We asked our team of internal Service Call Handlers who they felt deserved the title of Best Service Engineer. The response was clearly George and below we summarise why, this is based on his colleagues alone. Not his peers, we will come to that later.

George’s Vending Career

George joined the industry 33 years ago with KRAFT when he joined as a Service Engineer, he quickly demonstrated his natural engineering ability and became a very valuable employee.

He then transferred to Scobie McIntosh alongside other engineers in 2008 as a Field Service Engineer. He is now regarded as a Senior Engineer and is an extremely valued member of the team with a wealth of knowledge of the vending industry.

Work ethic, communication and supportive and encouraging approach

Asked what George’s worth ethic was, the overwhelming response was that it was relentless. At any given time, throughout his employment with Scobie he has always treated work situations as never too troublesome, and no site was ever too far to go.

George is an excellent communicator, both with his internal Scobie Controller, his Line Manager, and his Colleagues. He is always available to offer technical advice to other engineers, and he does so with a warmth and encouraging approach. He emits a natural, nurturing vibe that leaves the engineers feeling motivated and inspired to learn and experience more.

Other Scobie Engineer’s often call George when they are on site and cannot diagnose or fix a machine.

George takes a logical approach to helping them. Starting with the model, the issue and then talking them through the process that he would follow if he was at the site with them, he guides them right through until, over the phone they find the fault and can now go ahead and fix it. On very rare occasions, George cannot help over the phone, he will research the issue for the Engineer and call them back with a proposed action plan. This is a very credible characteristic, to support your colleagues in the best interest of the customer, ensuring that the customers machine is fixed in a timely fashion and hence, customer satisfaction is achieved with a positive outcome for everyone, including a training curve for the engineer who has learnt another solution amicably and positively.

George’s communication is very effective. When he has a site visit, he always communicates the outcome with clarity and in a timely manner with his Service Controller. He ensures that the Scobie team and the Customer are fully appraised of any particular issues or actions so everyone is clearly in the picture and on board with the planned solution.

Customer relationships

George has very steadily built up his reputation with his customers as being reliable, punctual and an extremely capable engineer. When Scobie’s internal support team carry out courtesy calls to customers following a site visit by our engineers, George will often be singled out for praise in regards to his competence, clarity of communication and professionalism.

Going the extra mile

Here is just one example of George going the extra mile for a customer. The internal support team had a call out to a site on a weekend. George was selected to attend the site. The machine working efficiently was vital to the customers’ business. George had previously only seen this machine in a training setting, never at a customer setting. Despite this, George was asked to attend, which he willingly did.

Once on-site, he identified that some of the parts were faulty and new parts were necessary. The customer got very anxious hearing this. Expecting that new parts meant at least a couple of days of the machine not being operational and therefore having a negative impact on their profit line was serious.

George is very perceptive and cares. He could simply have called the internal team and asked them to order the parts. However, knowing that being without this machine would be disastrous for the customer, he instinctively took the time to research where he could find the parts closer to the customers site. He sourced and collected the parts needed locally and got the machine back to fully functioning quickly. This not only saved the customer money by resolving their issue in one call out and quickly. It also kept their business functioning and increased the customers respect and appreciation for the high level of service that George gave on behalf of Scobie.

Summary

George is a highly respected and valuable asset to the Scobie team. The management regard him as the matriarch of the engineers and rely on him to motivate trainees, and help guide and stretch other engineers to enhance their knowledge and capability within the Vending industry. George does not cut corners. If a job needs doing, do it well is George’s approach. With this mind set, George almost always fixes his machines at the first site visit.

George contributes a wealth of knowledge across many disciplines within the industry as a service engineer, and by his day to day interactions with customers and other vending professionals.

We asked his internal service controller to summarise George in one sentence. This is what he said “George is an absolute pleasure to work with. He emits a positive attitude to every job I task him with, he motivates engineers and his character and humour are always a welcome distraction. He is quite simply a pleasure to work with, a model engineer”.

We asked his Line Manager for a simple quote, here is what he had to say. “George has an infectious and positive attitude, he knocks down obstructions to ensure he comes out with a positive, yet professional solution to any problem. He embraces and encourages positive, forward thinking changes and gives unrivalled support to his colleagues, whilst also giving invaluable input and advice to manufacturers on new product lines under development”.

