Sytner JLRS Division
James Hird (left), Service Manager, congratulating Martin Law.
Award Winner, December 2024
A customer collected his new Defender recently, the following evening he broke down on the M1.
The recovery service told the client that they would be taken off the motorway and they would then have to wait for JLR assistance to attend and the customer had his family in the vehicle who had a small child with them.
Martin travelled to the scene to take them a courtesy vehicle then waited and organised for the car to be brought back to site whilst the family drove home safely. He finally returned to site at approximately 7pm with the breakdown lorry.
The client was blown away by how quick we assisted him and could not thank us enough.
Thank you for going the extra mile Martin!
Oliver Mann (L) & Andy Penn (R) (left), Head of Business & Head of Aftersales, congratulating Kelly Campbell.
Award Winner, November 2024
Our Making it Special nomination for the month of November is Kelly Campbell.
Mr Lawson has bought cars from us before but more recently from Solihull. Mr Lawson had an issue with the sat nav not working. The car was taken into Solihull for investigation. Solihull said they had fixed the issue but when Mr Lawson checked the next day, the sat nav was still the same. Mr Lawson called Solihull to re book but they advised it would 6 weeks until they could get him back in.
Mr Lawson called us to see if we could take a look at the issue as he has cancer and his wife was struggling to get him to the different hospital appointments with the sat nav not working. After several attempts over the phone trying to rectify the issue Kelly sent Mr Lawson a CITNOW clip of how to change the sat nav from Belgium to the UK. Mr Lawson struggled with this so Kelly asked if Mrs Lawson could pop the car down to us so we could change it for her.
When Mrs Lawson arrived Kelly and Richard tried to change it from Belgium back to the UK but the car would not change back. We asked Mrs Lawson to take a seat in the waiting area so we could take a quick look in the workshop. After an hour of trying to reset the work Solihull had failed to do we found out the module was corrupt and would not update.
The car was 8 months out of manufacturer’s warranty with no extended warranty in place. The workshop raised a FRED which was approved and Kelly took it upon herself to raise CRC case for 100% goodwill due to the poor experience the client has been through with Solihull and his uncertain time with his illness. The CRC case was later approved at 100%.
The client was over the moon with the outcome and hopefully this has restored the faith back in the Brand and Retailer network, they came back and dropped off a gift and thank you card for Kelly.
Well done!
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.
Frank Kinner (left), Service Reception Manager, congratulating Zuber Chaudhry.
Award Winner, September 2024
Zuber has had some outstanding results, he has had 34 promotors with 18 gold stars in a month where we had up to 3 other advisors absent at various times. Well done Zuber we are so appreciate your hard work and effort.
Nathan Dawson (right), Service Manager , congratulating Rob Hallam.
Award Winner, August 2024
Mr Randall a loyal client always purchases his vehicles from us even though he lives on the Isle of Arran, he also returns to us for servicing and on this recent occasion he experienced an issue with his vehicle that Rob assisted with promptly one Saturday morning.
Mr Randall was extremely anxious that he would miss his ferry crossing but Rob pulled out all the stops and got Mr Randall on his way together with a Land Rover Defender Lego set as he had learned that Mr Randall was a keen Lego enthusiast.
Highly delighted Mr Randall wrote back to Rob to let him know that he got to the ferry terminal with an hour to spare and also sent pictures of his Lego collection and a picture of his Range Rover with the Defender Lego set.
Well done Rob one very happy client!
Hi RobI just wanted to thank you for the Lego on Saturday.I got to the ferry with an hour to spare and luckily the crossing was calm.As promised I’ll send you some pictures once it’s built … but for now here is one of the car & Lego on Arran and a couple showing the models I've already built in the garage.
– Mr Randall
Gary Slater (right), Head of Business, congratulating Eleanor Harriss.
Award Winner, July 2024
A client called the dealership in a panic, the side step on his car had come off causing the tyre to burst. He was stuck and unsure about what to do. Ellie reassured the client that he is covered by JLR Assist. The client was extremely stressed due to having his family in the car and being far from home, they were travelling to London to celebrate his daughter finishing her exams!
Assist went out to the client late that evening and were due to recover the vehicle to us, Ellie happened to be in the area at 21:00 that evening and saw the car on the back of the recovery truck, the dealership was closed at this time and Ellie knew that it would cause the client more stress not being able to hand the vehicle over. Ellie followed the AA back to the dealership to help them!
The clients were so surprised to see Ellie and couldn’t thank her enough for her help. Ellie stayed with the family whilst their vehicle was being unloaded, explained what would happen next and took their details to pass onto the service team in the morning.
