Sytner JLRS Division
Andrew Kitney (right), Senior Business Manager, congratulating Diane Beaconsfield.
Award Nominee, February 2025
Di is the unsung hero of the Business Manager department month in and month out, her diligence and attention to detail ensure that every single car we hand over goes without a hitch.
Furthermore, it is testament to Di that this March we handed over seventeen vehicles on the 1st of the month all without a hitch and still managed to sell a further three vehicles.
Di is the very definition of organised and is the perfect link between Sales Executive, Sales Management and Admin, and as a team we simply could not ask for anything more.
Marcia Scott (left), Dealership Accountant, congratulating Philippa Ward.
Award Nominee, November 2024
Philippa went above and beyond to stay late and ensure that the new service loan Evoque’s were invoiced and registered after a late email on Friday afternoon, along with also being on hand over weekends and non-working days to help the departments
Andrew Kitney (left), Senior Business Manager, congratulating Sally Gollop.
Award Winner, October 2024
Sally was out collecting a customer’s car for service and she witnessed a serious accident, narrowly avoiding being directly involved.
Despite the fact that the incident occurred on a busy major road and had partially blocked the road, no-one else stopped. Sally provided immediate first aid to the driver of the vehicle hit from behind, who was both physically injured and in a confused shocked state. She ensured that the driver of the second vehicle was not at risk, even though he was unconscious.
She then organised the emergency services, tried to keep the traffic moving, contacted the driver’s wife to explain the situation and remained on site, despite the very inclement weather, until the emergency services arrived and took over.
Her action, whilst not a specific benefit to us as a Company, displayed the ethos of ‘above and beyond’ in the most definitive manner.
Alex Benge (left), New Car Sales Manager, congratulating Grant Whitehead.
Award Nominee, September 2024
Another day neared completion, I was trying to move a velar from the road way, to bring onto site.
I had tried everything I knew to get the vehicle to start, but it resisted my every attempt to coax a response.
The time was fast approaching where I would have to admit defeat, I failed to notice that Grant Whitehead had appeared beside me, with a look of care and concern. He had stopped on his way home to help. Could this be the answer to my enigma? Would he be able to offer a solution to the impossible? before I had the chance to explain, he had already contacted someone to find the code I needed. He said we must free the Ghost and release the Velar from its electronic captivity’.
As the joyous tones of the two litre Ingenium engine sang forth, I was momentarily distracted and when next I looked out, Grant was gone!
Lisa Tyler
Award Nominee, August 2024
We would like to nominate Lisa Tyler for going above and beyond, and making it special for our client Mrs Steel.
Our Client Mrs Steele was left hugely disappointed as our showroom Range Rover Sport was purchased by another client just prior to Mrs Steele fully committing to the car.
Lisa kindly managed to utilise the relationship she has developed with the brand and achieve an incredibly quick build slot for a new Range Rover Sport.
Her efforts have completely turned around the enjoyment of the client journey and we all look forward to seeing Mrs Steele collect her new vehicle in October.
Andy Kitney (right), Senior Business Manager, congratulating Nick Turk.
Award Nominee, June 2024
Nick went above and beyond to look after another salespersons customer on a Sunday by arranging a car for them to borrow. The car was dirty and did not have any fuel in it.
Nick took it upon himself to clean the car and fuel it so that the customer was looked after seamlessly and was happy.
Nick always put the customers first without any second thoughts, always ready to help his colleagues.
Marcia Scott (right), Dealership Accountant, congratulating Jessica He.
Award Nominee, May 2024
When Kristelle went on Maternity leave Jess supported the team by picking up her workload without a second thought.
She has worked over time and supported the Accounts department off her own back.
She is such a hard worker and has mucked in when the team has been off with absences/holiday.
Alan Davis (right), General Manager, congratulating Mel Vine & Kim Simpson.
Award Nominee, April 2024
Mel and Kim are certainly making things very special for our clients. Whilst we continue to undergo the major building works both Mel and Kim (and support crew) every morning (rain or shine) are out the front meeting/greeting every customer arriving.
Parking is a complete nightmare at present (under statement), yet clients are blissfully unaware of our challenges and instead receive very chirpy happy faces along with a very slick drive up drop off process. It’s fair to say that this is a really positive improvement in client care even from when we had both sites and ample parking.
Our Aftersales YTD NPS score for JLR is currently 61%!!! This wouldn’t be the case if it wasn’t for the commitment and daily dedication of Mel & Kim.
Luis Ferreira (right), General Sales Manager, congratulating Alex Taylor.
Award Winner, March 2024
Alex Taylor is a dedicated employee, always ready to go the extra mile for his customers. One busy Saturday, Alex had heard the Sales Manager getting ready to go out in a loan car. Alex asked if any help was needed, the manager explained that a customer had been stranded in Asda car park Gillingham with a young child, and their vehicle needed to be recovered and brought back to the dealership as soon as possible.
After getting the loan vehicle, Alex quickly got behind the wheel and drove up to the car park where the stranded customer was waiting. He could see the frustration on their faces, but he reassured them that he was there to help. The customer and their young child were relieved to see him and Alex added the customer to the insurance and stayed with the customer’s vehicle until assistance arrived. The first trailer was not the right one so Alex got dropped off by the AA back to the retailer.
Alex returned with the appropriate trailer and worked closely with the recovery team to safely load the customer’s vehicle.
Alex’s willingness to take on the responsibility of getting a vehicle loan and driving to help the stranded customer showcased his dedication, problem-solving skills, and compassion. He truly exemplified the dealership’s commitment to going the extra mile for their customers, leaving a lasting impression on both the customer and everyone at the dealership.
Mel Vine (left), Customer Experience Manager, congratulating Karen Wood.
Award Nominee, January 2024
Congratulation Karen for being our January’s “Making it Special” nomination.
Karen has kindly stepped up since November 2023 in the absence of a colleague and both learnt the Jaguar warranty progress system and how best to administer it via the JLR Portal. This alone is a challenge, yet Karen’s continued to keep the boat afloat with her day job of our Jaguar Service Administrator in check, still keeping the workshop bookings full and contacting every customer post visit.
