January 2008
 

Portsmouth Evening News Business Excellence Awards

2008 Team of the Year winners
Segensworth Automobiles Ltd.

Segensworth Automobiles walked away with the top award in the team of the year category thanks to its unremitting focus on treating customers like royalty. The company achieved excellent results in 2006 & 2007 by gaining the BSI Kitemark followed by the Trading Standards Buy with confidence accreditation. We believe we are the only garage in Hampshire to hold both. The business has very low staff turnover and new members are hired just as much for their technical ability as for their ability to fit into the team.
 
December 2007
 

Business Awards 2008

Celebrating Your Success in Business 

Congratulations on being short-listed for

 The News Business Excellence Awards!
Segensworth Automobiles is an independent car service and repair centre that has been winning plaudits for its work. Owned and managed by Rhianon Lewis, the engineering team has achieved excellent results this year, attaining the British Standard Kitemark and the Trading Standards Buy with Confidence accreditation, both recognising quality of engineering and customer service. We have experience a significant increase in turnover by treating our customers like royalty.
 
November 2007

KICKING OFF THE SEASON WITH LOCAL GARAGE

 South-based, Kitemark-accredited Segensworth Automobiles has become proud sponsors of Locks Heath Football Clubs away kit this season.
The first team was looking for a local company to partner with by sponsoring of their new away kit this season. Segensworth Automobiles was keen to step-up to the mark to support the local side that is currently ninth in the league! 
Managing Director, Rhianon Lewis, commented: “As a local business, we are keen to give something back to the community. Locks Heath FC is doing so well; it has just competed in the Portsmouth Senior Cup and is going from strength to strength.” 
“We always look for local businesses to get involved with the football club,” said Dougie Leask, Locks Heath FC Club Chairman. This means that they have an opportunity to watch the matches and see how the team develops over the season. We are delighted that Segensworth Automobiles has sponsored us and look forward to a successful season together,”
 

SEGENSWORTH AUTOMOBILES’ CUSTOMERS CAN NOW BUY WITH CONFIDENCE
Segensworth Automobiles has been awarded the Buy with Confidence accreditation by Hampshire County Council’s Trading Standards, the only garage in the local area to do so.
The accreditation is designed to demonstrate to customers that a business is reputable and committed to trading to a high standard.
In order to be accredited, Hampshire County Council’s Trading Standards department completed an audit of the processes and practices the garage undertakes. Not only did Segensworth Automobiles pass the standards, but it superseded them in many areas; a huge achievement.
“We are delighted to achieve this accreditation,” comments Managing Director Rhianon Lewis. “The team at Segensworth work exceptionally hard to put our customers first, and our ‘Royalty’ campaign shows how serious we are about it. The award will add weight to this, showing that we can meet the strictest of regulations to provide superior service, and it complements the Kitemark standard we received earlier this year.” 
The ‘Royalty’ campaign is Segensworth Automobiles’ commitment to their customers that they will be treated like royalty by the nine-strong team, whether they are having a complete vehicle refurbishment, or an MOT.
 
June 2007
LOCAL GARAGE SPEEDS AHEAD TO DRUM UP SUPPORT FOR LOCAL SCHOOL
South based, Kitemark-accredited Segensworth Automobiles is helping the pupils of Brookfield School raise money to allow them to make a lot more noise than they usually do! 
Head of the Music Department, Shaun Riches has enlisted the help of Segensworth Automobiles to help the school raise £5000 so that they can ‘hit’ their target and purchase five brand new timpani drums for the concert band.  
So far Managing Director Rhianon Lewis and the team have raised £1500 through a corporate mailing to their valued customers, and the children have been holding music evenings to raise the profile of the Music Department. Some of the many music groups in the school have even produced their own CD of some of their favourite tunes to sell to raise money.
“The concert band gives the children a great opportunity to develop their musical ability, and the addition of the timpani drums will help a lot more children engage in extra-curricular music through percussion,” comments Shaun. “We are very grateful to Segensworth Automobiles for helping the school in its plight and all donations towards the fund would be greatly appreciated.”
Rhianon added, “As a local business, we are keen to give something back to the community. As a parent, I understand the importance that educational activities have on children and the addition of the timpani drums will really bolster the concert band. I look forward to attending one of their future concerts myself!”
 