They were all very shaken up so Ellie decided to wait with them until their taxi arrived to take them home.
The clients were extremely thankful and came in the next day with flowers for Ellie.
Beth Tyler-Smith (right), Customer Service Manager, congratulating Daniel Clarke.
Award Winner, June 2024
We have nominated Daniel who on two occasions on his day’s off went over and above for a couple of our customers.
On the first occasion he went to York to deliver a Land Rover RAF vehicle that Land Rover could not get over to him in time, this was a 200mile trip back and forth and Dan personally wanted to ensure that the customer was mobile.
On the second occasion he drove to Sytner South West London to collect a special tool that was required for a repair to a customer’s vehicle and he drove there and back in a day again to make sure that the customer was not held up any longer than necessary in the workshop.
Thank you Dan.
Glenn Cunnington (right), Head of Business, congratulating Fran Fergusson / Stacey Higham.
Award Winner, May 2024
One evening in early May, Stacey Higham, our Service Supervisor was driving home and passed a vehicle on the hard shoulder. Recognising it to be one of our customers, she called Fran Ferguson, one of our Master Technicians whilst turning round.
Stacey came to a stop near the customer, to discover that they had not only broken down, but had no phone battery. Stacey called JLR Assist whilst Fran left his house with a number of tools, and also attended to the customer by the side of the road.
Fran got the vehicle driveable, bought it back to the Retailer, Stacey opened the business back up, secured a loan car for the customer, and left them to drive home.
Fran returned to his (now very cold) evening meal.
Mike Tyson (left), Managing Director, congratulating Natasha Leggett.
Award Winner, April 2024
We recently had a disabled gentleman visit the Retailer who had driven from Doncaster after the closure of JCT. He was accompanied by the Service Driver who used to work for JCT Doncaster as he wanted to help him get set up with a service plan and ensure he had a means of contacting someone to book all his appointments.
The gentleman is non-verbal and used an iPad to communicate. Natasha spent lots of time with him ensuring he had all the information he needed and gave him her details as his dedicated person to contact to book all his appointments going forward.
The gentleman was worried about not being able to use JCT Doncaster as they looked after him and his needs really well over the last few years but Natasha made him feel at ease and he left feeling confident that he will be in great hands with us going forward.
Well Done Natasha, outstanding client care!
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.
Simon Cheung (left), Used Car Sales Manager, congratulating Nik McGilloway.
Award Winner, February 2024
Nik delivered a brand new RR SV Edition one to one our very loyal clients – Troy Baker. After only 400 miles the car unfortunately developed an issue with the transfer box.
Nik spent several hours (including late evenings & his day off) updating Troy, liaising with JLR to have the car repaired as quickly as possible.
Troy was extremely grateful for all his help, support and “Going above and beyond” to the extent that he emailed Patrick McGillycuddy & Mark Potter who personally contacted Nik to offer their gratitude and congratulations.
Marcus Thank you very much for the call, its very much appreciated. As discussed on the phone the way JLR has handled this so far has been fantastic, the response to sort the issue is second to none. Having had Range Rover products for years I have become so accustomed to them and their refinement I forget what an extraordinary vehicles they really are. On the run up to the RRS SV arriving I had a 510e Autobiography with all the bells and whistles on and sadly sold it towards the end of August in anticipation of the impending arrival which was originally due September, that sadly got delayed from 1 month, without my beloved car, to finally end at 5 months it was during that time my family and I realised just how much we missed it, without doubt the worlds, best SUV brand. And I do not say that statement lightly, during my waiting period for the RRS SV dare I say 'I kissed a few frogs' to see if the grass was any greener as the delays rolled on. Like Goldilocks I tried a few things - Astons DBX707 nice but no family car and very underwhelming if I was to be honest, Lamborghini Urus who wants an Audi in an over priced bulls clothing plus I can't unsee the doors (it has a short front doors v the long rear doors) up close its way more apparent, Bentley Inside is gorgeous, outside well its no looker, but the most surprising of all, the big daddy, the Rolls Royce Cullinan, I test drove the magic carpet ride and frankly was not impressed at all and the sales person was open 'that selling a Cullinan to a New Range Rover driver' is the hardest sell as the differences are minimal except it costs over twice as much! In short what Range Rover has done with its newest lineup from Evoque to Full Fat RR is exceptional and very hard to beat on so many levels. The current problem on my car is a glitch, it can happen regardless of how many processes are in place, a faulty part is a faulty part and it will fail especially if its not visible or testable at manufacture, how its been handled so far is simply amazing, I know the RRS SV is a flagship product that's so new that no one wants a problem out the gates, I get it, but mechanisms can fail I was just the unlucky person to receive 'that' vehicle. Nik McGilloway at Conwy Land Rover has been exceptional, I have never known a salesperson like him, he does not stop at the sale of a car. This last week he has worked every avenue to sort this unfortunate issue, even on his day off and after hours. I have run, owned and worked with business all over the world and never come across a sales guy this committed to his craft, he is absolutely what the JLR brand needs at the coal face and I hope his service to the JLR brand is recognised, because in the world we find ourselves in today it is very rare to find such a committed staff member. I look forward to getting this amazing car back so I can get to grips with it again as its owner and driver, and finally give it the review it deserves through https://www.youtube.com/@DrivenPlus Kind Regards, Troy Baker
– Troy Baker
John Taylor (right), Parts Manager, congratulating Mark Larder.
