Congratulations to our service advisor Caitlin Foote from the Altrimcham Kia branch who has recently been awarded the prestigious Platinum award thanks to her hard work, dedication and excellent customer care skills. We caught up with Caitlin to find out a little more about the award and what she likes to do in her spare time.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I'm originally from British Columbia in Canada. Back in my home country, I was a national downhilling champion, which involves racing bicycles down ski slopes in the summer time! However, I’m terrible at skiing. I just recently got engaged so I’m busy planning my wedding for June 2016.
How long have you been with the company?
I've worked at Arnold Clark the entire time I've lived in the UK so for nearly four years.
What is the criteria for a Kia Platinum service advisor?
Kia’s whole ethos is about creating 'customer delight' with every customer experience. To do this, Kia has developed a training scheme: Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels and the Platinum Club. Each of these levels requires considerable work, including instructor training at the Kia Academy in Nottingham and online courses/assessments.
To attain Platinum you need to be a Gold-level service advisor for at least six months and complete an application package. The package should consist of all awards, customer appreciation letters and extracurricular activities that exemplify Kia values, so any examples of you aiding the development of your coworkers and anything else you think Kia should know about you. For customer appreciation, I included some nice letters I've received from customers over the years and some pictures kids had drawn for me while they waited for their cars, as well as a stack of about 100 or so customer satisfaction questionnaires that all had my name with positive comments and high scores.
What do you like most about your job?
I love working with Kia as it’s such a bright and fun company. I also like working with people and the customer care aspect of my job.
If you weren’t working with Arnold Clark, what do you think you would be doing instead?
If I wasn't with Arnold Clark I'd like to be an editor or maybe a composer (although I can't read or write music, or play any musical instruments). Or perhaps a secret agent! I was just at the annual Kia masterclass at the Millbrook proving grounds on Tuesday and got to race around the track in the new Kia models and the whole theme was M15 and spies and James Bond. It was ace!
What’s your favourite car?
My favourite car would have to be the DeLorean– who doesn't want to time travel?
What do you like doing in your free time?
I love reading, watching movies and listening to music. I’m especially looking forward to the new Star Wars film coming out. I also enjoy hiking, stargazing and going to the firing range for some target practice.
Would you like to progress in the company? If so, where would you like to work?
I would love to progress. I'd like to get into training – specifically involving helping individuals provide better customer care and how to deal with conflict.
We would like to thank Caitlin for all her hard work and bringing a smile to our customers’ faces. We’re confident Caitlin will have a long and successful career with the company.