We recently had a call from a brand new customer to inform us he had broken down on the approach to the M6 Junction.
Realising he could potentially be stood on the hard shoulder awaiting collection, our Sales Exec Shazard Anwar set off immediately with a DB11 Volante demo car. He arrived as expected sometime before the recovery which was to the surprise of the customer who was swiftly on his way with little disruption.
What he hadn’t shared with us as he and his wife were travelling to a wedding so you can imagine how pleased he was with the service.
The customer commented that this action was above his expectation and was a consideration in taking the car back when his initial thoughts were rejection.
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It’s a precession of positive outcomes from multiple customers.
Holly and Stacey go out of their way to delight customers and get real pleasure from it.
Individual and very personalised handover gifts through to listening to clients and then sending things on post-visit.
They are both a real credit to our business and help make the clients and team engage in a more cohesive way, thank you, ladies.
You make it special.
Nick Hattersley
Head of Business
Bentley and Lamborghini Birmingham
We had a call from Mr Pope to say they had left their home in the Isle Of Man and were on route to a holiday in France. Unfortunately, their Bentley developed a stability drive fault resulting in a harsh ride and several warning messages on the driver’s instrument display. The following morning they had a pre-arranged visit to a vineyard for champagne testing as the first stop of their tour Mr and Mrs Pope were both looking forward to this.
The vehicle arrived at our dealership and Gary quickly got to work investigating what was at fault. After spending a couple of hours testing and going back to the technical team at the factory this then got escalated within the factory to second level engineering. Gary called and spoke with the Bentley’s technical team, past his finish time to try and resolve this.
It seemed to not be a quick turnaround and during this time Mr and Mrs Pope were in our showroom hopeful to be away promptly.
I called Bentley Motors and spoke with our area Aftersales Manager and explained the situation after several phone calls we came to the conclusion that new parts were needed. As the time had now passed 5:30 pm we needed to think about what Mr and Mrs Pope could do for accommodation for the evening.
We booked and paid for a hotel for Mr and Mrs Pope explained where it was and offered to chauffeur them there or for them to go away in a demonstrator, whilst we ordered/ replaced the parts required.
A little distressed and conscious of their commitments for the days ahead, they had no alternative so they gratefully went to the hotel in our demonstrator.
We wanted to get Mr and Mrs Pope away as quickly as possible the following day so we arranged for a new comparable stock car to be in the workshop so we could use the parts off this car for their car. Gary suggested coming in several hours early so he could get underway with the parts swap over. Gary managed to get the car repaired and back on the road for before 10:30 am the following morning. (our parts delivery with the parts we ordered arrives circa 10:30 am)
This took a bit of work behind the scenes to arrange and Gary truly went above and beyond to help make this happen and had the customer’s best interests in mind. We got a nice bottle of champagne ready in the car as a surprise for them to enjoy.
Alex recently sold a pre owned Lamborghini Urus to a local lady .
From the get go she was amazed by how attentive Alex was and just how special he made her feel which prompted her to send the below note:-
I wanted to pop you a quick email in regards to our experience with Alex Warren. Myself and my partner have just collected our Lamborghini Urus and I cannot express enough how incredible Alex has been. From the initial conversation, through to collection he has been a true credit to your dealership and I can assure you, you have our business for life now, with both Lamborghini and Bentley, purely because of our experience with Alex. Nothing was too much trouble and to find the car sitting in pride of place in the showroom only for him to press the button for the silk cover to be removed and the car be there was so exciting. Thank you, Alex, it’s amazing. We look forward to seeing you again very soon!
I wanted to pop you a quick email in regards to our experience with Alex Warren. Myself and my partner have just collected our Lamborghini Urus and I cannot express enough how incredible Alex has been. From the initial conversation, through to collection he has been a true credit to your dealership and I can assure you, you have our business for life now, with both Lamborghini and Bentley, purely because of our experience with Alex. Nothing was too much trouble and to find the car sitting in pride of place in the showroom only for him to press the button for the silk cover to be removed and the car be there was so exciting. Thank you, Alex, it's amazing. We look forward to seeing you again very soon!
