Meet the team: Steve Bartlett, Senior Sales Assistant

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Steve has worked for Winchester Caravans for over 13 years and during that time he has become a valuable member of the team as well as the resident awning expert!

Outside of work, Steve is a keen golfer and a black belt in taekwondo. He is also an avid follower of the Grand Prix; this year he travelled to Italy to watch the Italian Grand Prix live and has followed the sport all over the world in previous years.

What does your role involve?

It’s extremely varied! Because of where the shop is located at the front of the site, we are the first point of call for many visitors, which means that we deal with a lot of initial enquiries. I’m basically everything from receptionist to technical adviser! Within the shop, I assist customers in any way they need really, which involves advising on our entire range of caravan accessories. 

We can provide customers with most accessories they’ll need, everything from towing parts to covers to kitchenware. I really enjoy helping people find new things for their caravans, it’s another way that we can assist after the purchase is complete and it’s great to watch people getting excited about kitting out their new caravan!

 

How did you become the resident awning expert?

I was very lucky to have an incredible teacher, Derek Elliott. He taught me everything there is to know about awnings during my first few years here and I found it really interesting so the information was easy to retain. I like to know the products that I’m selling inside out so I know I’m recommending the right product for each and every customer. Product knowledge is everything!

 

What is your career background?

Before working here I was in retail management for a popular menswear chain. I worked there for 20 years and gained loads of experience. I then worked an office job for 18 months to see if that suited me, but it really didn’t! I missed the face-to-face customer interaction; it’s one of the things I love most about working at Winchester Caravans - interacting with customers and helping them with what they need help with so that they go away happy.

 

What are the most rewarding and challenging aspects of your role?

The most challenging thing is when you get a difficult enquiry that is tough to answer! We quite often get enquiries about things that aren’t really caravan-related so it’s outside my area of expertise, but I always want to help if possible, but it can be challenging!

The most rewarding part is when you resolve an issue for a customer, perhaps someone who has found it difficult to get help and maybe even been turned away by other retailers. We go that extra mile to assist our customers and will always ensure that we find a solution for them so they are pleased with the service and go away with what they came for.

 

What do you pride yourself on at work?

I pride myself on always providing the best service I possibly can to my customers. I also like to think that I’ve had a significant influence on the shop since I joined; 13 years ago it was a little dated and I feel I’ve injected a bit of energy into it to make it into the modern, well-stocked shop it is now. We offer a fantastic range of products and it enables us to give our valued customers what they want and need.

 

Why is Winchester Caravans a great place to work?

Not only do I love what I do, but the people really make it as well. The team are great, everyone works toward the same goal - delivering a service that ensures all customers go away happy - and it’s a great atmosphere, it makes coming to work a pleasure!

 

If there’s anything you need for your caravan, or you’re just after some advice, pop into our accessory shop and have a chat to Steve or one of other friendly team members who will be happy to help!

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