First impressions matter

Although they are all valid reasons when making a decision about which car to buy, there is a staff member who, owing to COVID-19, has become central to making a good first impression - the person at the entrance of the dealership. Every day this person makes sure hands are sanitised and temperatures are checked to check whether customers are “cool” enough to enter.

In our experience at Dealerfloor, many receptionists are super professional, going about their business in a concise and effective manner. However, once in a blue moon, we experience someone who makes us take a step back and say: “Wowzer, I feel like buying a car, even though I am not even in the market for one.” One such lady is Christina Ndlovu, the livewire and witty receptionist at Tom Campher Volvo Cars in Auckland Park.

If you are prepared for some banter and quick-wit answers to almost anything, Christina is the one to talk to – and you will, because obviously, she is the first one you will meet when you visit the dealership. Right at the door.

According to Christina, she started working for Tom Campher Volvo Cars in 1996 when the dealership moved to its current site. Before that she worked as a petrol pump attendant at the Engen petrol station.

“I am a leader, the first impression someone gets of the company, and as a receptionist, I am the proverbial face of the company. To be able to do that every day, makes me very proud of who I am and where I am working,” she said.