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Our customer Mr Phillip French had been looking to change from his Jaguar to a Bentley for a while. He came into the business but the car he initially was looking at had been sold. Arran with much tenacity found a special car for Mr French and he went for it.
During the transaction, they had spoken about Burton On Trent and how Mr French likes the local ales. When the time came to collect the car, Arran chauffer drove him here in our Bentley Flying Spur which blew the chap’s socks off.
To conclude Arran arranged an engraved tankard and some local ales as a handover gift. The client was blown aware and very emotional…
Great job Arran.
What a wonderful experience buying a car from this company. Everyone has been a pleasure to deal with during the whole purchasing process. In particular, my special thanks go to Mr Arran Ashman who has been an absolute delight to deal with and has gone over and above to ensure everything went smoothly. I’ve no hesitation in recommending Arran and the team should you be considering joining the Bentley family. Philip French. 24/09/2022 20:12
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Ben sold a professional footballer a car and knew he spoke very little English and that his native language was Portuguese. On the day of delivery, Ben decided to convert all of the welcome signs to Portuguese to make him feel welcome and special.
He also bought him a Birthday cake as the car was a gift to himself.
The customer was so delighted and was visibly very touched by this and he proceeded to take photographs of the signs and sent it to all of his relatives in the UK and Brazil
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Our hosts, Amarit and Ellie saw a Dad and his lad outside the showroom this morning and invited them in… Below is what his mum Melissa Butler put on our Instagram account
A huge thank you to Ellie and Amarit today. This is Ollie who has HFA. He is besotted with Ferrari and as it was a teacher's training day my husband took him to your garage. My husband and Ollie were made to feel welcome and the second they walked through the door Ellie noticed there was something special about our boy and went above and beyond to make this a really special day. Amarit took him to get some sweets. He came back with a present and a presenter pack given by Ellie and he has not put it down. My husband called and he was nearly in tears at just how lovely you both were. From one mum to another I will be eternally grateful for how you made Ollie's day today after a hard week. Keep doing what you are doing because you are really making a difference more than you know xxx
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We had this email come through to the dealership early July. We had no idea who it was until we went on to CCTV and found out it was Rob. Something so simple and kind but clearly meant a lot to this person. Well done Rob!!!
I would like you, if possible, to convey my thanks to one of your employees. I’ll try to keep this bit short. At 08.30 this morning I left B&Q which is around the corner from you carrying 3 tubs of fence paint (36 litres). Not the best idea for a man of nearly 60, I was going to Honda dealership to fetch my car. At 09.00 I reached your dealership, I had to keep stopping to let my heart rate slow down and fingers to start working again. Anyway at 09.00 one of your staff was pulling away from the yard in a grey Maserati, he saw me and stopped, wound his passenger window and asked me if I was ok. I told him what I was doing and why I was struggling and he told me he thought I was having a heart attack and was checking if I needed help, he then offered to let me leave all my fence paint at the dealership so I could fetch my car and come and pick it up. All the way from B&Q to Honda I was in difficulty due to the weight and size of the tubs, (my fault for doing it) but your staff member was the only person who stopped to check on me and make sure I was alright. Please can find him and thank him. He is a credit to your company.
Andrew Foster came in with his son Conor. Whilst in the bar chatting with Ellie, Conor mentioned it was his father’s birthday the weekend of the event, so Ellie took it upon herself to sort some passes for them both. Conor surprised his dad with the passes for his birthday and later thanked Ellie expressing how much of a lovely time they had.
We helped Conor Foster, the son of Mr Andrew Foster; Ferrari customer…. To arrange the surprise for his Dad to attend the TSR Motorshow. He was extremely overwhelmed and grateful for the experience!
