Grant Robinson has joined Evoca UK in the role of Service Manager for Evoca Service, the new division of Evoca UK that will launch later this year. He joins the coffee giant after a stint in Building Management Systems, where he ran a team of up to 8 engineers, looking after installations and contracts and managing the engineers’ daily schedules. ‘We had nearly 100 contracts worth around £600k in annual revenue’ he says.
‘In the job before that I was also responsible for looking after engineers, looking after the whole service department in fact; seeing through the whole procedure from call-logging to invoicing, making sure that the entire process ran as smoothly as possible.’
The first six weeks of his Evoca career found Grant, together with Evoca’s Service Director Craig Jukes, virtually camped-out in the boardroom. The process of recruiting engineers was meticulously planned; but that didn’t make the task of hiring the best possible people any easier…
‘It’s been a ‘full-on’ few weeks for everyone at Evoca as the launch of Evoca UK’s Service Division approaches, that’s for sure; but it’s really exciting to be in right at the start of a process and have a hand in shaping our offer. That’s the kind of challenge I was looking for in my career and I feel as though I’m thriving on it.
‘I’m convinced that this new department is going to grow very quickly’, Grant says. ‘We’ll be undertaking a lot of scheduled activity, such as carrying out installations that come through from our distributors. Effectively, the more installations we get, the more our team will grow.
‘Engineers are a rare breed’, Grant says with a smile, ‘and you get all different types; but the thing they share in common is that they all want to go out and do a good job. They are the first port of call; they are the people the customer sees. We’re only as good as our engineers so at the end of the day, it’s really important that beyond bringing the right level of skill and expertise to the team, our engineers also have the professionalism, the personality and the attitude to work, that personifies the ethos of the Evoca.’
When Grant’s extended stay in the Boardroom finally comes to a close, he’ll finally be out meeting customers – in between being camped out once again, this time in the Training Suite at Kingswinford. ‘I’ll be joining with the new arrivals for parts of their intensive eight-week course, which sees us get ‘hands on’ with the equipment’, he says.
(And as those who have experienced a training session led by Steve Dolman already know, ‘thorough’ and ‘meticulous’ are words that his students may want to look-up in advance!)
Finally, Grant echoes Craig Jukes’ ambitions for Evoca UK’s Service Division. ‘We want to support our customers so they can compete for opportunities that have been beyond their in-house skill set. We’re open for business now’, Grant added, ‘and our schedule for August is filling up fast.’
Grant lives with his fiancée, Gemma, in Stourbridge. They’re both season-ticket holders at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
*Interested in how Evoca UK’s Division could help you expand your business?
Call Grant Robinson, UK Service Manager on 01902 355 000 or e-mail Service.uk@evocagroup.com
