Getting to know: Scott Logan

...Scott is Kindertons' Transport Performance & Revenue Manager and ensures our customers have a seamless journey into their replacement vehicle.

Tell us a bit about your background.

I originally trained as a Sports & Development Coach, which took me down the personal training and fitness route and I loved it! I worked in gyms full-time for about 4 years before reducing my hours to part-time so that I could take up a position in the Scottish Ambulance Service. This was an exciting job and I learned a lot about dealing with challenging situations, but a few years down the line I decided it wasn’t what I wanted to do long term. I left the UK at that point to work abroad in Customer Service and Sales, which was a really fun with varied roles and I gained a lot of experience in presenting to people and making sure the guests had fantastic holidays! I came back to the UK in 2007 and found a role at Kindertons as a Claims Handler – the interaction with customers was something I enjoyed. I’ve worked my way up since then and still enjoy the coaching side of the roles I’ve done here. I still do personal training on occasions as it’s something I have always enjoyed and I think I will always do.

Why did you decide to do the work you are doing now?

During my time at Kindertons, I have watched and learned from fantastic people along the way. After working as a Claims Handler for a while, I moved into a project management role, where I was responsible for process and system improvements as we were growing as a company. Since around 2010, I have been keen to get into a team leadership or management role, which builds on the experience I gained in those earlier positions. The world of Fleet allows me to focus on leading the teams; it’s fast paced and each claim is different – I enjoy the variety! I like to help the team find more efficient ways of doing things and there’s lots of opportunity to do that both in Fleet and across Kindertons as part of the broader management and leadership team.

What's a typical day for you working at Kindertons?

You can never predict what’s going to happen on a day to day basis, but most of my time is spent checking in with Team Managers to review key metrics and KPIs, as well as talking to them about their own personal development. We have key touch points throughout the day, and I have my own list of tasks and activities that I complete each day to help me understand where the team is at and where they might need some support. One of my key goals is to lead the team in a way that enables them to do the best they can at all times and create an environment that helps them to perform. It’s a very target driven environment, which means keeping a close eye on how we’re performing is critical.

What makes Kindertons different to other places that you’ve worked?

Kindertons has grown at a significant rate since I joined and there are still plenty of familiar faces around from 2007! I’ve always enjoyed working with different people, in different roles, as the business has grown. Previously, the teams I’d been part of were smaller, so I like the broader interactions and experiences that I’ve gained working here.

If you didn’t do your current job, what would you do instead and why?

If I couldn’t do what I was doing now, and had a healthier bank balance, I would be travelling around the world with my family exposing the kids to different cultures and experiences. I’d still like to use my experience to coach and train others, but somewhere sunnier than here!

What could you give a 30-minute presentation on with absolutely no preparation?

The trials and tribulations of supporting Scotland’s football and rugby teams! Joking aside, I’m passionate about how others can lead and motivate their teams, so 30 minutes unprepared on that would probably be more useful.

In your opinion, what does good customer service look like?

My ethos is that we should always aim to ‘make something happen’ for our customers; it’s a phrase that is embedded into the structure and approach of our teams. We are here to deliver a service and so we need to do everything we possibly can to make it happen, time and time again. It’s important that we are honest and act with integrity at all times, doing the best we can to achieve the expectation of our customers.

What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?

Work abroad! It doesn’t matter whether it’s part of your career plan, or just a chance to experience living and working in a different country, I’d recommend everyone to have a go at something which involves a move away for a while. In the end, I chose to come back to the UK, but it was an experience I’ll always remember.

What do you wish you could tell yourself 10 years ago? What do you think you’ll want to tell your current self 10 years from now?

I’d tell myself about the importance of setting goals to help keep me focused during uncertain times. There were times when I was unsure of the direction I was taking, because I hadn’t spent enough time defining who and where I wanted to be. Once you’ve set those goals, trust yourself to get there and listen to those that support you (ignore those who don’t). Take accountability for your actions, make no excuses and have the drive to get to where you want to be. Challenging yourself is the only way to improve and nobody else can do that for you. Ten years from now, I would tell my current self to keep doing what I’m doing now, work hard to be the best version of myself and to make sure my three year old son turns into a Scottish football supporter so that I have another shoulder to cry on! (my wife has other ideas…)

What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge for our customers over the next five years?

The vehicle insurance sector is complex and there are lots of aspects of the claims process that aren’t necessarily well understood by the customer, so they aren’t always aware of who is helping them with their claim and why. Increasingly, consumers want to understand every step in the journey, which is something we need to help them with. Added to that, the upcoming Personal Injury Reforms will have an impact on customers that have genuinely been injured as the result of a collision. Not all customers will be aware of the changes, so we need to play our part in educating them during the process of handling their claim.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

To treat others in the same way that you would do so if they were a family member.