A good customer of ours came in and dropped his car off for service and stopped for a quick chat and a coffee. During the conversation it was mentioned it was his 14th wedding anniversary that day. It was very much a passing comment but one that Michelle mentally noted.
Once the customer had left Michelle arranged for a bouquet of flowers to be delivered that day to the client with a card from the team congratulating them on their anniversary.
I think the customers comments say it all.
Hello team,We are not sure who to thank, but THANK YOU for the stunning flowers delivered today for our 14th wedding anniversary, we are both a little taken aback , again, thank you!
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James going all out for the customer and agreeing to be the driver for the day for the customer’s daughter’s wedding in his own time. James went to the customer’s house very early that morning and stopped all day making sure the customer’s daughter was where she needed to be when she was supposed to be there, This was also a surprise for her and this was a massive factor in making the day so special as she also knew how big a deal this car was and getting her big day right and making it so special too for her dad.
The customer was over the moon and thrilled James did this for him and also he was able to relax enjoy the day and show his Daughter and his New MC20 off
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Mr Hill had requested through one of our hosts, Georgie, for some number plate stickers to affix a new set of plates to his car having transferred his private registration. Having been involved in getting the handover ready with the sales team, Georgia knew that the car was delayed at the factory which Mr Hill had taken very well. She also knew that his business was the breeding of birds of prey. Wanting to do something a bit more for him, she ordered a coffee table book on Falconry and sent it out to the client, and received the below email back to thank her.
Good morning, The Number Plate stickers have arrived this morning, thank you very much. A very special surprise has also arrived. WOW, WOW, WOW. It’s a book I don’t have and I will be looking forward to reading it cover to cover. Thank You and Everyone that has contributed to supplying me with a very special car. Please give my Thank You, to everyone at Graypaul Maserati. Thank You Again Richard Hill Falcon Mews Ltd
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Mr Skilton was experiencing charging issues with his Taycan, Andy dealt with the customer from start to finish and worked with the customer to identify the issues. This involved visiting the exact chargers the customer uses in Maidstone and Cobham to identify if it was an issue with the car or chargers. None of these chargers were local and Andy offered to do this in his own time during the evenings. Going above and beyond is an understatement.
Mr Martin after collecting his 911 GTS had a number of issues within the first few days of ownership. Having part exchanged a Panamera Turbo which had plenty of issues he wasn’t expecting any problems with his new car! Unfortunately, this lead to Mr Martin putting in a complaint to Porsche.
Andy Baker took it upon himself to contact the customer and talk through the options, and attempt to get the vehicle back into the workshop. Due to a busy diary, Mr Martin was unable to book the vehicle in for more than a day during the week. Andy offered to meet the customer at his house to attempt to repair the vehicle so the customer was not inconvenienced further. Unfortunately, the vehicle needed to come back into our workshop, Andy then agreed to meet with the customer on his Saturday off to fix the issues. Mr Martin left extremely happy with how Andy had handled the situation and how quick the issues were fixed.
As I start writing this I have a pang of guilt that I haven’t nominated Andy before as the reasons behind my nomination are not just one-off or recent behaviours; but qualities that Andy has consistently displayed throughout his employment here and those qualities I believe embody this award – going above and beyond, rallying the team, leading by example and putting customer delight first and foremost each and every day.
Andy is always the first to put his hand up to help without complaint, to put himself out and push personal plans aside for the sake of the business. Andy will always happily help to resolve last minute issues with very little (or occasionally no) notice.
As we all know, working with the unpredictability of component supply issues and the resulting delays to the delivery of customers’ cars, time is of the essence once a car does arrive on site. A rapid turnaround ready for handover is hugely important both to the business and the customer. Andy is wholeheartedly on the same page when it comes to looking after our customers and will go above and beyond in order to get the customer into their car as soon as possible. Andy will stay on, working after hours without complaint, occasionally meaning that he won’t head home until 11pm and yet he will still arrive on time the next morning with the same positive hardworking attitude. Andy has naturally become a leader and role model for the team, effectively encouraging them to follow his example.