Thank you Karen for all your hard work and commitment.
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Liam Barker.
Award Nominee, December 2023
Liam joined us as a trainee Service Advisor in January 2023, coming to us with no motor trade experience, he is now a fully trained Service Advisor.
Liam has really shined in this role, completing all training in a timely fashion, he excels with customers, nothing is too much trouble and the customer comes first with every issue he always has a solution. A great team player.
Affiant and very helpful, a credit to the service organisation.
– Mr MacGregor
Alan Davis and Steve Norton (right), Aftersales Manager, congratulating David Lowrey.
Award Nominee, October 2023
David is our full-time MOT tester, conducting these for both our Jaguar and Land Rover brands. However, he has taken this role to a new level. He reviews each day’s MOTs in advance to check validity, liaises directly with both the Land Rover and Jaguar teams proactively throughout the day to ensure that he maximises the use of the MOT ramp which is one of the most productive within the Division. He is always the first to complete his annual assessment – this year achieving 100% and advises/supports other Techs with MOT technical knowledge, all this and he is always here early to assist us with clearing the workshop/carpark of cars every morning.
He also makes great cakes😊
Phil Watson (right), Service Manager, congratulating Rob Allard.
Award Nominee, September 2023
Rob Allard is one of our team of Drivers, who has really stepped up in the last few weeks, by coming in early morning and moving vehicles so that we have the space for customers to park when they arrive.
Due to the ongoing building work we are very limited for spaces and every morning we have to play find a space!
Rob has been a great help with this along with a vast number of other little jobs that are always cropping up, like some ground maintenance or spot of gardening, always willing to lend a helping hand, with a smile.
Tom Jobson (left), New Car Sales Manager, congratulating Philippa Ward.
Award Nominee, August 2023
Philippa has embraced our desire to improve and tighten further our sales files digifile processes and takes on the daily challenge of audit along with working closely with each Sales Executive and Sales Manager.
Along with this addition she’s also be heading up mentoring Lisa who’s recently joined our Sales Administration team.
Alan Davis and Tom Jobson (right), HOB and New car sale's Manager, congratulating Claire Godwin.
Award Nominee, May 2023
Claire has been working above and beyond her normal working hours in order to make sure all of the vehicles are able to be handed over on time & still keep up with the day to day administration tasks.
She always remains positive and happy to help anyone despite being snowed under with work!
Alan Davis (left), HOB, congratulating Jacquie MacGregor.
Award Nominee, April 2023
Jacquie started with us in October 2021 as one of our receptionist here at Sytner Maidstone.
Always cheerful and with a big smile for the customers and staff, nothing too much trouble, loves interacting with the customers and keeping them topped up with tea and coffee.
Of late she has been helping our busy Sales Admin team with the never ending job with Digi files, she’s embraced the challenge of Digi-file and is smashing it!
Alan Davis (right), HOB, congratulating Diane Beaconsfield and Jon Hall.
Award Nominee, March 2023
Jon has sold and delivered 54 Used and New cars for the month of March, The best ever for Jon and the dealership. He has done all this with a great customer service record and always with a smile and cheerful word.
He has had the greatest support from Diane who behind the scenes has personally made sure that all the supporting paperwork, is complete as well as all payments are in, along with all Digi files are up to date and correct.
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Leo Goodhew.
Award Nominee, February 2023
Leo our Triage Technician has been our nomination for Making It Special in February due to his desire to provide excellent customer service and always aims to delight. He is active every morning in Service Reception meeting customers, discussing their vehicle problems, road testing and often resolving even before the car is required to enter the workshop.
He often have many repairs on the go whilst customers wait thus not clogging up our busy retail channels.
Leo also finds time to support his colleagues within the workshop and our Preparation team in rectifying any further technical issues within our brand.
Alan Davis (left), Head of Business, congratulating Clair Newton.
Award Nominee, January 2023
We have started 2023 with two Service Advisors down and whilst we are currently recruiting for replacements, Clair has taken on the daily challenge of dealing with customers coming into our service operation head-on!
Her customer handling skills and keeping the customer informed has been amazing with plenty of individual VOC comments being made about her personally.
Our NPS score finished at 79% for January and although Claire would be first to say it’s the whole team that’s stepped up, it doesn’t detract from all the effort she is making to delight our customers!
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business , congratulating Marcia Scott.
Award Nominee, December 2022
Marcia has stepped up into our Accounts control position and is already doing an amazing job!
She has gained the full support of her Accounts department and Sales Admin who all work closely together along with our Retailer Management team where she is a key colleague.
Nothing is too much trouble and she is always willing to assist and rises to a challenge!
Congratulations Marcia, well deserved.
Andrew Kitney (right), Senior Business Manager, congratulating Simon Savvides.
Award Nominee, November 2022
Simon has been exceptional this year in his role in the Digital Retention team. He has delivered exceptional results making 2022 our best year ever for customer retention.
Without Simon’s commitment to the cause, I am not confident that the results would have been the same. He has a telephone manner which is second to none and a positive attitude which is vital in his position. Simon is always cheerful and happy to help anyone and is a key member of the Business team.
Phil Watson (right), Service Manager, congratulating Lucy Stillwell.
Award Nominee, October 2022
Our October nomination goes to Lucy having really embraced her role as Senior Service Advisor. She is an asset to the department and the dealership, her constant support to the Service Advisors, and helpfulness to other colleagues has gone above and beyond on multiple occasions.
Lucy came in at the end of the month in October to make sure that the end on month ran smoothly, this was on her day off. Lucy stayed until late, making sure everything was ready for the next day, always ready to step in and help.
Alan Davis (left), Head of Business, congratulating Toby Sergeant.
Award Nominee, September 2022
Toby is our Employee of the Month for September, he is always there to help with customers that turn up with Ad-Blue requests and tyre issues. The work is always completed with a smile and willingness to help, well done Toby!
John Wicks and Sally Gollop
Award Nominee, August 2022
We are nominating John Wicks, Warranty Administrator and Sally Gollop, Service Advisor for August’s Making It Special as we had our Health and Safety annual audit in August. We had a really good result of 88%, this was up on last year from 82%, and this is brilliant work from both Sally and John.