Award Winner, January 2024
Our entire Management Team have nominated Mark Larder, Senior Parts Advisor, for Employee of the Month in January 2024.
There are instances where colleagues go beyond their normal duties and expected responsibilities, however, on this particular occasion Mark went so far beyond what could ever have been expected for a member of staff to do in terms of helping a fellow colleague.
Mark showed a gesture of absolute genuine compassion towards this fellow colleague. Mark went well and truly that extra mile and the sheer acts of kindness and caring he exhibited for another colleague was remarkable.
We feel Mark showed ‘Sytner One team’ to the core: Be honest and give respect, Work together and Listen & contribute.
n/a (left), n/a, congratulating Sophie Payne.
Award Winner, December 2023
As a Team Leader Sophie’s core responsibilities are to coach, motivate and review eight team members, set incentives and manage RTW and any other formalities.
Since October she has been covering several other duties, some listed below:
Payroll
Bonuses
Bonus bandings
Targets
High level stats
Attending Paul Godbehere meetings
Side by side meetings
Management Wellbeing and Leading management weekly meetings
Supporting other management with anything required
Salary increases
Pay plans for productive
Capacity average hours and average bookings set up
Daily digital report to Paul Godbehere for our American colleagues
Taking absence calls
Terms and conditions amended for 2024
Rota and holiday requests created for 2024
Communicating Leavers for RAF System
Overseeing leavers calculations
Managing adhoc queries through email that would normally be dealt with by the Contact Centre Manager
Creation of high level spreadsheets for 2024
Sophie has also been a huge support to me following my commencement to role on 2nd January. I feel given the additional responsibilities she has taken on often proactively, she has gone above and beyond for the division and indeed the business to ensure the Contact Centre has continued to function with the high level of service our customers should expect.
Ian Bennett (right), Head of Business, congratulating Natalie Bevis.
Award Winner, November 2023
We have had numerous compliments sent in from Natalie’s customers in the form of VOC comments, Google and Trustpilot reviews along with e-mails direct to our Head of Business.
In Portsmouth we track our individual Service Advisors performances as well as the team and as a whole in 2023 Natalie has had a single red flag and more often than not receives gold stars for her customer service.
On top of that she is always around to help out her colleagues.
We think she deserves this month’s award for her incredible commitment to her customers and colleagues and her amazing attitude to her work.
John Taylor (right), Parts Manager, congratulating Sam Lilly.
Award Winner, September 2023
We would like to nominate Sam Lilly for our ‘September’ Making It Special Award as he has unquestionably illustrated the meaning of ‘Going that Extra Mile’ for both our business as well as for several of our customers over the past few months!
In light of the immense challenges we have faced with the availability of parts Sam reassessed the adopted process for parts back orders and then developed a better, more streamlined system which has now been adopted within our dealership. This new process involves urgent sourcing parts from other JLR dealerships and organising collections which has resulted in us receiving back order parts quicker than if we would have waited to received them from the JLR factory. There are at least 50+ examples where this new process has resulted in customers vehicles being repaired and returned a lot quicker than it would otherwise have been.
In addition to this, Sam proved to be an absolute star and unequivocally went out of his way and beyond anyone’s normal course of duty when he diverted his journey via Sytner JLR Northampton on a break with his girlfriend to London in order to collect an outstanding part required for one of our customer’s vehicle’s!
Our whole management team believe he is to be recognised for the initiative he has shown and for all the hard work and the extra hours he invested into making this new process a success.
Andy Penn (left), Head of Aftersales, congratulating Glen Browne.
Award Winner, July 2023
Our Making it Special nomination for the month of July is Glen Browne.
