Toyota has handed out the awards at its annual National Skills Contest, and for the first time, it has rewarded the best service advisors alongside the technicians.
Service advisor of the year
Gary Duggan from Kelly's Sales and Service Letterkenny was named Service Advisor of the Year 2019 at Toyota Ireland's National Skills Contest. The event which took place at Toyota HQ, saw 20 of the best motoring Service Advisors in the Toyota Ireland network compete for the coveted award.
The first stage of the contest involved an online aptitude assessment and practical skills assessment. Following this, five Service Advisors were shortlisted for Service Advisor of the Year.
The final element of the contest was for each candidate to participate in a series of kaizen (continuous improvement) activities, designed to challenge ability and assess customer experience skills. Gemma Treacy, Arthur Power, Helen Martin, Jenny Pacelli, Ciara Murray, Martina Clinton, Bernadette McPartland, Brendan Donohue, Marc Heaney and Denise Roche had the difficult task of judging the candidates on their customer experience and problem-solving skills.
While Gary took the top spot, Michael Bermingham of Tony Burke Motors in Galway; Hannah Quinn of Swinford motors in Mayo; Roy Thomson of McConnell Brothers in Waterford; and Aiden Kelliher of Lehane Motors in Cork were all commended as runners-up.
Technician skills contest
In this, the third year of the National Technician Skills Contest, Colin O'Reilly from Brian Geary Sales was named Technician of the Year 2019. The first stage of the contest involved, once again, an online aptitude assessment and practical skills assessment. Following this, five technicians were shortlisted for Technician of the Year.
The final element of the contest was for each candidate to participate in a series of timed technical exercises, designed to challenge ability and test stamina while under pressure. Aiden Nolan, Martin Kinsella, Ian Armstrong, Owen Kavanagh, Johnny Abel and Helen Martin of Toyota, had the difficult task of judging the candidates on their problem-solving skills and ability.
In the runner-up positions behind Colin were; Roger Farmer of Kellihers Garage in Kerry; Derick Bowen of Lehane Motors in Cork; Gerry Carew of Tony Burke Motors in Galway; and Danny O'Shea from Bowlers Garage in Kerry.
Steve Tormey, Chief Executive of Toyota Ireland, said: "We're delighted to host a competition of this nature for our service advisor and technical employees and it's a great opportunity to showcase the calibre of customer experience of those interacting with Toyota customers' throughout the network. The service advisor's skills are tested through an aptitude test followed by a series of kaizen activities. To be placed in the top five is an incredible achievement, and huge congratulations to Gary Duggan and Colin O'Reilly on their well-deserved awards."