All their hard work paid off, even more so as they both have other roles within the dealership.
Irene Smith (left), HR Business Administrator, congratulating Leanne Abrey.
Award Nominee, July 2022
Leanne on the front line in Jaguar Service continued spinning the plates and providing business as usual in the absence of her Line Manager away along with other close colleagues away on annual leave. Leanne kept driving a performance, providing best advice and delighting customers which reflected with NPS. Well done!
Tom Jobson (left), New Car Sales Manager, congratulating Diane Beaconsfield.
Award Nominee, June 2022
We would like to nominate Diane for June’s Making It Special in recognition of her hard work during the end of quarter, there were issues with delayed cars along with holidays, Diane worked extremely hard to achieve a great result for the end of quarter.
Tom Jobson (left), New Car Sales Manager, congratulating Antony Amores.
Award Nominee, May 2022
“Antony Amores (Tony) is our nomination for May given his can do attitude amongst his colleagues and his commitment working as one team. Tony is a go to for many of his colleagues and he’s always happy to help, support and take ownership of daily tasks/challenges and issues. He’s fully engages with the business and his flexibility assists others making their roles more manageable. Well done Tony and well deserved”.
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Mike Swan.
Award Nominee, April 2022
Mike is our worthy Making It Special nomination for April, as without being asked he has picked up the Jaguar used car mantel in the absence of a Sales Manager and got to work! We have just had our best Jaguar used car month so far this year as the cars are quickly taken into stock, rushed through the workshop, cleaned, photo’d and on the forecourt with urgency. This has been recognised by the Aftersales Manager making his life easier along with everyone in Jaguar Sales upping their game! Well done Mike for making a real difference. Thank you.
Alan Davis (left), Head of Business, congratulating Kim Simpson.
Award Nominee, March 2022
Kim has without even asking stepped in and assisted with covering a Service Advisor position whilst we continue to recruit and appoint the right candidate.
Our Service CLP has remained consistent and strong during this time and she has still managed her own role. Her customer interaction is amazing, referring service customers to sales colleagues and even helping to clinch the deals. Her support to local events and charities outside work is also a credit to her. A very worthy winner for March for us!
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Irene Smith.
Award Nominee, February 2022
Irene is our Making It Special nomination for February following the amazing nominations Irene has received via the JLRVS Hub:
Irene has put together a collection for the war effort which we have all given happily to. She has organised for its safe journey to the unfortunate people in need. I feel very proud of her, she is such a lovely, caring lady, we are lucky to have her.
Irene has led the recent Ukraine appeal at Maidstone collecting 5 large boxes of donations and £358 in cash. She has organised the collection and delivery to Sasco Ltd in Aylesford for the onward journey to Poland. Irene is such a helpful person who will help everyone where she possibly can, and who doesn’t always get the acknowledgment or recognition that she deserves.
Along with the nominations from colleagues within the business, Irene goes above and beyond as our Well-being Champ! She also makes amazing buns!!
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Melanie Vine.
Award Nominee, January 2022
Melanie has certainly gone the extra mile with continuing to resolve an abundance of customer issues and challenges that she has tackled head on, along with being involved with CRC and gaining their full support!
Customers frustrated with their vehicles have been turned into good news stories adverting potential red flags and Melanie has liaised with all departments within the business to bring resolutions together. Nothing is ever too much trouble. Well deserved.
Alan Davis (left), Head of Business, congratulating Grant Whithead.
Award Nominee, December 2021
Semi- conductors doesn’t stop Grant from smashing his sales objective with an amazing 132 Used Land Rovers delivered during 2021!!!
An incredible achievement and worthy of our December nomination, well done Grant.
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Joshua Foreman.
Award Nominee, November 2021
Joshua Foreman has recently been promoted from our Land Rover Sales Driver to a Sales Preparation Assistant and during this newly appointed role found himself completely holding the fort by needing to cover colleague absence along with a new colleague joining the team.
During this time Josh completely raised his game, supported both our Sales Managers and Sales team with used car preparation and keeping the Land Rover forecourt full whilst the team continued to sell from stock. Given our Preparation Centre is further into the trading park, Josh smashed his 10,000 steps and a lot more everyday whatever the weather to keep the process moving!
Our recent CLP figures are all positive showing customers were totally unaware that Josh was acting like a swan!!!!
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Lauren Waller.
Award Nominee, October 2021
The support Lauren provides with AVC’s and her generally helpfulness with supporting both the Sales Executives and Managers with Sales Admin. Lauren is always pro-active and willing to help.
Alan Davis (left), Head of Business, congratulating Gemma Smith.
Award Nominee, September 2021
We have nominated Gemma for our Employee of September for “Making it Special” based on her recent responses of “Voice of the Customer”!
Along with some wonderful and amazing comments from customers, she also had a Mrs Williams who was so delighted with the level of service provided she arrived with a massive bunch of flowers for Gemma to say thank you.
Gemma is very passionate about delivering outstanding customer service in a tough and challenging environment. Well done and well deserved Gemma!
CommentNPS - Why Do You Say That?I walked into Guy Salmon with so many issues wrong with my car. However, this did not deter the Service Consultant from ensuring that all my problems were resolved. I left the dealership with complete satisfaction as my car was restored to perfection. Service Advisor Recommendation - Why Do You Say That Gemma Smith was absolutely brilliant. I literally had so many items on my to do to list but Gemma listened, took photos and got the Technician to resolve them all. I was also kept informed at every stage of the way. I am highly impressed by her quality of service and would recommend her to friends and family. Service Mentioned Other Person Details Gemma Smith is a very remarkable lady with an attention to detail. She went above and beyond in every way. I am a very satisfied customer. CommentNPS - Why Do You Say That? Excellent service Service Advisor Recommendation - Why Do You Say That Nothing more to say Service Mentioned Other Person Details Gemma. Excellent member of your staff who kept me informed regarding the progress of the service of the car. 11/10.
– Mrs Williams
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Jim Wicks.