The Friday before Steve Foxall was due to go on holiday with his family on the following Monday, his car unfortunately broke down. Steve, being a Technician quickly diagnosed the fault and ordered the parts to fix it, due to arrive the following day. Sadly the parts did not turn up and after searching the country for the missing part to no avail, it meant Steve could not go on holiday.
Without thought or being asked, Glen insured his own private car, filled it up with fuel and told Steve, to go and enjoy his holiday with his family.
What great team spirit!
Tony Williamson (left), Tony Williamson (centre), congratulating Michael Webb & Craig Reilly.
Award Winner, June 2023
Our Making it Special nomination for the month of June is Michael Webb and Craig Reilly for going over and above for a couple in distress.
At 5:00pm last Thursday Michael had just left the business on his way home when he witnessed a car crash just outside the Retailer. Michael noticed although everyone was fine, one of the cars was stranded due to the steering rack snapping on impact blocking the whole A45 at rush hour. Michael, with Craig’s help rushed back to the Retailer and got the skates from the workshop, put them on the car and pushed it out of the way, enabling the couple to wait in safety and also unblocking the A45 at peak time.
Well done Michael & Craig!
Bekkah Stanley (left), Used Car Sales Manager, congratulating Owen Hare.
Award Winner, May 2023
Mid-morning on a Saturday whereby a used car sales customer’s vehicle had broken down very soon after purchase & whilst the Sales Manager was investigating into the issue and readying to arrange a loan car – Owen volunteered to assist to get the customer mobile again and retrieve the vehicle to bring it back to the dealership to resolve the issue – he spent additional time reassuring the customer and stayed on late to ensure the car was back safely. Owen went above and beyond to not only fix the problem but also delight the customer who was understandably high in emotion – We have since had some great feedback from the customer to say that they want to only deal with LR Portsmouth because they get nothing but fantastic customer service and reassurance even in the face of problems arising. Well done Owen on Making it Special!
Anthony Neary (right), Service Manager, congratulating Darren Dobson.
Award Winner, March 2023
We would like to nominate Darren Dobson for our ‘March’ Making It Special Award.
Darren unquestionably illustrated the meaning of ‘ Going that Extra Mile ‘ for our customers when he stopped to help a couple on his way home at 7pm at night who had broken down in their new 23 plate Range Rover and were stopped in the middle of the busy road with their hazard warning lights flashing.
After pulling over to offer his help he realised that it was in fact one of our customers who had only collected their new car earlier in the day! Darren managed to get the vehicle started, told them to turn around and head back to the dealership with him following.
Simon Robertson, New Car Sales Manager, was just locking up when he saw the customer limp back into the dealership, dashed out to greet them just as Darren drove in, Simon opened up the dealership for the customer while Darren drove the vehicle straight into to the workshop. Darren managed to diagnose and sort out the problem. The restricted performance issue was resolved very quickly and the customer was back on the road and extremely happy with the exemplary service received and the unbelievable level of empathy show by both Darren and Simon.
Darren in particular proved to be an absolute star that evening, he unequivocally went out of his way, well and truly above and beyond anyone’s normal course of duty.
Thank you Darren for your ‘heroic’ attitude and willingness to put your yourself out to ensure we had a very happy customer who is now astounded by the level of care and service he received from Sytner Land Rover Knutsford. As a result of this we have truly secured that customer for life and also prevented the shine been taken off the excitement of collecting a long awaited new car.
An amazing example of putting the customer first!
Nathan Dawson (left), Service Manager , congratulating Dovydas Luinys.
Award Winner, February 2023
We recently had a Ukrainian lady visit our retailer in person as she could not communicate via telephone the lady who lives locally with a family following on from leaving the Ukraine was desperately trying to relay what had gone wrong with her vehicle but unfortunately there was understandably a language barrier.
Our Technician, Dovydas immediately came to the customer’s rescue and attempted to translate but could not understand fully the dialect but did manage to calm the customer down and relayed to her not to worry as we would be able to help. Dovydas then called his mum who is fully fluent in Russian and she translated everything perfectly to the customer who was absolutely blown away by the care and compassion she received.
We were then able to repair the customer’s vehicle she couldn’t thank us enough and was then happily on her way.
The team ethic displayed made this lady feel extra special and very welcome into our diverse business and we have also gained a new very happy customer.
Nick Moore (left), General Sales Manager, congratulating Ethan Geldart.
Award Winner, January 2023
We would like to nominate Ethan Geldart for our ‘January’ Making It Special Award.
