At Arnold Clark branches up and down the country and GTG Training in Glasgow, the normally pristine Arnold Clark Service reception staff have been seen in overalls. This is not a change in uniform practice at Arnold Clark but a new, revolutionary training programme devised by the car dealer in conjunction with GTG Training: ‘Basic Vehicle Maintenance for Service Staff’.

As customers deal primarily with reception staff when their car is in for a service or MOT, Arnold Clark thought it a positive step forward to devise and introduce a training programme for its customer-facing staff. The course objective is to provide the necessary knowledge to ensure staff are able to explain exactly what work is being carried out on a customer’s car.

The four day course held in the Automotive department of GTG Training, Glasgow, gives attendees basic vehicle knowledge. Devised specifically for Arnold Clark, the four day course aims to give participants a fundamental understanding of suspension, steering, brakes, ABS, exhaust system, cooling system, tyres, air conditioning, wipers, filters and routine maintenance.

Andrew Hutton, Group Service manager, comments, “A high level of customer service is very important to Arnold Clark. Due to the specialised knowledge involved in the servicing and maintenance of vehicles, it can often be difficult to understand exactly what is wrong with your car. The ‘Basic Vehicle Maintenance for Service Staff’ course will ensure our customers can be fully informed and have confidence in the attention paid to detail by all employees in the service sector.”

One of the first to take the course was Michelle Minto from Cambuslang, Glasgow, who works at Arnold Clark Nissan in Hamilton. A far cry from her previous position as a boutique assistant on board a luxury cruise liner, Michelle thoroughly enjoyed getting her hands dirty, commenting, “I really liked the course, more so than I first imagined I would. I think every service advisor would benefit immensely from it.”

The main benefit of the course for many attendees has been an improvement in their confidence, as Michelle explains, “I have more confidence to explain to customers what is happening with their vehicle as I now have first hand experience.

Part of the same group was Kerri Crichton who works at Arnold Clark Service Centre in Dundee. She comments, “I have learnt the basics of car maintenance, including tyre repairs, air conditioning servicing and fixing brake issues. I loved getting my hands dirty and being able to experience first hand how time consuming some work can be for the vehicle technicians. Since attending this course, I find I am able to explain, in detail, any issues that have been discovered on a customer’s vehicle.”

 

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