Award Nominee, August 2021
John Wicks our longest serving colleague continues to keep our Land Rover warranty claiming systems in tiptop order which is often being complemented by Neil Hannan for his controls along with our Land Rover Health & Safety processes, again working closely with Sian.
His attention to detail, common sense and management of expenses makes him very worthy of our nomination for August. Well done Jim!
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Leo Goodhew.
Award Nominee, July 2021
Leo has kindly taken the challenge of engaging directly with our customers prior to arrival to discuss their vehicle concerns in greater detail and extending information from our Call Centre to assist our technical team.
He has demonstrated his Level 4 skills by interacting with customers during their visit, road testing where necessary and explaining in detail the vehicle features which often puts the customer at ease along with saving time, removes pressure from Service Advisor’s and is making a positive impact to our Right First Time measurement.
With the vehicles becoming more complicated and technical, this position and his desire to deliver outstanding customer service is certainly paying off!!!
Well done Leo, totally deserved!
Alan Davies (left), Head of Business, congratulating Joshua Fisher.
Award Nominee, June 2021
Joshua has recently passed all the modules to qualify as a Jaguar Master Technician which given the challenges around Covid and virtual learning, this is an excellent achievement.
He has shown a real positive attitude and eagerness to learn both during his apprenticeship and now as he continues to develop his technical skills!
Well-done Josh and here’s to becoming a Master Tech for the future.
Alan Davis (left), Head of Business, congratulating Keith Batters.
Award Nominee, May 2021
Its gives me great delight to announce Keith as our “Employee of the Month for May”! Many congratulations Keith and well deserved.
This is for embracing the change to Digi-Files though we are still on a journey, thank you for your continual support.
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Paul Shephard.
Award Nominee, April 2021
Paul Shepherd has been awarded April’s Making It Special for Maidstone as he has achieved what we thought was unachievable!!!
He has managed to reduce our Jaguar repair claim rate to an amazing “One Day”!!! The manufacturer allow us 20 days but these are far from needed for Paul bearing in mind that the one day also reflects weekends, so once our Technicians have made their final clocking, Paul is on it and entering the claim onto the WASP system! He certainly has a sting in his tail!!!
Well done Paul.
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Robert Redsell.
Award Nominee, March 2021
Bob works in the Parts Department and has been a fantastic help over the last 3 months, with limited resources, he has done a great job of covering the Parts Department.
He is always at hand whenever he is needed to help and is the first one here in the morning always doing the posts and opening up.
Bob works every Saturday at the dealership and is great team player that goes Above & Beyond.
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Brandon Cheshire.
Award Nominee, February 2021
Helped a NHS Worker stuck in the snow.
I work for the NHS and this morning (16th Feb 2021) I became stuck in Bashford Barn Lane in Bredgar – Brandon who I understand works for your company kindly reversed my car a very long way so that I could go on a main route to ensure that not only was I safe but I could continue my journey and see my patients. Brandon was an absolute life saver and I really do not know what I would have done without him as I was sliding all over the small road and a car had been abandoned down a ditch on the road and a van had got stuck in the snow further up and was digging themselves out. I was near to tears and Brandon took control of my car, reversed it nearly half a mile and then walked back to his car. What a great asset to your team he is and nothing was too much trouble for him. Please let me know that he has been praised for his marvellous actions. Kind regards Tracy Jones Occupational Therapist/End Of Life Linkworker
– Tracy Jones
Alan Davis (left), Head of Business, congratulating Sally Gollop.
Award Nominee, January 2021
The enthusiasm Sally has brought to the H&S Role, and the speed with which she has adapted the system to ‘own it’ has definitely ‘Made it Special’ for the team here in Jaguar Maidstone. I think she has done more in a few weeks than we have managed to achieve in the past year and by her willpower has managed to gain some serious traction in ‘engagement’ from plenty of team members.
Keith Batters
Award Nominee, July 2020
Keith has been nominated for this months Making it Special by his colleagues for his impressive efforts within the business.
Keith always aims to go above and beyond. Since being back at work he’s gone out of his way to help colleagues and has been working longer hours than usual to ensure customers are happy. Keith has taken the new procedures and Covid guidelines in his stride too and is a valuable asset to the team.
Alan Eldridge (left), Head of Business, congratulating Paul Allaway.
Award Nominee, February 2020
Our February nomination goes to the well deserving Paul for his efficient customer care. Recently a customer purchased a used ex demo from us, however they only reached their estate entrance before the vehicle broke down with a complete loss of electrics.
Paul was contacted and took quick action, he went straight down to them who in turn stayed in the car until Land Rover Assist arrived and organised for the customers to get home.
The next morning the customers rejected the vehicle, for obvious reasons but assured us that they would return to us because of the outstanding way they were looked after thanks to Paul!
Alan Eldridge (left), Head of Business, congratulating Lucy Stilwell.
Award Nominee, January 2020
Our January nomination goes to Lucy for recently taking on a new role. She is a real asset to the department and the dealership, we value her support and constant willingness to help. Lucy has gone above and beyond on multiple occasions, here are just a few examples:
She recently collected a customers vehicle (a complaint customer) from Kensington on her day off.
Lucy came in last Monday on her day off with only a few hours’ notice as two other team members were both off sick! We had a problem customer which was a potential “Buy Back” situation. Lucy arranged to collect the car herself on her day off, and also arranged a lift into Kensington from one of our other staff members Husbands, who was working up there on that day. She arrived at his house at 4.30am as he was leaving early to drive into London. Lucy collected the car and brought it in. We managed to rectify the faults and return it and the customer is extremely happy!
Philip Watson (left), Service manager, congratulating Josh Smith.
Award Nominee, October 2019
Our October nomination goes to Josh who always excels in his role and nothing is too much for him.
Josh is always at hand for any customer or member of staff, nothing is not to much trouble. Josh was voted by his work colleagues as he is so helpful with everything he does.
His willingness to help everyone does not go unnoticed by staff and customers he is a real asset to the dealership.
Alan Eldridge (right), Head of Business, congratulating Nathan Doe.
Award Nominee, December 2019
Our December nomination rightfully goes to Nathan Doe for his efficient help. A customers car broke down near Blackwall Tunnel and had an extremely poor experience from Jag assist who couldn’t get to him for at least 4 hours, so he made his way home and left the Car.
