SERVICE, SALES AND PARTS
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Bringing standards and practices into line
Overseeing such a massive expansion also means bringing standards and practices into line. The sales department was the first to undergo a restructuring, says Guest Trucks’ divisional MD Robert Spittle. “We have split sales into two; sales director Robin Hulse, with responsibility for 28 sales people, is in charge of sales turnover; and sales operations director Mike Lancaster, responsible for sales and administration, manages stock, costs and the sales operation,” he explains.
Guest Trucks’ sales administration was under-resourced, whereas Sherwoods was over-resourced when that acquisition was announced. Now it has been centralised and merged together.
The next challenge is servicing, and Guest Trucks has set up a service business development (SBD) department for the group. “Service has been one of those things where work has come into us because of the locations; we sell a vehicle and the work comes back in, but that has changed.
“Service is a very competitive area, so the SBD is going to fleets to offer a bespoke servicing,” he says.
He has also set a uniform rate for servicing across the group and wants to get key performance indicators updated weekly for better feedback on the company’s performance.
That leaves parts. The division turned over £18m across the group last year (see sidebar), accounting for approximately a quarter of the group’s turnover. Spittle is now assessing the current model for the group to improve its standing.
He explains: “First, Guest Trucks has to integrate Sherwoods’ parts division, and the target is to raise its turnover to a quarter of the group’s income.
“The parts market is competitive, so its down to service, availability and price, and it might be that it’s not viable to grow it from a fifth of the group’s turnover to a quarter.”