Meet Gary Evans, External Valeter/Dispatcher

---

Gary joined the Winchester Caravans team in 2018 and says he loves seeing customers’ reactions when they collect their caravans and they’re pleased with what he’s done.

Outside of work, Gary enjoys playing golf and staying active!

WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE?

Once the vehicles have been serviced or PDI’d and are ready to go, it’s my responsibility to get them clean and ready for collection. I make sure that they’re all up together, with no scratches, scuffs or dents. The service/PDI staff do an initial visual check and then I do a secondary visual check to ensure no imperfections are missed. I then address anything that is noticed on these checks and put it right.

I start off by giving the vehicle a full wash, from the roof downwards and working my way round. I use a wash-come-wax so it also gives the exterior a protective coat. The VW campers need a little extra attention with their paintwork and we always give those a full wax and buff and they look amazing when I’m finished! On all vehicles I pay special attention to any scuffs, scratches, marks on windows or roof lights and any imperfections. Every van is different so I’m thorough and I’ll always do whatever needs doing. I’m the last port of call  before the customer receives their vehicle, so it’s down to me to address and correct any imperfection that presents itself.

The dispatching part of my role is when I physically hand the vehicles over to the customers and this can involve simply handing over new vehicles, or acting as a bit of a middle man for taking vans in for services etc. Since the onset of the pandemic this has been particularly important as we offered a collection service during the lockdown periods to enable customers to still have their vehicles serviced, but whilst also ensuring their safety and that of our staff.

WHAT’S YOUR CAREER BACKGROUND?

I came to this job from retail; I was working for an office stationery company in their sales team and I worked my way up to assistant manager there too. This gave me quite a lot of experience in customer service, which is at the core of what I do now - ensuring the customer is happy with the van they receive after I’ve finished with it. 

Prior to that I worked in photographic manufacturing before the days of digital! I like to do lots of different things work-wise and as long as I’m able to do a good job, the customers are satisfied and I’m kept busy, I’m happy!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT CARAVANNING?

The freedom caravanning gives you is fantastic - you have your own home on wheels so you can have all your things around you wherever you choose to go!

WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST REWARDING ABOUT YOUR ROLE?

When the vans are finished and ready to go, it’s very rewarding and I like hearing that the customer is satisfied with what I’ve done - when you see how happy the customer is with how the van looks, that’s a great feeling and it always feels like a job well done. Some vans that come in for a service after six months on site can be in a bit of a state, but I enjoy getting them back to tip top condition again!

WHAT CHALLENGES YOU MOST?

The only challenge really is ensuring that I fit all that I need into each day as it’s always so busy, but I love that! I really have to prioritise my time well to ensure I get everything done and to the highest standard so that everyone (including me!) is happy with the end results.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT WORKING FOR WINCHESTER CARAVANS AND MOTORHOMES?

The people - everyone here is lovely! It’s a fantastic team, nice atmosphere and a great place to work.

Discover the other members of the Winchester team and read some of the other staff interviews on our blog…

---

‹ All press releases