The customer rang our retailer insisting we cancel his contract and give his money back. Nathan arranged to go to the clients house over in Ongar in Essex to pick up the Keys and then drive back to the Tunnel to meet Jag assist to enable recovery, which he did.
After many conversations with the owner, we have now fixed the car and are testing it before delivering it back. We also delivered our I-Pace demo out to him to use.
Luis Ferreira & Tom Jobson (left), Sales Managers, congratulating Jon Hall.
Award Nominee, July 2019
Jon has had many returns on Google & Trust Pilot, along with Gold Stars, amazing feedback.
Alan Eldridge (right), Head of Business, congratulating Melanie Vine.
Award Nominee, October 2019
Our Making it Special award for October goes to Melanie Vine, who responds to any customer concerns she learns about whilst carrying out the service follow up calls. One example of this is when she went to pick up a customers car after it has been into the service department and there was still on-going concerns. She made sure she followed up the progress of the work with Phil and the team, to make sure this was done as soon as possible and even quality checking the vehicle before delivering back to the customer during her own time.
Well done Melanie.
Philip Watson (right), Service Manager, congratulating Robert Allard.
Award Nominee, August 2019
This months award goes to one of our Supporting colleagues, Robert Allard, who has been nominated due to his willingness to do anything over and above his actual job role. Robert always makes himself available, to help others and customers always comment on how efficient he is.
Well done Rob !!
Alan Eldridge (left), Head of Business, congratulating Sallly Gollop.
Award Nominee, June 2019
This month customer feedback has been strong with regard to their experiences with our business, but although in a lot of cases it’s a team effort, we have one person who has been mentioned several times in exceeding expectation. A small extract from one of our customer feedbacks is shown:-
I would like to express my sincere thanks to your staff over the last two years that they have been looking after my car and my concerns. Having had now five Jaguars since 2006 and moved my business, I have been extremely impressed with your whole business. However my wife Pam and myself are emigrating to Cyprus next month and taking my Jaguar with us. Therefore today was our last visit to your dealership. Please pass my grateful thanks to all those in the service department who have dealt with me with great humour and professionalism. Today it was Sally Gallop who was magnificent. Dan Bobbett, who sold me my current car. Tell him he wont be able to sell me that F Pace after all……………………….. It would be great if Sally and the people behind the scenes could receive some form of recognition. Thank you so much. Signed
So please join me in congratulating Sally our worthy winner of our “Making it Special award for June.
Alan Eldridge (left), Head of business, congratulating Sophie Saunders.
Award Nominee, May 2019
After receiving the nominations for the May Making it Special Award, we are pleased to announce that the award goes to Sophie who has been covering the absence of other members of the team, within our Used car operation. She has kept up to speed in all the roles during a busy time for the dealership, including Photographs, trade collections, vehicle movement & valeting to name just a few.
It was interesting to see the level of nominations received for Sophie. Normally this award would be for doing something special in regard to looking after a customer, but on this occasion, Sophie has gone “Above and Beyond” in helping her colleagues and team alike.
I’m sure you will join me in Congratulating her. Well done Sophie.
Alan Eldridge (right), Head of Business, congratulating Gemma Smith.
Award Nominee, March 2019
Please join me in congratulating Gemma on winning our “Making it Special” award.
Gemma has fitted into the service team really well and in spite of being relatively new, is already building a great rapport with our customers and shows a genuine willingness to help everybody on the team. We have received some great feedback from our customers.
Well done Gemma!
Alan Eldridge (left), Head of Business, congratulating Dan Bobbett.
Award Nominee, February 2019
Our February Making it Special is Dan Bobbett.
1Amazing service as always from Mr Daniel Bobbett & Mr Andrew Kitney at Guy Salmon Jaguar Maidstone. We are once again overwhelmed by the amazing service provided by these 2 gentleman at your Maidstone branch. They go above and beyond in everyway to make you feel welcome, at ease and thoroughly spoilt with their time, effort, expertise, cakes & coffees. We would not purchase from anyone else due to the outstanding service given by these very special members of your team. They are a treasure toyour company and we will look forward to seeing them again in the next few years for another purchase from you.
Thanks Dan!
Alan Eldridge (left), Head Of business, congratulating Lucy Stillwell and Ben Smith.
Award Nominee, December 2018
Our December Making it Special nomination goes to two of our Service Advisors Lucy and Ben, who during a very busy period and with limited resource managed to maintain a high of level of customer service throughout.
Congratulations to them both on a well deserved award.
Alan Eldridge (right), Head of Business, congratulating Joe Macdonald.
Award Nominee, September 2018
Once again many nominations but this month the award goes to” Joe Macdonald”.
Joe has really helped the whole sales team by producing a SIM card video for everyone to use to inform our customers and has also helped out covering his colleagues customer handovers at month end, making it special for our customers.
A special mention should go also to Jon Hall ! (Maybe next time Jon) !
Many Congratulations to Joe !
Alan Eldridge (right), Head of Business, congratulating Anthony Lynch.
Award Nominee, September 2018
Our September winner is Anthony Lynch who went that extra mile when he received a call from a customer recently. Following delivery of their new vehicle and upon closer inspection, they had found several scratches on the paintwork. Anthony took it on himself to go out personally to the customers house in Tenterden on his day off and polish out the Scratches. The customer really appreciated the service Anthony afforded them.
Many Congratulations on your award.
Alan Eldridge (left), Head Of Business, congratulating Jenny Weller.
Award Nominee, August 2018
This time our Making It Special award goes to Jenny Weller, who was recently promoted to Workshop Controller at our PDI Centre and without doubt has gone that extra mile for everyone, with her “Can Do” attitude.
The feedback has been phenomenal, so please join me in Congratulating Jenny as our deserving award winner!
Alan Eldridge (left), Head Of Business, congratulating Claire Godwin.
Award Nominee, August 2018
Our August nomination goes to Claire Godwin who was walking through the Jaguar showroom and noticed a service customer with her children struggling to do up their rain coats and offered to escort them to their car with an umbrella. The customer said that she was going to Adventure Kids while she waited for the service team to work on her car, to which Claire said no problem at all and escorted them to Adventure Kids with her umbrella.
