, I’d have to rewrite our whole technology roadmap – that’s how important the relationship is to our ways of working and planning.
“Within our planning, we’re always looking to understand how we can push the boundaries of what has always been the norm and by using the bleeding edge technology provided by Node4, will continue to provide a market-leading experience for our team and customers.”
