2017 Business Excellence Awards

Acquisition International - Business Excellence Awards 2017 25 Most Trusted Driving School - Sunderland Chris Chambers School of Motoring Chris Chambers School of Motoring supports a vast array of clients, from those setting out to attain their full UK driving licence, clients requiring familiarisation of the UK roads, to those in need of an injection of confidence and reassurance, for example, following their involvement in a road traffic accident. It is this variety that keeps things interesting for Chris, but what unites all of these clients is the superior level of support and service he gives them. This starts right from the moment they book with him, as he explains. “Learning to drive can be a daunting experience, and as such at Chris Chambers School of Motoring the aim is to ensure that clients get the very best service that meets their needs right from the start. The first, and perhaps the most important thing to do once the client has committed to learning, is to find out exactly what their individual needs are, before then determining the best way forward. This process would involve tailoring a plan of action, including, amongst other things, setting out and agreeing on achievable goals. I would then, by way of further discussion, determine the client’s preferred learning style or styles, which would enable me to tailor my teaching and coaching methods to the client’s strengths. “In addition, one of the most important aspects of ensuring a successful outcome is to involve the client as much as possible in their own learning. This is done by crafting the session in such a way that, for example, rather than tell the client how to do something, instead help them find ways of doing it and achieving it themselves. Through this approach the learning becomes a personal achievement, and the knowledge they gain during the process will likely remain with them longer as a result.” Drawing on his previous experiences, both as an Automotive Electrical Engineer then later as a Recruitment Consultant, Chris has a strong understanding of both cars and the people who drive them, which is invaluable in his current role. He discusses how he draws on his previous roles in his current position and how he works to learn from his past careers. “In my current role as a Driving Instructor and business owner, I have drawn upon my previous working experiences on a daily basis. Both of my previous careers’ required a strategic, customer focussed approach, particularly while in recruitment, Chris Chambers School of Motoring offers a variety of effective, client centred, driver education and training solutions to holders of provisional, full, and international driving licences. We invited Chris Chambers himself to tell us more about how the firm has come to achieve the success it enjoys today. Company: Chris Chambers School of Motoring Name: Chris Chambers, Business Owner/Driving Instructor Address: Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom Telephone: +44 7951 047894 Email: info@chrischambers-som.com Website: www.chrischambers-som.com BE170013 as I was meeting a wide variety of people, each with an individual set of needs and requirements, which is much the same as I do now when working with a client. I aim to tailor my teaching and coaching to meet the needs of the individual; a very ‘client centred’ approach. From a business owners’ perspective, I draw heavily on my previous experiences when interacting with prospective clients.” Within the wider driver education and training industry there are series of reforms currently being passed in order to modernise driver training. These reforms are, in the main, concerning the Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) qualification process, along with proposed changes to the driving test; this is in an effort to help the next generation of drivers cope with the increasing demands of modern motoring. These reforms are creating a slight stir amongst those in the industry, however, Chris feels that they will be accepted as more members of the market understand them. As such, Chris is keen to adapt to these changes as he looks towards the future, in order to remain at the forefront of the latest industry innovations. Ultimately, building on the success he has enjoyed so far is Chris’ ongoing focus as he seeks to offer a wider range of services and serve more clients, as he proudly concludes. “Looking ahead, my ongoing strategy is to expand my business. Initially, this would be in terms of recruiting additional driver trainers. This would be in an effort to service prospective customers, in the main those requiring automatic transmission driver training. I receive numerous enquiries each week concerning the availability of automatic transmission tuition, however, I am not currently in a position to service such prospective customers. Automatic transmission tuition is becoming increasingly popular, however, I do feel that the number of training providers offering such training in my geographical location is minimal, and is therefore a viable business opportunity. “Further to this, I am a qualified QCF Vocational Assessor,therefore,I intendtoofferbothprovisionaland full driving licence holders the opportunity to undertake BTEC awards in Safe Road Skills and Attitudes and/or Demonstrating Safe Driving. These developments will provide me with a number of great opportunities which I am looking forward to taking advantage of.”