A little gesture but shows that even colleagues that are not customer facing, care and enforce the company values. I’m sure you will join me in congratulating Claire our worthy winner!
Laura Ridgewell (right), Assistant to Service Manager, congratulating Francesca Butler.
Award Nominee, July 2018
This months Making it Special nomination goes to Francesa Butler, who made a great impression on a customer recently, who went on to comment through one of our social channels.
thank you Francesca @ Guy Salmon Land Rover Maidstone much better service experience than that from land Rover Sidcup in every step of the process treated with respect and valued as a customer what one expects from @Landrover_UK
Well done Francesca
Alan Eldridge (right), Head of business, congratulating Dan Cole.
Award Nominee, June 2018
After once again a close run nomination count, I am pleased to announce that our June award winner is Dan Cole. Dan has only been on the sales team for 4 months and has soon settled with the team.
Having experienced a house move, job change and now parenthood for the first time, Dan is still always available to help out whenever possible. In quieter periods he also finds the time to ask others if anything needs to be done.
Congratulations Dan!
Alan Eldridge (right), Head of business, congratulating Steve Norton.
Award Nominee, May 2018
Our nomination for May is Steve Norton who received some really great feedback from a customer, following their recent visit.
Visited your branch this morning enquiring about parts for a x type jaguar, now I know this is now an old car so didn’t expect the service I received. This guy Steve norton was so helpful beyond what he had to do for a customer. He helped and provided information without hesitation and was so positive and polite, being the owner of an older model I did not expect this level of help and service, I certainly feel now I’ve picked the right make of vehicle to restore. First class service. Thank you Andy
Well done Steve!
Alan Eldridge (right), Head of Business, congratulating Andrew Kitney.
Award Nominee, June 2018
Our June nomination goes to Andrew Kitney with his commitment to “Being there for everybody”. Even in times of absence due to Holidays, sickness and training of his colleagues, he still manages to ensure that our customers have a great experience us, which was demonstrated recently……
I have just taken delivery of my used XE from Guy Salmon Jaguar Maidstone and feel that I must write to praise the professional service given by the sales team. Daniel Bobbett and Andrew Kitney made my purchase a pleasure, from enquiry to hand-over of the keys. I believe that their professional, knowledgeable, polite and friendly service make these gentlemen a credit to the Jaguar name. Please pass-on my thanks to Guy Salmon Maidstone.
During this busy period Andrew still retained the No 1 position for Finance within our GS Jaguar dealerships. Congratulations Andy!
Alan Eldridge (left), Head of Buisness, congratulating Laura Ridgewell.
Award Nominee, May 2018
Our May Making it Special nominee is Laura Ridgewell, following this great feedback from one of our customers.
It has taken me a while to get around to sending this but it needs to be sent as we are all too quick to complain when things don’t quite go to plan but not so good at acknowledging exceptional customer service. On Friday 27th April 2018 I was driving to work. I had just pulled off the M20 at J5 when a red triangle flashed up on the dashboard warning ‘Restricted Performance’. I had only had the car serviced on the Monday before and I irrationally thought it had to be something to do with that. In my defence I was only 3 days into a new job where it is essential for me to have my car so I was rather stressed and flustered to say the least. Despite having the extended warranty which comes with roadside assistance, such was my level of stress my first thought was to telephone Guy Salmon Land Rover Aylesford. Laura took my call and she was just brilliant. I am sure she must have thought I was slightly unhinged as I spouted on about how I had only just had the car serviced, that I had started a new job only three days earlier and how I really needed the car to be functioning otherwise I couldn’t get to work………but she checked whether I had the extended warranty on the vehicle, took details of the whereabouts of the car and contacted the roadside recovery team for me. She then called me back to let me know they were on their way. Laura didn’t need to do any of this, it was really for me to call the roadside assistance myself but thanks to her lovely attitude it made a stressful situation so much better. I spoke to her again when I rang later that day to book the car in for the repair and to thank her for her help in sorting it out and when I called in on Friday 4th May to collect the car after the repair she made a point of coming out to see me to check that everything was OK. That is what I call exceptional customer service and I wanted to let you know what a difference one of your team made. Kind regards, Mary Seal
Alan Eldridge (left), Head of Business, congratulating Joe McDonald.
Award Nominee, March 2018
Our nomination for March is Joe McDonald for maintaining his high standards of customer service during the busy month of March.
Joe always makes sure that he keeps in contact with his customers, even when he cannot meet their expectations. Joe also makes himself available to his colleagues and is always willing to help anyone.
Well Done Joe!
Alan Eldridge (right), Head of Business, congratulating Enamul Miah.
Award Nominee, March 2018
Our March nomination is Enamul Miah for his consistent delivery of exceptional customer service.
We have recently received some fantastic comments from customers, but one particular sentence sticks in my mind that really sums up the level of customer service we need to provide and Enamul clearly achieved this.
The comment received was, Making my Dreams come True.
Well Done!
Andrew Needham (right), Head of Business, congratulating Enamul Miah.
Award Winner, December 2017
Our nomination is for Enamul for providing exceptional customer service to a loyal customer, here is the feedback we received on Autotrader.
A DEALER YOU CAN DEAL WITH! I bought a new, showroom XJ Portfolio from them in September 2015. They did a very good deal on the price (although the P/X price was no different from a well-known organisation that will buy any car). 2 years later they offered me a stunning deal on a new XJ Autobiography. I didn’t buy on this occasion, but I hope to do so in future. 3 months later, my car was stranded in Manchester due to a medical condition. No problem, Guy Salmon Maidstone took the hassle away and arranged for my car to be collected and returned to my home. That’s what I call going the extra mile. Thank you, Enamul Miah, of Guy Salmon. Sales staff are always friendly and knowledgeable, and servicing has always been good. I was particularly impressed with the most recent service, which included a video of the safety checks emailed to me
Andrew Needham (left), Head of Business, congratulating Dan Keam.