For me, Andy is a great team player, who will always ensure that the needs of the business and the delight of the customer are first and foremost in everything that he does. His hard work, attitude, flexibility, leadership and commitment are a huge asset to myself, the Sales department and to Porsche Centre Mid Sussex.
Dear Divisional Team
I would like to nominate Andy Baker for the Quarter 3 winner of “Going Beyond” for always being extremely helpful. Going out of his way to discuss ongoing issues with customers. Stepping in to run the workshop when Steve is off and rallying the Technician to work late into the evening or on Saturdays to get internal work done outside working hours.
Particular customer example of going beyond :
Mrs Fiedosiuk’s 911 broke down one Friday just as the technicians were leaving for their well-earned Friday Beer after work. Michael Elliott went with another technician to try to recover the car as it was local. Unfortunately, they were unable to help as it appeared to be a VTS tracking issue. Upon hearing the situation Andy Baker immediately offered to assist and miss Friday beers. Unfortunately, the AA was unable to recover the car until later that evening. Andy went above and beyond to complete a VTS hard reset on the side of the road and managed to get the car started. Andy’s selfless nature resulted in him missing Friday beers and was also late to a friend’s BBQ that night. Mrs Fiedosiuk was amazed at the response from our team and could not be more appreciative of the effort made.
This is just one of many examples of why Andy deserves to be recognised. I hope he is, he deserves it
Thank you
Mrs Fiedosiuk was amazed at the response from our team and could not be more appreciative of the effort made.
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Mr Jepson’s Taycan broke down on Thursday in Northampton. The customer was going to see his dad that evening in palliative care.
Anna drove a loan car to the customer @ 6pm in Northampton as Enterprise would not get him a car in time – and arranged collection of the customer’s car on the Friday so that he could still go to see his very sick father.
This allowed the customer to travel and see his father – he died the morning after. Mr Jepson called me specifically to thank Anna for the swift response allowing him to see his father for the last time (we are sending flowers today). Anna went out of hours and supplied the car due to the situation and felt like it really meant something to Mr Jepson.
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Colin is new to the business, joining us in May this year he has taken to MIS very quickly and is going above and beyond to get to know our clients very well.
This particular Client, Ralston Forsman-White has bought 3 Levante’s from us in the last 16 months and is a great client of the dealership, When Colin started he was introduced to Ralston and they hit it off immediately building a very strong relationship, this led to the purchase of Levante number 3.
Whilst getting to know Ralston, Colin established that he was going to drive the Levante Abroad to Florentina.
With this information Colin then had a side shot of the Ralston’s new Levante sent over to someone who can print & frame them.
We had “Florentina” sign written underneath it and it truly looks the part and is the essence of Making It Special, this was very bespoke and unique.
Ralston is over the moon and is delighted with this, He has mentioned he cannot wait to move on up to a Grecale Trofeo.
Ralston left a 5/5 New Car CSI and is in love with his New Levante and has thanked us time and time again for the time & effort, He even went out of his way to bring his daughters in to visit our dealership. They live over in the Netherlands and Ralston get's very limited time with them, for him to take some time out of his day with them meant a lot to us.
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We strive to make every handover unique to our customers, and create an unforgettable experience with a personal touch.
Throughout this particular sales process, as we got to know the customer, we learnt that Mr Stewart was an Irish Rugby fan, and in particular hugely admired Irish Rugby legend Brian O’Driscoll. Stephen came up with the idea of gifting Mr Stewart some kind of Irish Rugby Memorabilia. Bethany then made several enquiries, eventually getting in touch with Brian O’Driscoll’s personal assistant, and was able to arrange a signed photograph by Mr O’Driscoll himself, addressed to Mr Stewart thanking him for his support over the years. Stephen and Bethany then had the photo framed, making a beautiful, meaningful handover gift which Mr Stewart was absolutely delighted with!
This has made my day! Thank you so much, it's awesome!
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