To Paul, trust is a three-legged stool and if all three legs are not as strong as each other, the stool of trust falls over. The first leg is all about competence and whether it is trust in a partner or trust in a colleague, if someone is not competent in their role they do not have a hope of being trusted. Secondly, one has to co-operate in order to be trusted, there has to be at the very least, excellent two-way communication. Thirdly and the hardest leg to attain and if you think about it, the people you really trust have humility in their dealings with you, they do not talk down to you, they treat you as an equal. These are the people that we really trust.

Paul wanted a culture of trust with a trust worthy team giving trusted service to our clients, who would trust us enough to recommend us to their friends.

With this background the team came up with the following values that we re-visit every year and after seven years they are still as relevant, they are:
Integrity, Pre-eminence, Humanity.

Integrity

Integrity reveals more than honesty, it is that unlike some competitors we will not put “non-genuine” parts on your car unless you want them in order to save money and then we pass the saving onto you.

Integrity is about having a “Fixed Price Menu”, we have had the same prices now for seven years and although no-one can guarantee to keep the same prices ad infinitum we will always attempt at gleaning other efficiencies before resorting to a price increase. Integrity is about treating everyone the same, so if you live in Sandbanks you still pay the same price as other less sought after locations and if you need your bumper painted you will pay the same for a Maserati as you will for a Maestro. It is all about treating our clients fairly, building trust! Integrity drives our thirst for manifesting our co-operation.

Pre-eminence
Pre-eminence is all about being number one, manifesting our skills, continually training and developing them to give the best quality service in Dorset. Pre-eminence is all about getting your car back on the road in the highest quality condition in the shortest possible time at the lowest possible price. It is about having a team of people that are passionate about your “pride and joy” treating you and your car better than they would treat themselves and their car. Seeking pre-eminence drives our thirst for manifesting our competence.

Humanity
Humanity is all about putting others first, being empathetic. Most people that come to us have just been through a traumatic experience and we try to put them at ease ( it’s the reason why our reception room is green – reputed to be the most relaxing colour and the reason why people about to be interviewed on radio or television wait in the “Green Room” ). Humanity is all about really listening to what our clients want and then recording these details so we deliver exactly and our clients walk away with an impression of total satisfaction willing to share their experience with their friends and recommend us. Humanity drives our hunger for humility.

So, a New Year, our eighth and we still have that burning desire to change our industry, to set the example for being the most trusted! We have a superb team that want to serve you; it starts with Dan our apprentice that is striving to be Apprentice of the Year at Thatcham the Centre of Excellence for training the Automotive industry. Dan is responsible for the final presentation of your car back to you and is also our Leather repair genius bringing your leather and plastic trim back to its former glory.

We then have Bruce who gives your car to Dan once he has painted it in our latest technology, environmentally friendly spray booth with the latest third generation paints. David gives the car to Bruce once he has panel beaten and prepped your car bringing its shape back to where it should be, as well as being our certified Thatcham glass repair and replacement specialist. David receives the car from Tania or Paul who have prepared the estimate and job card and listened to your every desire recording it faithfully for the team to execute with aplomb!

All we look forward to then is people coming through the door saying that their friend recommended they try us because you can trust them to make it better!

A major outcome of this desire for trust is that we are favoured by women who recommend us to each other. We belong to the Foxy Choice network of Female Friendly Garages and do our utmost to make women feel as comfortable as we can. We really enjoy and encourage feedback to improve our experience for you.

Other than recruiting Apprentices, we do sometimes recruit qualified people from within the industry, I am afraid the Bodyshop Industry does not have enough qualified personnel. If someone wants to join our team from another Bodyshop they need to have ATA that is Automotive Technician Accreditation. Then we have to give them a thorough induction that involves not only the technical aspects, ensuring they are up to speed with our latest technology and innovative processes but also client relationship management or more succinctly how to serve! Read More Here

Our industry like most industries is moving fast and we need to invest in training our team to keep abreast of the latest technological and innovative equipment, paints, plastics, glass and systems to keep us ahead of the competition. We are “used” to trial products for innovative manufacturing companies as they appreciate our thirst for knowledge and help us seek new and different ways of getting a clients car back to them in perfect condition more quickly and at lower cost.

Bruce has now been with us for four years, a qualified painter who just has to be one of the fastest at “prepping” the job. This is where the largest cost is and Bruce is just so efficient. He then takes his time painting, giving full attention to detail to ensure a total quality outcome that means we have every confidence in giving our LIFETIME GUARANTEE.

David has been with us three years and is a qualified panel engineer, also called a “Panel Beater”. David can make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear, a true artisan to behold. David is the “Face of ooops!” his smile goes with him everywhere and even when I annoy him at times; he still smiles and forgives me!

Tania will ascertain the damage to your car and within a few minutes will have you a written quote that states what it means and means what it states. Tania will also advise as to whether it would be better for you to go through insurance and then advise you that it is your right to use ooops! if you so desire. We never pressure you to make a decision on the spot indeed we advise you take the quote away and compare it, telephoning us back to book it in when you establish that we are the best value for money.

To ensure that your vehicle is looked after with the utmost care and attention to detail we “Bonus” our team, targeting Ten things every month that will ensure you and your vehicle get the best service possible. As we achieve each target we move on to new targets so we enjoy an ever increasing standard of quality and care. This is the opposite of most Body shops that bonus their team on a “Time Saved Bonus” which rewards the Technicians for doing the job faster and faster, which in my experience means worse and “even worse”!!

This constant, positive, rewarding communication within our team leads to a happy atmosphere and we know that happy people invariably ensure clients are happy also, although it does mean we often have to put up with Bruce singing as he dreams of auditioning for X factor. So with David’s happy smile, Bruce’s happy singing and Dan’s happy dancing, ( best not to explain ), it just leaves Tania to be the happy “listener” as this is most important to us, to ensure we really listen to what our clients want.

There is a terrible attitude in most Body shops especially with regard to Females. The industry is “known” to “talk down” to Females and this is something we abhor, doing our best to become every Female’s friend. We spend a great deal of time and energy inculcating “best practice” in this area; we are a member of Foxy Choice and subscribe to The Female Friendly Code.

So, I trust this outlines how we intend to look after you and your vehicle with trained and qualified people that really want to make manifest their talents to you. Please “pop in” and meet us at your earliest convenience, we will be delighted to show you around.