Ethan proved to be a true star and went well and truly above and beyond anyone’s normal course of duty when circumstances led him to sleep in a customer’s car overnight ! He was on route to Cardiff to deliver a new car to the customer’s home when the motorway was suddenly closed to all vehicles and, along with many other drivers, found himself stuck stationary on the motorway unable to move until the road was reopened by the Police several hours later. He then continued onto the customers home to deliver their new car as promised.
After a rather uncomfortable night’s sleep he executed a very successful handover to one extremely happy and impressed customer! Ethan then returned to the Dealership ‘as bright as a button’ for work after only a very brief detour past his own house to get showered and changed!
Thank you Ethan for your ‘heroic’ attitude and willingness to put yourself out to ensure we had a very happy customer. An amazing example of putting the customer first!
Paul Williams (left), Managing Director , congratulating Kati Wilkinson.
Award Winner, December 2022
Kati joined the team at Wakefield only a few months ago but has already made a positive impact with both staff and customers alike with her caring nature.
Kati is actively involved within her local parish which supports a wide area within the Wakefield area with fundraising and other community projects. She heard of the plight of the local food bank at the Church which was forced to reduce its opening times due to lack of stock. Kati set up a donation drop off point in the dealership and actively encouraged both staff and customers to donate to help with much needed essential items. This was just going to run over the Christmas period but has become so popular that we aim to keep it running as long as it is required, we are already on our 8th drop off in its’ 5th week of running which is amazing!
Such a well-deserved Making It Special well done Kati.
Jason Emanuel (right), Managing Director, congratulating Julie Ripley.
Award Winner, November 2022
We have nominated Julie Ripley as our November Employee of the Month for her outstanding dedication to the Dealership and, in particularly, all the hard work and her own time that she recently invested into planning and running our staff children’s Christmas Party. This year we had 45 children attending the party who brought along with them many parents and grandparents. Julie turned the local cricket club into our very own Sytner Knutsford Christmas Winter Wonderland with a Santa’s grotto, a visit from Santa Claus, and individually chosen presents for each child. Needless to say the party was a roaring success and, particularly in these difficult time with the cost of living crisis, it was a massive boost to staff moral which in turn undoubtedly has a positive impact on the quality of service received by our customers.
Thank you and well done Julie!
. (left), ., congratulating Iain Marshall.
Award Winner, October 2022
Our Making it Special nomination for the month of October is Iain Marshall.
Iain really makes it special for the team at Land Rover Coventry, he will often bake for them or make bacon sandwiches.
In the photo attached, of his own back Iain made and paid for hot dogs and onions for all of the aftersales team, which was truly appreciated.
Thank you, Iain!
Geoff Stevenson (left), New Car Sales Manager , congratulating Jake Wassell.
Award Winner, September 2022
We are consistently delighting our customers and on this occasion we thought that Jake made our customer feel that extra bit special.
New to the brand Mrs Shabana Yousaf-McIntyre had eagerly and patiently awaited her new Range Rover Evoque, Jake wanted to make this experience extra special for Shabana this being her first Land Rover product.
Jake knew that Shabana loved cupcakes so as a real unexpected treat, a bouquet with a difference was organised. Jake arranged a surprise cupcake bouquet for Shabana and her son who were absolutely overwhelmed with the special handover as the bouquet looked just like a real bouquet of flowers with the added twist of a sweet treat!
Helen Rabjohn (left), Reception/Host Manager, congratulating Kerry Sykes.
Award Winner, August 2022
Kerry is one of the newest members of our Reception/Host team and consistently goes out of her way to provide excellent customer care.
On this occasion a customer had ordered an item from our Parts department which was on back order and had waited a long time for it to arrive. When it came into stock, Kerry took it upon herself to deliver the part on her way home as the customer lived nearby. The customer was delighted that Kerry had gone out of her way to bring the part to him and avoid any further inconvenience.
Well Done Kerry keep up the good work!
Ian Bennett (right), Head of Business, congratulating Sam White.
Award Winner, July 2022
Sam has been nominated for this month’s Making it Special. He was returning from the airport from his holidays when he happened to notice one of his colleagues stood by a broken down courtesy car (which was on its way to be delivered to a customer) on the hard shoulder on the opposite carriageway.
He came off at the next junction to turn back around and go towards his colleague to see if he could help. He managed to get the car fixed and his colleague back on the road before he headed home.
With his one team attitude he managed to delight his colleague by going above and beyond, well done Sam!
Trevor Wale (right), Head of Business, congratulating Rob Adkins.
Award Winner, June 2022
Our June Making It Special nomination goes to Rob for his annual fundraising with his family, this year it was in aid of the Talbot Butler Cancer Ward at Northampton General Hospital.
