Galashiels Volvo dealership Clelands of the Borders has been named as the UK’s top performing business for the brand.
The dealership, which is run by former British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) champion John Cleland, fought of competition from 112 other Volvo dealers to win the 2014 Volvo Dealer of the Year Award.
Clelands is the first ever Scottish dealer to win the award, which recognises exceptional performance across a number of measures, in particular, customer satisfaction.
“This is a fantastic achievement for the entire team, who go above and beyond the call of duty to deliver the best levels of service to our customers. I’ve given the trophy pride of place on the reception desk so all the staff can see what they’ve worked so hard to achieve," said Cleland.
A significant number of the staff at Clelands have been with the dealership for a long time and possess a combined experience of 275 years, with Cleland believing this is another key reason for their success.
“Our existing customers always get a consistent experience with us, they recognise all the faces around the place and have peace of mind they’re dealing with someone they know and trust. We know their first names, their partners’ names and sometimes even their dogs’ names! We always make sure we go the extra mile to get to know people.
“As a personal touch I always like to shake the hand of any new or used car buyer, its my name above the door and I think a little gesture like that goes a long way.”
Volvo Car UK managing director Nick Connor and sales director Jon Wakefield presented the trophy to John Cleland to mark the achievement.
An award-winning journalist and editor, with two decades of experience covering the motor retail industry, and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) plus the National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ)
As editor of AM since 2016, Tim is responsible for its media content, planning and production across AM's multiple channels, including the website, digital reports, webinars, social media and the editorial content of AM's events, Automotive Management Live and the AM Awards. His focus is on interviewing senior leaders of franchised dealer groups and motor manufacturer national sales companies to examine latest developments in UK motor retail.
Malc D. - 19/03/2014 17:40
Who says traditional values don't work? People like to be treated like a valued customer, it is the personal touches that make all the difference ( as well as longstanding staff - which is also a result of excellent management and the staff feeling valued and being motivated), well done to Cleland Volvo, thoroughly deserved. It's a shame others don't follow your lead, we still have an industry that often doesn't bother to introduce the Aftersales Department at handover, and then does not bother to follow up after handover, just in case they get any negative comments . . .