Award Nominee, November 2017
Dan hosted an event at the dealership on Saturday the 4th of November, the annual quiz night for the Mayor of Tonbridge and West Malling, who is a customer of his.
Dan was at the dealership for 17 hours straight, and the event raised around £2600 so totally worth it! The money he raised went to Age Concern Malling – Dementia Day Care Centre and Ellenor, they support families facing a terminal illness, providing nursing and respite care at home to babies, children and teenagers with life-limiting illnesses.
Well Done Dan, a fantastic effort for a very worthy cause!
Andrew Needham (left), Head of Business, congratulating Dan Keam.
Award Nominee, October 2017
Dan hosted an event at the dealership on Saturday the 4th of November, the annual quiz night for the Mayor of Tonbridge and West Malling, who is a customer of his.
Dan was at the dealership for 17 hours straight, and the event raised around £2600 so totally worth it! The money he raised went to Age Concern Malling – Dementia Day Care Centre and Ellenor, they support families facing a terminal illness, providing nursing and respite care at home to babies, children and teenagers with life-limiting illnesses.
Well Done Dan, a fantastic effort for a very worthy cause!
Alan Eldridge (left), Head of Business, congratulating Dean Moon.
Award Nominee, September 2017
Dean Moon is our September nomination, this is in recognition of his ‘One Team’ spirit and understanding that customer service does not just stop with our customers.
Dean is mentioned by his colleagues as someone who can be relied upon to help out anybody in need of help, in particular, our Sales Admin and Front of House Team wanted to express their appreciation.
Thank you, Dean!
Andrew Needham (right), Head of Business, congratulating Paul Shepherd.
Award Nominee, September 2017
Our nomination for this month goes to a member of our team who has worked quietly and with an eye for detail; Paul has worked exceptionally hard to maintain number 1 status in group internal warranty audit – 0% score. He has also been willing to travel to one of our other dealerships to help clear their backlog of work; Paul then spent an additional day helping with their current workload, to give them a good start again.
‘Making it Special’ isn’t always about doing something flamboyant– it’s about doing the things that need doing consistently, effectively and offering a seamless service to the dealership, but this time Paul has gone ‘above and beyond’. He is a star performer and a team player.
Thank you, Paul!
Alan Eldridge (left), Head of Business, congratulating Rob Redsell.
Award Nominee, August 2017
Rob had a lady customer in distress on a Saturday morning with a broken door mirror who was here as soon as we opened. After trying to Mix and Match glass and Mirror backing, and then putting it together, the customer was over the moon!” I received a great e-mail from her, being delighted at the service she received. Also, we accommodated a Wakefield driver to do a hand over from our showroom. When he arrived with us, he had incurred problems with the car on the way down and noted some bits missing! Once again Rob went out of his way and sorted out the parts required, and all went well on Handover. The Wakefield driver who did the handover e-mailed me to pass on his thanks to Rob and Louis, who dropped him to the station for him to get back.
Andrew Needham (left), Head of Business, congratulating Andrew Kitney.
Award Nominee, August 2017
We wish to nominate Andrew our unsung hero, he is regularly mentioned in customer feedback, and on this occasion he organised a birthday card and cake for the customer, letting the sales executive Dan take full credit, resulting in this email:
We would like to have recognised the outstanding service we have received from 2 of your staff and 1 in-particular, Daniel Bobbett & Andy Kitney. Both of these members of your team have given the most dedicated, professional and amazing service we have ever encountered. All of the team at your Aylesford branch are great but these 2 guys deserve extra praise, especially Daniel Bobbett.
We have bought many new cars and have visited other prestige dealerships and none come even close in customer care as we have received from Daniel and Andy. Due to the perfect service from Daniel, this is the second car we have bought from that branch and we will be back in 3 years to buy another. We love the service so much that we would not want to go anywhere else (of course the car is amazing too). We cannot express enough how good the customer care is, we have never received such a great service, not in private healthcare, 5* restaurants, prestige dealerships etc… Nowhere else compares to the professional service received by this branch and these 2 men. Thank you for a great experience and please recognise what a great asset these 2 men are to your brand. It would be very much appreciated if you could think of a better way of letting these 2 know how pleased we are rather than just an email. Thank you.
Rob Redsell
Award Nominee, July 2017
Rob had a lady customer in distress on a Saturday morning with a broken door mirror who was here as soon as we opened. After trying to Mix and Match glass and Mirror backing, and then putting it together, the customer was over the moon! (Perhaps she had damaged this and hadn’t told Hubby)! I received a great email from her, being delighted with the service she received.
Also, we accommodated a Wakefield driver to do a hand over from our showroom. When he arrived with us, he had incurred problems with the car on the way down and noted some bits missing. Once again Rob went out of his way and sorted out the parts required, and all went well on handover. The Wakefield driver who did the handover emailed me to pass on his thanks to Rob and Luis, who dropped him to the station for him to get back.
Leanne Abrey
Award Nominee, July 2017
Leanne had the majority of the votes this month as she has very quickly become a valued member of the team, due to her teamwork, efficiency and sense of fun.
Leanne’s colleague says “I am nominating Leanne as even though she is new herself she has taken me under her wing with training me. She has been so patient, supportive and encouraging over the past 4 weeks. Even when I have made mistakes or had a mini-meltdown she has been there to help me back on track.”
Well Done Leanne!
Nathan Doe
Award Nominee, June 2017
Nathan Doe has been recognised by not just the Managers but his colleagues as someone who throughout June has really stepped up his game.
His manager has congratulated him on having the right attitude and a willingness to help customers and colleagues alike.
Thank you, Nathan, keep up the good work!
Ruth Frost
Award Nominee, June 2017
Ruth has been with us in this job role now for nearly two and a half years. Although it is Ruth’s job role to be a good Receptionist/Host, she goes about her job really well. Deals with the pressure of getting calls through in a timely manner, keeping an open eye on the showroom to make sure all walk-in are dealt with instantly, with a warm welcome and a smile. Even under pressure due to a shortage of staff, Ruth keeps a cool head and still has that winning smile. She is willing to help with weekend cover if need, even if it interrupts her golf.
Thank you Ruth!