The weekend consisted of hosting, selling and delivering homemade afternoon teas for family, friends and more, all from his parent’s house. They also hosted a Tombola along with a raffle!
They were hoping to match the amount they raised last year, however they did even better and raised a staggering amount £5,350. Well done Rob!
Mike Tyson (left), Head of Business, congratulating Conrad Humphrey.
Award Winner, May 2022
A customer purchased a used vehicle from us and only the day after experienced an error with the service reminder/InControl system.
The customer is very busy and spends little time out of their car so without hesitation Conrad suggested he travel to the customers home address and apply a fix to minimise any inconvenience.
He also went through a number of other questions that had arisen since handover.
Well done Conrad for taking the initiative!
Not in photo (right), Not in Photo, congratulating Cheryl Fowler.
Award Winner, April 2022
Coventry pupils benefit from book donation from local Sytner dealership.
Pupils from Southfields Primary School in Coventry have received a donation of books from Sytner Group dealership, Land Rover Coventry to help with their reading.
Colleagues from the Sytner Group dealerships donated hundreds of books to the local school to enhance the children’s learning experience and ability to enjoy reading.
Cheryl Fowler, Sales Administrator at Sytner Land Rover Coventry, said: “A colleague from our accounts department has a friend who works at Southfield Primary School and she mentioned how she has been trying to build the library to encourage a love of reading and that funding has been a real issue facing the school.
“As a result of the limited funding, some of our most vulnerable families do not get the full access to a wide range of texts that they deserve and that support through funding and donations will help the school reach even more families who are often struggling to access books.”
According to the National Literacy Trust, only 44% of children in the UK are read to on a daily basis, and so more children see this as a skill to be learnt and not as a pleasure. Pearson states that reading for enjoyment every day not only allows individuals to perform better in reading tests than those who don’t but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.
Cheryl continued: “I thought we could ask both colleagues at Sytner Land Rover and Sytner Jaguar here in Coventry if they had any unwanted books to donate to the children at the school as this would make a huge difference to them.
“Colleagues have been so generous and we are proud to be donating so many to the children here in Coventry.”
Southfields Primary School provides a secure, stimulating and caring environment to give children the best possible start to their education.
Tracey Purcell, HLTA and Library Lead at Southfields Primary School in Coventry, said: “We can’t thank the Sytner team enough.
Tracey Purcell, HLTA and Library Lead at Southfields Primary School in Coventry, said: “We can’t thank the Sytner team enough
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Colin Hopkins (right), Used Car Sales Manager, congratulating Michelle Holland.
Award Winner, March 2022
Sytner Jaguar & Land Rover Coventry’s Nomination for Making it Special for the month of March is Michelle Holland.
Michelle started with Jaguar Coventry almost 4 years ago and has always had a smile on her face for every customer that arrives. Michelle is often complemented by customers on her helpful approach and warm personality, she works every weekend and uses this time to speak to even more customers and enjoys going on to the sales forecourt and encouraging customers to come inside for a coffee & chat. Michelle will always keep customers children busy asking them questions and keeping a watchful eye on them when their parents are talking to a Sales Executive.
In addition to all of the above we recently received great feedback from a trader who had just purchased of the SEA site and said “Also whilst I’m on, the Receptionist that I spoke to yesterday and gave you my message – most professional and polite I’ve ever dealt with, real credit to your company. If I was or your business were nearer, I would steal her off you without a doubt; hold on to that one”
Well done and Thank You Michelle!
Kayleigh Harrop (left), Aftersales Manager, congratulating Vlad Butarov.
Jaguar Land Rover Ascot Service Centre
Award Winner, February 2022
On Saturday, 26th February, I received a call from our customer and he had broken down, smoke was pouring out of his vehicle and he was somewhat distressed, he had managed to crawl the car into a shopping centre car park to get it off the road and had called Land Rover assist and then myself.
The customer was attended to by Land Rover assist but they would not be able to recover the car for a further few hours and our customer had a very important engagement that he could not be late for, as it was a Saturday and past the time in which the business was open I had to think quickly as we needed to help, I remembered that Vlad was did not live too far from the car park that our customer was stranded in, I called Vlad and asked if he would go to the car park and get our customers keys from him and then be available in the next couple of hours to go back and meet the Land Rover assist truck when it arrived, without hesitation Vlad did this for me and the customer.
He met the customer and collected the keys, waited with him until his lift arrived and then went home and waited for Land Rover assist to call so that he could then leave his house again to meet them with the keys so the vehicle could be recovered to us.
