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Below: Alex Belton, Van Driver for TPS Hereford T he TPS Genuine Heroes initiative is designed to encourage TPS centres to be heroes to their customers by delivering excellent customer service. TPS’s network of independent motor traders and garages are asked to adopt this ethos with their own customers and this approach has never been more evident than during the recent pandemic. One such Genuine Hero is TPS customer Alan Knox, who runs the Knox Brothers garage in East Kilbride. Back during the lockdown, Alan had vowed to sleep in a camper van at his garage so he could continue to service the vehicles of key workers, including NHS staff. Alan’s heroic actions meant he was able to meet the demands for NHS workers’ vehicles from his local Hairmyres hospital, which is located next to his business. Alan said: “I felt at the time it was right to send my staff home to protect them during the pandemic, but we had lots of doctors and nurses cars booked in, so I decided to work through those jobs myself. “I also have a lot of retired medics who use the garage and there were getting called up too. Given we are so close to the hospital, I thought it was important we stayed open, given the uncertainty for everyone on the frontline.” Another ‘Genuine Hero’ and TPS customer is the Thrumpton Motor Company in Retford, Lincolnshire, who heroically came to the rescue of a student nurse during lockdown. After discovering a flat tyre on her car, Megan Troop was left feeling deflated at the prospect of a hefty repair bill to put it right. After contacting Thrumpton Motor Company to inquire about the repair, her despair soon turned to delight. On discovering Megan was both a nurse and a carer in her spare time who relied on her car to do her vital frontline job, the garage took £100 of the repair bill and left her with a note thanking her for being a key worker. As well as Knox Brothers and Thrumpton Motor Company proving themselves true Genuine Heroes, TPS centre staff have also been demonstrating similarly heroic behaviours. TPS Derby Sales Manager Andy Oldknow spent nine weeks living at his mum’s house to help avoid cross contamination with his partner who worked at care home. While doing this, he continued to work at TPS Derby to help keep local garages supplied with parts for the servicing of NHS and key worker vehicles. At TPS Manchester, Sales Manager Curtis Jayes has been going above and beyond by ensuring every panel and floor in the building is cleaned and sanitised ahead of he and his colleagues starting work. The van driver teams at TPS Hereford, TPS Manchester North and TPS Swansea have also been collectively praised for their efforts. Amanda Sharrock, TPS Swansea Centre Manager, said: “They have all been in and out of their respective centres all day long, unrelenting in their efforts to ensure customers receive their parts on time. Best of all, they are doing it with smiles on their faces.” The garages and TPS staff highlighted are just a small cross section of the many Genuine Heroes within the TPS network, all demonstrating extraordinary levels of customer service. They are the proof that heroes wear overalls and uniforms as well as capes. They have all risen to the challenge during these most challenging of times and TPS salutes them all for the work they have done and continue to do. www.aftermarketonline.net 18 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2020 BUSINESS www.aftermarketonline.net During the current COVID19 crisis, TPS has been proud to celebrate the ‘Genuine Heroes’ within its network TPS: GENUINE HEROES FLYING HIGH DURING COVID CRISIS