Leading service and repair garage employs marketing expertise.
Segensworth-based fleet and vehicle maintenance repair specialist Segensworth Automobiles is pleased to announce the appointment of Fareham-based LCM PR & Marketing to handle  its marketing. 
LCM’s services were recommended to Rhianon Lewis, Managing Director of the Kitemark-accredited garage by a business colleague.  
She explained, “Originally we had lots of ideas but not the professional expertise to carry them out in-house, nor did we have the time. We wanted to find a marketing partner for the long term.”  
She added, “We stand for quality and this is now reflected every time we communicate with our customers and target customers. Within a few weeks of starting work with LCM, we had increased monthly revenues significantly, mainly down to a strong campaign they dreamt up and wrote for us.
“I was keen to ensure that we didn’t have a ‘flash in the pan’ company and LCM’s advice was to start slowly and build up. We have been amazed at the effectiveness of the strategy and how quickly it is already showing results.” 
Segensworth Automobiles employs LCM on a monthly retainer basis and they will provide design, PR, marketing and strategy services to one of Hampshire’s leading fleet maintenance teams. 
LCM’s Lizz Clarke commented, “We pride ourselves on really getting to know our clients, and we are well on the way to doing this with Segensworth Automobiles. It’s a really exciting time for both companies and I look forward to a long partnership for several years to come.”
 
April 2007
New technician for Segensworth automobiles
South based, Kitemark-accredited Segensworth Automobiles continue their focus on customer service and quality with the appointment of Richard Spittles to the team.
Richard joins the company as a Vehicle Technician, specialising in diagnostic repairs and maintenance, and will also deal with fleet maintenance as part of Segensworth’s extended offering.
With over ten years experience in the industry, contributing to both independent garages and larger dealerships, as well as achieving an NVQ in Servicing & Repair, Richard’s expertise will be an ideal addition to the Segensworth Automobiles growing team.
Rhianon Lewis, Managing Director of Segensworth Automobiles commented “I am delighted that Richard has agreed to join the team; his expertise and experience will mean that more customers will be able to benefit from the special treatment offered here. He has already made a very positive contribution to our fleet maintenance work, which is highly valuable to our business.” 
The Kitemark standard, awarded earlier this year by BSI Product Services, recognises garages that demonstrate excellent customer service skills and thorough record keeping. 
In his spare time, Richard’s passion for vehicles continues, as he enjoys drag racing and often competes in organised races.
 
January 2007
Segensworth Automobiles Flying High With Kitemark
2007 has kicked off in style for Segensworth Automobiles, when staff learnt that they have been awarded the coveted Kitemark standard, internationally recognising the garage as a high-quality service organisation.
Segensworth Automobiles was awarded the Kitemark earlier this month after a rigorous auditing process over three months. The standard, awarded by BSI Product Services, only recognises garages that demonstrate excellent customer service skills and thorough record keeping. Also, all Garage Technicians must meet the Kitemark technical standard.
Attaining high benchmarks is nothing new to this rapidly growing organisation. Managing Director Rhianon Lewis explains, ‘Our customers return for our great service and they trust us to do a good job. We aim to treat all our customers like royalty, offering a free collection and delivery service to local areas, and validating all of our quotes for 30 days in writing, so there are no nasty surprises for our customers when paying.’
Segensworth Automobiles can also work on cars still under warranty. Rhianon comments, ‘Motorists should be aware that they no longer have to go to their dealer to have their car serviced under warranty. By coming to us, they receive Kitemark service and, compared to dealer costs, can save up to £50 an hour on work completed.’ This is just one of the reasons why Segensworth Automobiles Ltd has won contracts to maintain and service fleets of leased cars for a number of large organisations in the region.
Segensworth Automobiles will also be regularly audited by mystery shoppers to ensure that they continue to meet the high standards demanded of a Kitemark garage.