I would like to add that Vlad is Ukrainian and he did this in between trying to sort out how to get his family safely out of his home town to avoid the conflict going on at the moment. I think this goes above & beyond to say the least.
Richard Jones (right), Workshop Manager, congratulating Hannah Sully.
Award Winner, January 2022
Hannah became aware of an issue a customer was having with the infotainment along with some quality aspects on his vehicle. She was involved in the repair process of the vehicle and worked alongside the Level 3 Technician to get the car fixed.
Hannah took it upon herself to make CITNOW’s of the vehicle’s repair journey to demonstrate what had been done and how this would now positively impact the customer’s journey with the car.
The customer has since been on Twitter to comment how extremely happy he was with the CITNOW and went away very happy.
Oliver Mann (left), Head of Business, congratulating Sam Ireland.
Award Winner, November 2019
Our November Making it Special nomination is our Apprentice Technican, Sam Ireland.
Whilst out on a road test Sam noticed a vehicle and smoke in a ditch on the A45. He took it upon himself to pull up behind and check if everyone was alright.
He found two elderly people still in the vehicle in complete shock. Sam managed to safely get them out of the vehicle and waited for an Ambulance and police to arrive. The car could have gone into flames and the elderly couple may not have been able to get out.
A brilliant example of going above and beyond and hero initiative…
Ian Bennett (right), Head of Business, congratulating Julie Heaton.
Award Winner, July 2019
Julie has been nominated by the team this month. Her extensive knowledge of Kerridge and the Sytner processes are so good that Ascot, Bristol and Maidstone are sending team members down to be trained by her. Julie’s ability to train is excellent and the feedback received from those she has trained is very positive. Even when she is busy she will make time to assist with queries. She is our very own Miss Marple!! Not only “one team” spirit for the dealership, but she is willing to share her knowledge and skills to help others in our division.
Dave Poole (right), Parts Manager, congratulating Jack Gallagher.
Award Winner, April 2019
Jack Gallagher having recently completed his Parts apprenticeship, returned to his old secondary school off of his own initiative to work with the Year 10 students. Jack told them about his experiences as an apprentice and how it readied him for his role in the business and that he has now been employed as a Parts Advisor. Jack wanted to inspire others about his journey and also spent some time working on interview techniques and on how to build confidence with interviews.
Well done Jack.
Alan Davis (right), Head of Business, congratulating Kelly Lines.
Jaguar Land Rover Ascot Service Centre
Award Winner, March 2019
We would like to nominate Kelly as she has been even more amazing than normal.
1. When Chelsea was off on holiday she stepped in and worked the Front desk as an additional Service Advisor. 2. She has supported Tanya, Land Rover Service Advisor during her first month in the business mentoring and coaching her . 3. She has supported Nathan showing him the processes and procedures as he prepares for his move to Service Advisor. 4. She spent a day with Ben, Service Booking Clerk on the words and phrases he uses with customers. 5. Our Warranty audit was the best it has been for a while, Neil Hannan was delighted with the progress and presentation of the warranty department.
She is an absolutely key member of the team and delighted to be working for her!!
Tim Fox (left), Aftersales Manager, congratulating Jack Gallagher.
Award Winner, October 2018
Our nominee for Making it Special in October is Jack Gallagher.
Jack has championed our branded goods this year and has not only helped the team win the June Champions accolade but also helped us smash last years target.
He always talks to customers about the range whenever he sells any parts to them and in doing so, recently learnt from a customer that her Dad was going to be celebrating an 80th Birthday and she had come in to purchase a Cap. She mentioned that he had always loved Jaguars but he was unable to drive anymore. Jack arranged to pick up her father up in a Jaguar XJ and take him to his planned Birthday party, as well as presenting him with a few small items from the branded good range (out of his own money). The customer and her father were really happy.
Fantastic – well done Jack
Darren Osborne, Aftersales Manager (left), Paul Williams, Head of Business (right), congratulating Dave France.
Award Winner, September 2018
Our September nomination goes to Dave France, who recently helped one of our most loyal customers during their sales journey.
Mr & Mrs Wright were looking to change their beloved Freelander to a Range Rover Evoque, however expressed concern to their Sales Executive, Amy Beardshall on how they could dismantle the mobility scooter to fit in the rear of the vehicle. With Mr Wright being terminally ill, they depend on the scooter for everyday use, so this was a huge concern for them. Luckily, Dave was in the vicinity and Amy asked for his advice. He arranged without question a trip to their home that very evening after work to show them how to dismantle and store it in their new car. Dave stayed for over an hour and half to put their minds at rest. He also paid a second visit to their home later that week to reunite Mr Wright with his walking stick, that he had left in the back of the Freelander.
