After some intense competition from all the ten UK teams involved, MC Hammers from MC Truck and Bus at Thurrock, Essex emerged as the eventual winners, ahead of Test Ticklers from the Hythe dealership of MC Truck and Bus in Kent and Carrot Crunchers from Volvo Truck and Bus Centre, Felixstowe.
The winning team, led by Ryan Garrett with team members, John Walker, Stuart Hall and Darren Sladden will now go on to represent the UK & Ireland at the World Final on 26th June 2018 in Curiba, Brazil.
However, the team members are no stranger to success in this competition, having finished third in the World Finals four years ago and were runners-up in the semi-finals last time out in 2016.
In other competition news, the ‘Best Team Leader’ trophy went to David Eley of Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia of Felixstowe.
In total, over 18,500 participants have taken part in VISTA 2015-2016, which broke its own record for the biggest competition in the world for workshop professionals. This included 40 participating teams representing Volvo Truck dealerships from all over the UK & Ireland.
Karen Bailey, head of competence development at Volvo Group UK & Ireland said: “It has been a fantastic event. We do not get to credit and celebrate our dealer-based staff often enough and to see the cream of our technical, parts and customer service colleagues compete in this way has been a real honour. We know ‘MC Hammers’ will be exceptional representatives for the UK and Ireland in the World Final.”
Through VISTA, teams are tested on their ability to work together, solve problems and follow instructions according to Volvo's guidelines – which are essential for delivering quality customer service. The results from VISTA also help identify potential areas for improvement, so in this sense, it is more than a global competition – it’s a mass training programme.
“VISTA is a great way of seeing how our services compare with other markets and having such intense competition in the semi-final really shows the high level of competence and passion in our workshops,” says Mike Corcoran, commercial director of Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland. “All the other participants have also benefited greatly too since they come away from the experience with improved skills and knowledge.”