Alan Eldridge (right), Head of Business, congratulating Tom Jobson.
Award Nominee, May 2017
I would like to nominate Tom for really stepping up during May, during a period where we have faced many challenges. He has provided the Sales team with support and stability. One of the nice things to recognise Tom for is his recognition that he could not have done this without a fantastic team around who have all demonstrated a great attitude.
Well Done to Tom and his team!
Sarah Larner
Award Nominee, May 2017
Sarah Larner joined us at the end of February this year, as Sales Progress Chaser. Although she has only been here just over three months the difference she has made to the Sales team is unbelievable. She has really embraced the job. Traders have made lots of good comments on how things are now handled, transactions are dealt with in a calm and efficient way, so they arrive happier knowing they will be on their way quickly. This also helps with keeping the car park free of trade vehicles, which in turn has the effect of giving our customer a good experience, with no problem parking when visiting the dealership. Sarah is always ready to help in other areas of the dealership, with a winning smile. She also makes great cakes.
Chris Grindle
Award Nominee, April 2017
Chris Grindle has been part of the team now for over nineteen years, and has a variety of roles with the Dealership; He is now a senior member of the service department front of house team. Chris is a willing team player, and as part of the team helps to make the department run smoothly. Although very busy in the day to day running of the department, Chris went above and beyond his normal day, volunteering to cover the parts department as one colleague was on annual leave and was about to break his holiday to cover the department, as the other member of parts needed to attend an unexpected funeral of a very close friend. This showed that if we work as a team then we can give the customers the best possible service.
Kevin Baily
Award Nominee, April 2017
Kevin always goes the extra mile(s), quite literally. He is the very example of One Team Player, always ensuring that the customer is always put first, which sometimes means having to work past his finish time, which he does without complaints. Always the first to put his hand up when you’re looking for a volunteer and lend a hand to other departments when he can. Having been with the company for 19 years, he continues to show dedication and passion for the Jaguar brand.
We are very lucky to have you, Kevin, thank you for your continuous hard work.
Rob Allard
Award Nominee, March 2017
I am sure you will join me in congratulating Rob Allard, our service driver, for winning our March employee of the month! In a month where we could have had many worthy winners, Rob’s dedication to his tasks, and the help he gave everyone shone through.
In our busiest time of the year, with transporters arriving all times of the day unloading cars, and the service department achieving their biggest month on record, Rob was here at 7.00am every morning ensuring loan cars were ready to go, and more importantly, clearing up the car parking area ensuring customers arriving had somewhere to park their vehicles!
Then in the evenings, swamped with car deliveries back to the owners, regardless of how late this was.
Matthew Hunt
Award Nominee, March 2017
Matthew Hunt, Matt to all of us here at Maidstone, joined us in June 2016 less than a year ago and has in a short period of time proved to be a fantastic asset to the workshop. He has unending enthusiasm for the job, loves each and every challenge presented and always looks for the positive ‘can do’ solution to every job he takes on. This was perfectly demonstrated on one occasion when Mr James presented his XF for a straightforward service and MOT.
When the vehicle came in to the workshop it had low-level washers showing, having found the problem was as a result of a fault with the headlight washers, which we had no parts for and were on back order with JLR, Matt took it on himself to effect a temporary repair in his lunchtime to enable him to complete the MOT and keep the customer on the road and legal. Matt’s ambition is to reach JLR Master Technician status in less than two years and with his drive, energy and commitment, I have no doubt this will be achieved.
Diane Beaconsfield
Award Nominee, February 2017
Diane has recently been moved up to a second Business Manager role after starting out as a business executive. Diane has really pulled out all the stops in making sure that all the finance deals/paperwork has been completed correctly whilst Simon, our newly appointed Business Manager, settles into the role. Sales execs need some policing and Diane has certainly been on it!
Great Job for the Team!
Andrew Needham (right), Head of Business, congratulating Irene Smith.
Award Nominee, February 2017
Whenever and wherever there is a need for someone to take on the thankless and the impossible, we all turn to Irene. Whether it be simple or, more often, a problem we never have the time to resolve, Irene will take it on and see it through. She has been the ‘go to’ person for both Jaguar and Land Rover in Maidstone for more than 20 years and yet still has the same dedication and enthusiasm. At the recent weekend XE/XF car event, she worked throughout the weekend, organising the catering, hosting the dealership and even found the time to provide our new Sunday Receptionist with some on the job training. Making It Special is part of Irene’s everyday philosophy and perhaps because of this her contribution to the business often gets overlooked, so now is the perfect time to recognise her efforts and reward her commitment.
Tom Jobson (), Sales Manager, and Steve Cox (), Mentor, congratulating Sam Revill.
Award Nominee, January 2017
I am pleased to tell you that our January nomination for the ‘Making it Special’ award, goes to Sam Revill, one of our Graduate trainees.
This is a fantastic achievement, as last month Joe won it who is our other new recruit! Sam received a heavy majority of nominations this month as in an extremely busy period, Sam managed to make himself available to help where needed, as well as getting on with his studies preparing for his next mentor assessment day. Whether assisting with a car handover, discussing the product with clients before a sales executive gets to them, or actually selling his first car when no one else was available.
Sam’s attitude will lay the foundations for a very successful future.
Well Done Sam!
Andrew Needham (right), Head of Business, congratulating John McKenzie.
Award Nominee, January 2017
Thames Ditton Jaguar had sent a driver to collect a used car from our site which they had sold and was needed for their customer the following day. The driver called mid-afternoon to state the rail service was appalling and he was experiencing massive delays. John asked the driver to keep him posted on his journey as he didn’t know what time he was to arrive.
At 5pm he called to say he should be with us around 7pm and would anyone be present otherwise he would have to work out how to get home, as the train services were terrible due to strikes in the south-east.
They also couldn’t give us a date when it would be collected if this collection was aborted. John advised the driver that he would wait for him as he genuinely had no way of getting home that evening to his family. He made sure the car was ready by the door for his late arrival and he couldn’t thank him enough.
A taxi would have cost four to five times the amount he was being paid and Thames Ditton would have had a very disappointed customer.
