Dear Valued Client
I would like to share a story with you.
My father Denis Chapman will be retiring at the end of this month, December 2023
as the longest standing Volvo employee (Dealer Principal) at 29 ½ of the 30 years
that the brand has been back in South Africa. I am now 41 years of age, which means
75% of my life has been spent in and around the brand and the values it represents.
Growing up I was reminded about the emotional value in a vehicle and how the Volvo
brand has one of the highest in the market because the owners LOVE their vehicles.
Through my father’s approach, I learnt that we carry a responsibility to protect and
reinforce that love our clients have for their cars. We need to ensure the quality of the
experience in our dealership matches the quality our clients find in our vehicles. For
this reason, he always placed a focus on people, personalisation, attention to detail,
commitment, and trust.
Fast forward to 2015 where Rola Volvo Cars Somerset-West was opened by Rob
Frewen who, having spent over 30 years in the industry, understood the value of customer
service and building a business on passion. Together with the rest of the management
team, we grew phenomenally due to our attention to customer service and
the positive word of mouth that spread the way it did. In October of 2022, Rob retired
and handed me the baton to continue to protect the Rola Volvo Cars brand and serve
our customers with integrity.
This brings me to 2023 and what a year it was. There are two words that define
2023 for us and they are “variables” and “tenacity”. We experienced significant
changes early in the year that had a major impact on the service department and the
quality of service we were able to provide. This together with external economic factors
created an environment that needed change.
Instead of accepting the situation, we went about owning the role and making the
choice to control our environment. This brought about a focus on having the right
person, in the right seat, on the right bus. Who was the best fit for the role and what
was the most efficient and effective process that could be employed to be as consistent
as possible.
While it was an incredibly challenging year, where we got a lot of things wrong, it
was a year where a lot of the right things were put into place which has allowed for a
strong foundation for 2024, that will enable us to grow and evolve in the same
manner the Volvo brand has.
We are headed in the right direction and while the progress at times is slow, it’s still a
move in the right direction and 2024 will see a continuation of that focus on the Company
culture, processes, consistency and creating an environment that brings ownership
in the team to serve with integrity.
I believe that with the correct individuals, contributing responsibly and positively to an
accountable environment, you can create a customer experience that is memorable,
reliable, and consistent.
We may not get it right every time, but we do try, and we remain committed to you.
In closing, I would like to wish all our special clients every blessing and success for
the year ahead.
I would say, “please be safe”… But you already drive a Volvo.
Best wishes,
Ryan Chapman
Dealer Principal
Rola Volvo Cars