PETER JOY – Customer Support Centre Manager
Of the whole programme, Leadership & Self Awareness resonated most with me, in terms of how to manage situations and emotions more effectively. It helped me understand myself as a manager. A practical piece of work which came from the programme was an investigation into a business issue with a possible restriction on the use of hands free in-car mobile phones. My research concluded that risks were low level and could be managed effectively through training and policies, which were implemented as a result. The Degree was an incredible learning journey for me and despite the challenges it presented; I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
MARK RHEAD – Customer Support Centre Manager
The Degree programme for me underpinned the knowledge I’d picked up in the varied management roles I have held both inside and outside of Volvo which was more informal. The Degree programme has helped to increase my management competence generally. The self-reflective work was most interesting to me and enabled me to understand and reflect on how I’m perceived, through feedback from my team, colleagues and managers, enabling me to deal with situations more effectively.
One piece of work which will result in practical change is my dissertation research into the level of engagement in the Customer Management Team (CMT) process. I established the levels of engagement and have defined clear actions and recommendations which I will be presenting to the CMT Steering Group shortly and in turn, to the 8 CMTs to help improve the process both now and for the future.
LEON WHITE – Customer Support Sales Manager
As part of the Strategy, Value & Change module, I designed and implemented an Engineer Commercial Awareness training course at Immingham Depot, followed by refresher sessions. The training helped Engineers understand where their actions impacted the bigger picture, for example, producing Engineer Lead Sheets, generating business intelligence, and understanding how CSAs work. Following the training I received feedback directly from Engineers on the positive impact of the training, and the volume of lead sheets increased. This should have a direct impact on generating increased business and profitability.
Getting to know colleagues from different parts of the business helps strengthen
working relationships. Making use of these connections and this support, helps cultivate trust and breaks down barriers, therefore building confidence and improving collaboration in finding solutions.
PAUL KERSLEY – Director – Service & Engineering
As I am responsible for Customer Support, my aim was to focus my research on making improvements in my own functional area. My practical research was into Engineer competence and how evolving product technology was widening the skills gap and impacting our ability to support the customer. Through research, I concluded that more focus should be placed on learning styles, training need analysis, prevention of course cancellations and ensuring courses met the skills gaps individuals had. The outcomes were that some courses such as advanced electrics and hydraulics could be better delivered externally (and this is now happening), plus we have formed a competence steering group to focus on Engineer development. We have also reviewed and further developed our Engineer Competence Assessment to identify training needs, and brought Product Specialists into the training school to utilise their expertise. Although the programme was demanding, it has validated my experience and expanded my knowledge, and I feel a real sense of achievement.
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