Gavin Beck, service advisor at Sandicliffe Kia in Melton Mowbray has beaten 34 global competitors to win the Korean brand’s Service Advisor Skills World Cup in Seoul.

The final put Beck and the field through three customer skills tests. Competitors were examined on their knowledge of customer care and the Kia brand with a written test; they were presented with a video of customer interaction and were required to critique and relay their observations and the final test was a customer service role play, observed by Kia’s management team.

The Kia Skills World Cup competition was open to all Kia service advisors, with Beck beating representatives from Oman and Malaysia to the $3,000 cash prize and a gold trophy to take back to his dealership.

Beck was the second UK finalist to go through to the final stage along with Claire Patten, from Lookers Kia in Stockport, who came top in the UK heat of the competition.

Beck said: “This is a great personal and professional achievement. I love my job and making customers happy is something I always strive for.

“It just shows that hard work, honesty and a good understanding of your customer’s needs really pays off in the end. Sandicliffe is a great family-run business that has its customers at the heart of its values; I know I couldn’t have achieved so much without the support of my colleagues.”

Beck provided his top three tips to making a great service advisor: “One: treat your customers as though they were family, so that you do your absolute best for them; two: take personal ownership of both your customer’s vehicle and any issues they have so that they are reassured they’re being taken care of; and three: always deliver on your promises.”

Reg Tutt, managing director, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to tell customers that we’ve got the world’s best Kia service advisor working with us. This achievement is a testament to Gavin’s hard work and positive attitude as well as a reflection of the training provided by Kia; he sets a great example for everybody to learn from.”