Staff at Venson have been supporting a new pilot training scheme from the BVRLA.

Tim Jagdev, account executive, attended an assessment day and successfully completed a customer service programme, achieving Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA).  He was also registered on the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) Awards Professional Register.

The assessment day gathered individuals from rental and leasing organisations and tested their core customer service skills and knowledge. The BVRLA is the trade body for the vehicle rental and leasing industry, and the ATA is governed by the IMI.  Following the pilot, the assessment scheme will be available to all BVRLA members.

The Accreditation consists of a day of evaluation across four categories, including Product and Technical, Written Communication, Objection Handling & Complaints, Business and Process and Telephone Communication. The candidates are tested using four different methods: online test, role play, professional discussion and written exercise.

Jagdev said: “Earning this accreditation wasn’t just a case of learning some course material and then being tested on it. We were assessed on different aspects of our everyday role and how we cope with different customer service situations. Accreditation from this programme is recognition of my experience, and Venson’s commitment to keeping my skills and knowledge up to date and supporting best practice.”

Nora Leggett, head of member services at the BVRLA said: “Tim and the other course participants can rightfully feel proud of gaining this accreditation, as they showed professional and technical competence. The pilot assessment was a great success, and we look forward to more members completing the programme, as it raises the bar for professional standards in the rental and leasing industry.”

Simon Staton, director of client management at Venson added: “We are delighted to have been  involved in the pilot and that Tim is the first person from the Venson team to achieve this accreditation. Training is  one element of our focus on maintaining a high standard of customer care across our business. Being part of a scheme that supports best practice and drives up standards demonstrates to customers  that service delivery is of paramount importance to us.”