Vi Wagstaff
Partner Profile
Customer Service Advisor
Joined 1999
Before I joined the Partnership I worked for C&A for nearly 30 years, before being made redundant. I always knew that John Lewis was a great place to work because of their reputation for looking after staff, great benefits and fantastic customer service. So it was the obvious choice for me.
The training I’ve received has been fantastic. I have received so much training in my time here and have gained so much knowledge in customer service and computer skills.
The Partnership is different because it thrives on being the best in the industry and caring for its Partners. There is always someone on hand if you need help or advice, and receiving a bonus in recognition of all the hard work that has been put in to increase profits is wonderful.
My proudest moment at the Partnership was not long after I started when I had a plea from a customer to find her little boy’s lost toy. Unfortunately it wasn’t found, so I sent the little boy a soft doggie toy with a letter asking him to look after it as it was looking for a new home. The mum was over the moon and the story reached our Head Office. This was the start of our Random Acts of Kindness initiative which is about making customer happy without it having to be about a complaint. The story has been used in a presentation shown all around the Partnership as an example of good customer service.
The best part of my job is friendly colleagues, making customers happy and never knowing what each day will bring.
The most challenging aspect of my job is dealing with certain customer complaints, especially when they have to be resolved quickly, in a certain timeframe.
The culture of my store is very friendly and helpful. I’d say ‘teamwork’ best sums up the culture.
The personal qualities you need are patience, good listening skills, kindness and friendliness, with a good telephone manner and all-round communication skills.