The epitome of making It special and putting our customers first. Well done Dave.
Paul Williams, Head of Business (Left), Steve Gough, Divisional Managing Director (Right), congratulating Kelly Fowler.
Award Winner, April 2018
A double nomination this month for Kelly Fowler. Mrs Lori Fullarton brought her new Range Rover Velar into the service department, with her young son and daughter. Her son was so overwhelmed by all the new cars in the showroom he insisted on working out how many years worth of pocket money and Birthday money he would need to save up before he could buy one. Kelly had listened and together with Mrs Fullarton worked out how long he would have to save ……. apparently it would be 34 years, the little boy looked a tad crestfallen.
Upon collection of Mrs Fullarton’s vehicle Kelly had secretly arranged for a small toy Range Rover Evoque for him to take home. He was so excited with the toy car and not to leave his sister out, Kelly had also arranged a sticker book for her to take home to. This was totally unexpected for both mum and children, but they all left the dealership feeling extremely happy with their visit.
Also that very same week Kelly Fowler went above and beyond again when looking after her customer Mrs Muniz when she bought her car into for repairs. Kelly had remembered that Mrs Muniz was due to give birth to her daughter and presented her with a bunch of flowers. Mrs Muniz was delighted and in her own words of feedback for Kelly said the following
Kelly Fowler has been particularly pleasant to deal with, having remembered I was due to give birth to my daughter and having the lovely gesture of a bunch of flowers. She was polite, effective and efficient
Mrs Muniz
Steve Gough (Right), Divisional Managing Director, congratulating Jelka Ivanovic.
Award Winner, March 2018
Our Quarter one winner is Jelka Ivanovic. Jelka has always been passionate about giving back to the community. So when the opportunity came up to support Cynthia Spencer hospice she jumped to it. The challenge was to take £50 and turn it into as much money as possible, not an easy thing to do.
Jelka is quite the pro in the Kitchen and decided to make overnight oats in her own time every evening for 8 weeks and sell them in the morning to members of staff, then bacon sandwiches on a Friday (which was always very popular) and she managed to raise a very impressive £320.88 from the original £50.
Amazing – 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
Paul Williams (right), Head of Business, congratulating Wayne Potts.
Award Winner, September 2017
Wayne consistently receives great feedback from customers but in this instance, he excelled himself with his professionalism and attention to detail with customer Mr Ian Harrison, who purchased an Aston Martin DB9 in September. Mr Harrison has Parkinson’s Disease and his son-in-law, Nick Bean, had called to say his father in law’s last wishes on his bucket list was to purchase a DB9.
Nick explained that Mr Harrison had deteriorated now to an extent where he cannot walk or talk and could we do something to make the purchase special like placing a sign in the vehicle when Mr Harrison came to view it. Wayne went a few steps beyond and had the car strategically placed at the top of the entrance to the dealership, roped off and adjoined by the Sytner Select flag, also inside the vehicle was a sign reading Reserved For Ian Harrison and a bottle of champagne ready and waiting to present to Mr Harrison upon arrival.
Mr Harrison and Nick were absolutely delighted and even posed for pictures. Prior to delivery, Wayne also arranged to get the car to Aston Martin, Nottingham for a service and also asked Aston Martin for a goodie bag as another nice surprise for Mr Harrison on delivery. Wayne then delivered the vehicle to Mr Harrison’s nursing home where it has been placed outside Mr Harrison’s window for him to view 24hrs a day and on a weekend enjoy a ride out with Nick.
All in all, Wayne truly pulled out all the stops and made this customer’s experience genuinely special.
Richard Pitt
Award Winner, May 2017
Our nomination for May is for Richard Pitt, who was very quick to jump into action when a customer found herself in a distressing situation.
A customer locked her keys in the car over at the local shopping Centre, Richard came back to the dealership got his tools and opened the car for the lady. Richard did all of this and returned to work without mentioning it.
A true demonstration of exceptional customer service.
Well Done Richard!
Reuben Marechal (right), Sales Manager, congratulating Seebo Shan.
Award Winner, January 2017
Our nomination is for Seebo for a fantastic example of him ‘Making it Special’ for his customers, who were expecting a baby when they collected their new car.
It seems as though Seebo chose just the right nappy size! The customer wrote to us with the following message for him
Thanks so much for the diapers and teddy bear. We actually bought size 2 thinking that she would be a bit big, but she surprised us and needed a size 1. I was so pleased to see those diapers on that first night.
This really demonstrates Seebo’s drive to make each handover unique to his customer.
Well Done.
