Gerry Dalrymple has been with Allied for almost seven years, and in that time has helped hundreds of customers to find a better quality of life through purchase of a wheelchair accessible vehicle. He spoke to us about why he loves his work and how his own disability gives him a unique insight within his team into the needs of the customers he helps each day.
What does your standard work day look like?
A typical day involves me doing outbound calls to customers who are up for renewal on the Motability Scheme and keeping on top of that. We normally call them six months before the end of their lease to see if they’d like a demonstration for a new vehicle.
I also take inbound calls from new customers, or our existing customers with enquiries about their wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV). Sometimes Motability will contact them and say, “it’s time to start looking for a new WAV,” so they’ll contact us, and we’ll get the process started for them.
And how long have you worked at Allied now?
Just over six and a half years. Before that I was at Aviva for a short time, just four months, and before that I worked for Quick Fit Insurance for 19 years.
What made you leave after 19 years?
It was redundancy, unfortunately. I was out of work for a long time after that, for 18 months.
I think having a disability, to be honest, was a barrier to finding new work. I found that with some interviews I would go to they didn’t have wheelchair access, even though I told them on the application form I was disabled and a wheelchair user. That was very disappointing, and a bit of an eye-opener for me.
But it toughened me up a wee bit. Not every workplace is the same and has the accessibility requirements I need like Allied does.
Being a wheelchair user yourself, does that give you some insight into what our customers need, that your colleagues wouldn’t necessarily have?
It definitely does. I think I have an advantage over the other people in my team, in a good way. If I’m dealing with a customer, I think it’s easier for me to put myself in their shoes.
I sometimes mention to customers that I’m a wheelchair user as well, and it puts them at ease because a lot of customers that we get, they’re first-time users to the Motability Scheme, so it can be a bit daunting for them.
You said it can be daunting for some customers, what kind of things have you heard from customers who are new to it all?
One of the common things that we hear is that they don’t want to be seen in a car with a ramp on it, because they think it’s going to draw attention. So, they’re quite hesitant; I tell them, “it’s going to get you out and about, it’s going to give you a better quality of life,” and when they start to think about it in those terms that really helps.
When they get the demonstration and they see the vehicle, that plays a big part in them coming around, because they can actually experience it and see that it’s a great thing. Up to that point they might have been confined to the house and never thought they’d be able to get out and go places.
Even something as simple as being able to go to the shops can be life-changing for some customers.
So, from that point of view, for me, coming into this job, it just fit like a glove. I really put a lot of passion into it, because I know how difficult it is to get out and about.
Having a WAV is a lifesaver for a lot of people, and from that perspective I just love what I do. And if a customer comes back to us when it’s time to renew, I know I’ve done something right. I take a lot of satisfaction from my job.
What are some of the more challenging aspects of the role?
Well, we do one Saturday a month in our team, and you’re dealing with a lot of different calls that you might not deal with during the week. Most of them are customer service based, maybe enquiries about their WAV or something about the technical side.
An example I had recently was a lady called in and her WAV wasn’t locking. This was a Saturday, so it was going to remain unlocked until the Monday because customer service is closed on a Saturday, and I wasn’t really sure how to help.
One of my colleagues ended up speaking to the customer and said, “take it to a local dealership and they can keep it secure until Monday,” and that’s how it ended up getting resolved. But I wouldn’t have thought to say that, because it’s not the kind of thing I normally deal with and haven’t come across it before. So those are the challenges, really, when you’re faced with something outside of your experience or knowledge.
How would you describe the company culture here at Allied?
In my experience working for Allied has been brilliant. Everyone I’ve met has been so helpful. If you need something or you’re not sure about something, there’s always somebody to help you out.
In some workplaces, people stay within their own clique and their own departments, and it’s just not like that here. I’ve worked in call centres where you’re expected to be almost robotic, don’t talk to anybody, stay on script, that kind of thing. But that’s not Allied, and I think that’s great for the customers that we deal with because they don’t want somebody to be a robot. They want to have that human interaction.
Do you have a favourite memory of your time at Allied so far?
The summer party was great. I got to meet people that I wouldn’t normally, and I’d maybe only dealt with by email or over the phone.
I think though, the biggest one is when I got this wheelchair. Allied contributed half the cost of it, because it was very expensive, so that was a really good day for me because it made me feel like I really am appreciated in the company, and it actually made me feel quite humble.
If you could tell someone just one thing about working here, what would it be?
It’s a fantastic place to work. I know people say that every time but it’s true. People go out of their way to help you here and, in other places I’ve worked that’s not always been the case.
I can’t speak highly enough about it, because the things I’ve seen them do just in the time I’ve been here blows my mind.
When you’re not working, what do you do to unwind?
Well, I don’t drive any longer, but I live with my mum, so we like to get out and about. We like taking a wee drive down the west coast or down to Ayr or maybe head up north for a while.
I always like to do something with my time off; I don’t like to feel as though I’ve wasted a day.
Any particular hobbies? Maybe a TV show or books you would recommend?
I’ve been watching that new Scottish drama on Netflix, Department Q; I’d recommend that. I also like old mafia movies, like the Godfather. Anything with a good story, really. I was a big fan of Homeland when that was on as well.
What’s something that not many people at Allied would know about you?
Probably what my particular disability is.
I have Spinabifida. It’s a fairly common defect but I think most people don’t know what it is or what causes it. They’ve discovered that it’s caused by a lack of folic acid in the mother’s diet when she’s pregnant, and that causes the spine to not form properly.
Some people ask me about it and I’m quite happy to talk about my disability. It’s part of me, part of who I am. I don’t go out of my way to talk about it but if they ask, I’ll happily tell them.
Sometimes it’s a good icebreaker on the phone to customers, if they say, “I have Spinabifida,” I tell them I do too, and it helps put them at ease.
And finally, if you hadn’t ended up in this job, what’s something else you might have done?
Well, I’ve always had to be quite realistic about the jobs I considered – I was never going to end up on a building site, for example! So, I’ve always only ever considered office-based jobs. I never really considered doing anything else.
My goal every morning is just to get up and go to work, because a lot of people in my position don’t have that outlook. I have off-days like everyone else but I’m just glad I’ve got that kind of get-up-and-go that keeps me motivated.
So, I’m just going to keep doing this as long as I can, and maybe someday I’d like to learn about other roles within Allied, and other areas of the business to get another perspective.
