A series of orders from leading operators that demand the highest standards of aftersales support have thrown the spotlight on the impressive progress made by Mercedes-Benz Dealer Intercounty Truck & Van over the last couple of years.
Despite the fallout from COVID-19 the company, which has headquarters in Wellingborough, and other branches in Milton Keynes, Boston, Peterborough and Toddington, is on course to achieve a major turnaround in its financial fortunes. Not only is it well ahead of its truck and van sales targets, but it has also been making great strides in terms of maintenance and repairs, and parts back-up.
Key to this success has been a welcome injection of stability within its senior management team. Having worked previously in the vehicle rental sector Nick Skillman was appointed Managing Director of Intercounty Truck & Van in 2019; Darren Dowling, meanwhile, had joined the business six months earlier as its Group Aftersales Director.
With the enthusiastic support of colleagues, they have driven significant improvements in the company’s aftersales performance. These, in turn, have been instrumental in helping the dealer to land a number of breakthrough truck orders this year.
Nick Skillman said: “One of our biggest challenges since I took on this role has been to win back the hearts and minds of former customers. We’ve brought in new service-orientated people, and our priority throughout the pandemic has been to understand what operators expect and work with them as closely as possible to ensure that we meet their needs.
“We’re still far from perfect, of course, and there will always be room for improvement, but we’ve come a long way and as a result morale within the company team is much improved. Colleagues can see the upturn, while a spin-off benefit of the new business we’ve been winning from high-profile fleets is that it helps to reassure other, smaller operators, which are then more inclined to give us another opportunity themselves.”
Underscoring the progress made by its aftersales team, Intercounty Truck & Van is one of two dealers chosen by Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK to pilot a wide-ranging project that seeks to make improvements and efficiencies by taking a fresh look at all aspects of the service process through the eyes of the customer.
Sophia Cross, Customer Service District Manager at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, said: “There’s a management culture at Intercounty Truck & Van that means investments in time and resources are now being made in the right areas.
“The dealer has been on an upward trajectory over the last few years. If you look at where it’s come from, and where it is now, the results speak for themselves.
There is stability within the business, which is really important, and it’s good news from a customer satisfaction perspective too – operators are coming back because they’re getting great service. All of which is very encouraging, and reflects the hard work that Nick, Darren and their colleagues have put in.”
Find out more at Intercounty Truck and Van at www.intercounty.org.uk