Rachel Webber joined Express vending in September 2017 as part of our Service Graduate scheme, after successfully completing a year of training Rachel assumed the role of Area Service Manager. Rachel manages a team of engineers who deliver exceptional service to over 500 customers with a machine base of over 2000 units. Her team deliver 90% 4-hour response and a fantastic 90% first time fix.

Since taking on the role of Area Service Manager Rachel has dedicated herself to both the development of her engineering team and to delivering exceptional customer service to her client base.

Area Service Manager Position
To manage a team of field-based service engineers. The Area Service Manager will have solid decision-making abilities and the ability to multi-task effectively. In delegation, the Area Service Manager is responsible for checking on the quality, progress, and outcome of the work carried out by the team. The Area Service Manager will be a team player, be professional and positive, use integrity & initiative, be able to communicate / present information effectively and motivate self and team. The Area Service Manager will lead by example The Area Service Manager will be familiar with the normal office programmes, i.e. Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint etc. along with in house software. The Area Service Manager will look for ways to help develop the business.

Essential duties and responsibilities:
 To provide a high level of service to all our customers and actively contribute to the overall improvement of the business.
 Asses additional training needs arrange external training if required.
 Completing team-related paperwork.
 Client liaison.
 Manage engineers’ holiday entitlement / holiday allocation; ensure that adequate holiday / absence cover is in place.
 Maintain agreed service level targets.
 Produce weekly reports for the Head of Technical.
 Organize and chair fortnightly team meetings.
 Arrange 1 to 1 meetings with engineers to discuss any issues arising and review / appraise performance.
 Attend monthly meetings with members of Senior Management Team as required and report on matters pertinent to their role within the Management Team.
 Attend manufacturer meetings with Senior Management Team.
 Actively support all other Area Service Managers in reaching their targets.
 Continually review multiple fault equipment and ensure that any machine that displays persistent breakdowns is given the highest priority regarding repair.
 To form and maintain a close working relationship with colleagues, in own and other departments, and clients with a view to providing the best possible service to our clients.
 To attend various Training Courses to assist you to maintain the highest standard of workmanship.
 Willing and able to work on your own initiative.
 Always Maintain good customer relations by adopting a pleasant manner. Adhere to customer procedures e.g. entry/exit from premises & Health & Safety Policies where appropriate.
 Be aware of any potential cases of customer dissatisfaction and take appropriate action to avoid the potential becoming actual dissatisfaction.
 Deal with any complaints in an appropriate manner and ensure that they are addressed as quickly as possible reporting incidents of customer dissatisfaction to your line manager.
 Ensure that all relevant company documentation is fully completed and returned to your Line Manager as requested each week and month to Head Office on time.
 Maintain your vehicle in a road worthy condition in accordance with Company procedures. Ensure that your vehicle is kept clean and tidy both inside and out.
 Ensure that your personal appearance is kept to the standard required by the Company. It is expected that a business suit will always be worn other than when it is known that this would be inappropriate.
 Ensure that you comply with all Company and Statutory regulations regarding Health and Safety. To make yourself aware and observe all relevant health and safety rules and procedures on customer sites.
 Ensure that the Head of Technical is kept fully informed of any issues, either customer or staff related.
 Use computer or IT equipment proficiently.
 Always Drive carefully and considerately.

Client Testimonial

Rachel worked closely with a client she looks after at Baxter Storey and was instrumental in the planning to relocate and install 2 machines within 48 Hours to meet with their requirements.
‘Thank you Rachel’
Account Manager, Baxter Storey

Rachel has multiple examples of great relationships with her clients and goes above and beyond to empower and upskill her clients. The below is one example displaying gratitude following Rachel supporting a client’s desire to use their media screens and upload messages with short notice and complex requirements. Rachel liaised with the manufacturers and communicated with the client to ensure their needs were met.
‘Thank you all for all your help with this.
Just to let you know that I did as how you had suggested and it worked! Good trick!’
Facilities Manager
Atrium Underwriters Ltd

Colleague Testimonials
Rachel is self-motivated, always looking for ways to improve the service to our customers with new ideas and actions, for example Amazon Rugeley were experiencing ongoing issues with their Canto machines which were an off patch customer, Rachel took ownership of the issues and communicated this to Evoca so that they could attend site. Rachel also organised for the machines to be returned to Express Vending for a full investigation by Evoca. The impact to the client was that this restored their trust in Express Vending and now the machines have been returned to site fully working.
Rachel always supports her fellow colleagues by taking on their workload when out of the office and assist the engineers with all enquires as back up. Rachel has proven time after time she is a true leader.
Chelsea Pearse
Installations Manager

