The Interview: Jane Riley

Bristol-born Jane Riley, 61, Vizion Network’s much-respected customer relations manager, tells bodyshop about her passion for the industry, as well as her love of Strictly Come Dancing and Manchester United (in that order).

Briefly describe your career so far.
My first “proper” job was in 1979 as catering supervisor at the University of Bristol Refectory, after I achieved an HND in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management. Following a back injury I worked as a hotel receptionist before moving to management of a family-run hotel, where I met my first husband. I then took a 13-year leave of absence to bring up his daughter before getting a position as a customer service advisor in 1994 in the Bristol branch office of Sun Alliance (as it was then). Two years later I got divorced, was made redundant, remarried and found a new job all in the space of one month. I moved to Cornhill (again, as it was then) in December 1996 to work in the Motor Engineers Unit (MEU). I was only planning to be there for six months but ended up staying for 16 years, first working with Phil Brailey in the MEU and then the supply chain. I joined Vizion as customer relations manager in August 2012.

What did you want to be when you were at school?
Like all little girls I wanted to be a ballerina, but I was the wrong size and my feet are the wrong shape. My family wanted me to be a doctor or teacher, but I fell in love with the catering industry, so when I left school I wanted to run hospitality events or a hotel of my own.

What first inspired you to get into the industry?
I fell into the industry by accident really. When I started at Cornhill, the MEU was still being set up and as I had just spent six months at Sun Alliance doing word searches and crosswords (we were waiting to be made redundant), I couldn’t face another month of inactivity and I became involved in the system development – and so began my journey with Audatex. As most people who know me will confirm I am the typical woman driver – to the extent that I once had to call the engineers to tell me how to open a fuel cap on a hire car. But I quickly learned that I didn’t need to be technical to understand the industry because most of the frustrations seemed to be about payments and processes – and that I could understand and help with. Working with Phil Brailey exposed me to more and more of the supply chain which led me to manage the repair network by the time I left Allianz (as Cornhill had become). It could be said that without Mr B I wouldn’t have taken the path that I did so I owe him a lot.

What gets you up in the morning?
Normally the cat. Seriously, my job is so varied and no two days are the same which is one of the aspects that I love, so every day brings a new challenge. I have been on such a momentous journey with Vizion, and as we continue to grow my motivation is to continue to deliver great customer service to our network and insurer partners.

What is the first thing you think about when you get to work?
It depends where I am. If I am working from home it will be to look at my to-do list and prioritise, and hope that I will be able to clear at least 75 per cent of it on the day. If I am in the office or with a customer it will be to prepare for the meetings ahead. I am always wondering when I will have my first cup of tea.

What represents a typical working day for you?
Luckily, I don’t have typical days. One aspect of all the jobs I have had over the years is that there is no repetitive routine, which would drive me to distraction and really demotivate me. I really admire anyone who goes to the same place of work every day to do the same job, as I know that this is something that takes a skill that I don’t have. My working day might consist of report writing, client meetings, travelling or dealing with claim queries from the claims deck, insurers or repairers, or any combination of the above.

What are the best and worst things about your job?
People are the best thing. I work with a wonderful group of people both within Vizion and throughout the repair network. I get tremendous satisfaction from being able to help resolve issues where all avenues have been explored, and that generally involves the support and assistance of others. It’ll come as no surprise that IT is the worst thing. Working from home means I suffer from poor internet speeds causing buffering, Audatex loading slowly, slow Microsoft updates – I could go on but I take comfort in knowing I am not alone with this.

What is your idea of a perfect weekend?
I am lucky to have a three-day weekend, having recently moved to working Tuesday to Friday, so I now have three days when the alarm doesn’t go off at stupid o’clock. Saturday mornings are spent listening to Radio 5 Live – I love Fighting Talk which is on from 11 until 12 – then the “weekly shop” (yes, I still do this). During the winter I could be watching football on the TV; I support Manchester United so at the moment this can be challenging. But when it’s on, my essential viewing is Strictly – even the football takes a back seat for this. Sundays and Mondays are walking days. I am lucky to live in a wonderful part of the country [in Portishead, Somerset], so in the winter we walk along the local coastal path or, weather permitting, a visit to one of the local National Trust properties that are nearby. In summer we generally head to Cornwall – we are only two hours away from north Cornwall and the walks are stunning.

What are the main challenges facing women in this male-dominated industry?
I have been encouraged to see the rise of women in the industry, not just in the expected front-of-house and administrative roles, but in estimating and bodyshop management. There is still a low take-up of female apprentices but there are some fantastic schemes running now to make the industry appealing to all genders. I am a strong believer that any hire should be based on the best person for the job and I would hate to see quotas, which drive the wrong behaviour and discrimination. My advice for women entering our industry would, honestly, be the same as it is for men: “Believe in yourself. You are as good if not better than the next person. You can do this.”

How has the industry changed since you started?
There has been a reduction in accident claim frequency, which in part is due to the financial climate, but with the advances of vehicle technology such as ADAS and vehicle safety systems this trend can only continue. I’ve also seen a move towards soft skills – concentrating on good customer service, better communication with the customer, hitting KPIs, upgrading site facilities. Bodyshops which embrace this go from strength to strength. It has long been a bugbear of mine that the main concentration was on the vehicle repair, which of course is of vital importance, however this should be a given and the customer seemed to come a poor second to this. How often did we get feedback that a customer didn’t know when their car would be ready? This has improved over the past five years, but still has a way to go.

What was your first car, what do you drive today, and what’s your “money-no-object” dream motor?
The first car I bought was a DAF 600. In no way a glamorous car but that elastic band was fantastic, especially at traffic lights up against boy racers – they mostly disappeared in the rear-view mirror! Having grown up, I now drive a BMW 1 Series Sport 2-litre. My “money-no-object” car wouldn’t be fossil-fuel driven, and I am torn between a Tesla Model S for practicality and a Mercedes-Benz SLS Electric Gullwing E-Cell just to show off.

Who is your role model?
My greatest role model is Christine Maskell from NCR Bodyshops. She is respected throughout the industry and has worked through adversity to build her business and reputation to where it is today. Never afraid to voice her opinion, she is one of the industry leaders who is looking to the future and encouraging young talent to enter the business.

What achievement are you most proud of?
Working on my lack of self-belief and confidence, which has given me the opportunity to work in this fantastic industry.

What would you do differently?
Strange as this seems, nothing. If I had set out on a planned path, I would never have entered the industry. I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason and I have worked with people who have seen my potential and helped me to develop.

What skill do you wish you had acquired?
A second language. I am struggling to learn Spanish at the moment, and I think that if I had started years ago it would have been easier.

Where do you see the collision repair industry in five years?
This is a difficult one. I can see accident frequency continuing to decline due to ADAS and vehicle safety systems. The increase of electric vehicles will require specialist equipment, training and skillsets. There is already an increase in customer demand for their vehicles to be repaired through VM approved bodyshops, and the VMs are improving their networks to grow and retain this business. Independent bodyshops will need to invest heavily in training and equipment to compete.

What advice would you give to your younger self starting out in the business?
I would say: “OK, this is new and totally different to anything that you have done before, but you have the ability to do this. Go on as many courses and industry events that you can and speak to people. Ask the ‘blonde’ questions because sometimes they are valid and add value. Embrace change and believe in yourself.”

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