I joined Dick Lovett as a member of the Bristol Reception team in April 2013. I'd previously worked in retail management, so it was a career change for me, but I felt it was a great opportunity to challenge myself and learn new skills in a lovely environment. In 2015, I became the Senior Receptionist in Bristol, and then in July 2016 when Jacqui moved to be Aston Martin's Showroom Manager, I became Bristol Reception Supervisor.
In 2017, I was promoted to Reception Manager for Bristol and Bath BMW and MINI, which had been recently acquired at that time by Dick Lovett from Wellsway. Finally in July 2019, I took on my current role as BMW and MINI Group Reception Manager.
I now look after Bristol, Melksham and Swindon Reception and housekeeping teams. My BMW and MINI team currently consists of 22 people, across six sites. We take over 15,000 calls a month between us, as well as meeting and greeting all of our customers into the business at the same time.
I had an amazing mentor in Jacqui Wilson who ran the Bristol Reception team before moving on to Aston Martin when it opened in 2016. I can honestly say she gave me the best start to my Dick Lovett career, and I feel incredibly grateful to her for this.
My teams are the 'heart' of every business and must know a small amount about a great deal of things to be able to help our customers efficiently. They multitask brilliantly, face great pressure at times - yet do all this with a smile even when it's very busy. In return, I am passionate about developing and investing time in my Reception team members, so that they see their role as not just a job, but the start of a great career with Dick Lovett.
Over the last few years, we have had members of the team leave Reception and be very successful in other roles within Dick Lovett. These roles include BMW and MINI Sales Executives, BMW Digital Sales Specialists, Retention Specialists, Bookings Advisors, and Jaguar Land Rover Sales Supports.
Likewise, I also have members of my Reception team who have been in my team for years and are now very experienced in their roles. They have gone on to lead their own Reception teams and support me doing my role across the Group. Career opportunities for my Reception team are absolutely there to be taken. It just takes passion, hard work, and commitment.
In an ever-changing world, the Reception team must constantly adapt to meet the needs of our customers. Our customers have busy lives which we recognise, so whether that be looking after their refreshment needs whilst they are on site working via their laptops whilst their cars are being worked on, or booking them a taxi, arranging a lift, or just ensuring they are seen quickly when dropping their vehicles off, we always put their needs front and centre of what we do.
During Reception opening hours, we also now assist the Service teams by offering express drop off and collection of their keys at the front desk which makes this a very quick and easy process.
We even find ourselves looking after dogs on occasions so that customers can go on a test drive! All in a day's work for us and we love it!
In 2019, I was lucky enough to be offered the opportunity of a place on a Dick Lovett Leadership Cohort. Although slightly apprehensive about what this would entail initially, it has really tested me and challenged me to think differently about the way I lead my teams. I have a much greater understanding of the fact that we all think in a different way, are all individuals, and that a management style that suits one person, may not be the right approach for another. This has added huge value for me, and in turn made me feel more confident in my approach and ability.
The Cohort programme also really drives us to be pro-active in developing ourselves in our careers and not just waiting for this to happen for us. Having Mark as a leadership mentor to turn to if you need advice, self belief, or just some home truths is invaluable to me.
My Cohort went to Brathay in the Lake District last September as a part of the leadership programme. It was a mentally tough, very tiring 3 days residential course (in pouring rain) and so far from my normal comfort zone of Reception, but I loved every minute of it! Despite going through about 10 sets of wet clothes, it was the experience of a lifetime! It taught me things about myself that I hadn't realised and gave me some amazing memories with great people. I feel very grateful to Dick Lovett for giving me the opportunity and got so much from it to bring back into the business and carry forward.
In late 2022, our BMW and MINI Bath site moved to our new location in Melksham! It was a challenging six months during the course of the relocation. Going through the closure of the Bath Centres, recruiting for our new Centre, and then settling in and ensuring that we are delivering a great customer experience to match our shiny brand-new facility has been a fantastic experience.
Now we are next-door to the Jaguar Land Rover Dealership, I have also been able to expand my experience across the brands and have begun to help our Porsche sites to carry the same standards that Jacqui instilled in me. Her passion for standards, process, and customer service have stayed with me and I have worked hard to pass these qualities down to all my teams in the Group, so we can ensure the best Reception experience for our Dick Lovett customers.