As a Senior Account Manager at Express Vending, I would like to express my recommendation for Rachel Webber to be considered for the Best Area Manager Award.
Within my three years of working closely with Rachel she has always shown the upmost professionalism, desire to achieve, and excellent customer service to Express Vending and our customers. Whilst working on several different projects and customer sites, Rachel has used remarkable creativity and organisation to utilise the skills that lay within her team to solve a multitude of problems and issues.
I can carry out my own role knowing that the support of Rachel and her team will always be on hand quickly to rectify issues and provide outstanding service to myself and our customers. This allows all CRM Account Managers as well as myself to excel in our own field with the backing of Rachel and her team.
Reno Jaconelli
Senior Account Manager
Customer Relations Manager

Referring to an additional tools request from her team that isn’t supplied as standard by the company
‘It’s lovely to have a Service Manager so on the ball! We only have to ask once and it’s done. ‘Thanks again’
Tony Banks
An Engineer who reports into Rachel

Nomination by Michael English
“I know that as Rachel’s manager I can rely on her do the right thing for Express Vending and more importantly our customers, her passion to support her team and deliver exceptional service is by far second to none.
I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Rachel for Area Manager of the Year at the 2020 AVA Awards.”
Michael English – Head of Technical Services

Gary has been with Express Vending for over 6 years and within that time, he has worked in a variety of different roles and excelled in all of them. Gary joined Express Vending as a Retail Merchandiser and soon proved that he was the right person for progression. He is reliable and hardworking, with solid problem solving and technical skills. He was promoted to Senior Retail Merchandiser and then Retail Assistant Manager, where he was given additional responsibilities and targets which he exceeded. His people skills, continuous support and teamwork, led to improved team morale and engagement of his colleagues.

Gary involves all of his employees in setting operational and quality goals and determining how to reach these in order to create a team approach and provide excellent customer service. This resulted in him being promoted to his current role as Area Retail Manager, where he is now responsible for all operations and retail for the City London team. I am always very impressed by Gary’s ability to complete the work assigned to him on time, and his willingness to support his co-workers by sharing his experience and ideas to help others manage their workload. He has spent a lot of time training and developing his team’s skills and knowledge to enable them to progress within their own roles. Overall Gary has built an extremely strong and successful team that support each other in any situation leading to a better service for his customers.

Gary is a great asset to Express Vending. During his time, Gary has gone out of his way to welcome newcomers and resolve any problems they might have. He is happy to share his opinions and ideas at departmental meetings, but also listens to what others have to say including constructive criticism. Gary has the ability to guide his team to achieve great results and he always goes the extra mile for both the team and his customers, this is a testament to his success at Express Vending.

Customer Focus

Gary has always had a great relationship with his customers throughout his time at Express Vending. He has regular account management meetings with his customers to make sure the business and his team deliver the best possible service and standards. He regularly reviews visit frequency depending on seasonality and usage, investigating any technical issues his customers might be having and is continuously looking to see how he can improve the offering and selection in his machines to meet customer requirements. He works closely with his clients to develop opportunities for both our business and the end-consumers using the machines.

Gary has excellent communication and interpersonal skills which helps him to deal with any customer enquiries. He is extremely proactive and has developed strong problem-solving abilities in order to resolve any issues which might affect customer satisfaction. He has also encouraged this customer focus mindset within his team, to continuously drive improvements and go above and beyond for his customers.

For the above reasons, we believe that Gary deserves the Area Manager of the year award at The Vendies 2020 for all of his contributions to Express Vending and his customers.

Client Testimonial

“Gary Bailey is great – he is proactive dealing with all our requests and always makes sure we get top service.

Big thumbs up!

Kind Regards,

Make it Cheaper”

Colleague Testimonial

“Gary is an excellent Area Manager who always goes above and beyond what the job entails to ensure he looks after not only his customers but his team. He has always been a go to person at Express Vending whether you need help, need to get in touch with someone, get something to a customer quickly, or simply need a favour. You can really count on him and he is very much deserving of this award.”

Lara Stevens, Sales Manager- Everyday Essentials

Nomination by Jevgenij Kostin

“Gary is a great, hardworking, dedicated person who always completes his tasks on time and in professional manner. His experience and attitude dealing with clients and colleagues is a great example of perfection.

I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Gary for Area Manager of the Year at the 2020 Vendies Awards.”

Jevgenij Kostin – Regional Retail manager