windscreen technician

technician

technician trainee

branch manager

housekeeper

National-Windscreens

Shifts consisted of between 7 and 12 hours.
Admin was the main heart of the call centre.
The call centre operative would take the call, the Admin team would then authorise any work that needed doing with insurance companies etc. The job would then be passed on to the relevant depot to be actioned. One of my main roles was the European accounts that we held, this involved keeping up to date with the different countries ensuring the rules and regulations of the different countries were followed through out the whole process. Reports were key in this role as this helped reduce the risk within the control room and meant we could implement any changes needed to reduce further risk and ensure accuracy.
In a night shift answering the calls is the key job but as it gets later the calls reduce, this is the best time to complete the invoices by inputting them onto the in-house system and ensuring information is correct before being sent out to customers. Complaints came in on a regular basis although we could pass these to complaints in working hours, when this was not possible we would ensure that the complaint is recorded accurately ready for the complaints to deal with.
Out of hours involved passing emergency jobs to the fitters once all depots were closed. This would often be broken door glasses and would be passed to the fitter in order to replace the glass or secure the vehicle so it is still insured.This was a very high pressured job and a lot of the time the control room relied on admin to ensure smooth running.
There was a high turn over of staff within the control room as in any call centre.
The admin team however were a close knit team and we got on very well.
I found the staff here to be friendly and i have made some friends that i still keep in contact. The company as a whole was a brilliant company to work for and i left on my own terms.
Pay was really good and bonuses were paid regularly.
The hours of this position were extremely varied and long due to the nature of the work involved. 
The most enjoyable part of the job for me was the satisfaction, happy customers and happy staff. The hardest part of the job was complaints as it is sometimes hard to calm a customer and to explain things to them knowing that listening and ensuring we recorded all conversations was the only thing we could do until resolved by complaints.

Have 15 years experience as a windscreen tech... 12 of those for national.


Everything you read is true.   No lunch break, callout payments are pathetic, management with no clue,  long hours... so why was i there so long??

 The early days i was single and me and one other kept our local depot open. Was 2 of us doing the work of 4 or 5, and it built a bit of pride in the place. We werent going to be beaten and it was "our" place. However i slowly realised as i got promoted to supervisor and management nothing was really appreciated. I quit all that and went back on the tools. The problem is even if your not on call you regularly get told you have to work late to gelp cover 2 man call outs, get phone calls from the call centre to get you out because a fitter from another area wasnt answering his phone and told you you HAD to go out (was never anything said to the oncall fitter about not answering his phone mind) etc. Even had it when i was on holiday once.

We started being a pain to management. Would force the fact we were having our lunch break, refuse to help extra call out at the drop of a hat, would only cover our own area etc. Things have improved on the payment of call outs i believe since i left 5 years ago but the money paid is not inline with a skilled job for which it is.

Made some very good mates from it but i do look back and wish i hadnt let it run my life for so many years.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Route planning is terrible, expectations and job loads are high and appreciation of hard work is non existent.

If you want to finish on time and your a mobile technician and not fitting in a branch you won't, area coverage is huge. 

Most days you will be expected to drive up to 2hours before you'll get to your first job.

The bonus scheme is totally unachievable so the top wage that is displayed is not achievable either.

The grading scheme that will get used to determine your wage is ridiculous as to gain bonus and reach a decent basic wage means your average of daily jobs needs to be high and if you receive a come back on a job any bonus you might have been able to achieve from putting in a lot of hard work will get thrown out of the window which in turn effects your grading and basic wage.

By far the worst windscreen company I've ever worked for.

They will sell you a dream and then deliver you a nightmare.

Avoid at all costs.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Everything about working for nationl Windscreens is stressful

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Everyone is stressed, tired and angry due to huge pressures and also a huge lack of team work and support from management.

It is a highly unappreciative culture and you will be just a number.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Highly Stressful and disheartening

Started working at the Dorchester Depot and found the other techs and manager where all easy to get along with, great attitude towards work and very friendly. Due to staff changes I was relocated to Yeovil depot who had lost some techs.
At first thought this was going to be great as it was less of a commute from home to work and would be in a more local area. However, after a great start with the company I sion realized I had been lucky in my first placement. The management at yeovil had no control of procedures, would place all techs under pressure to complete more jobs than acceptable in a time frame and expected you to work to a time schedule according to manufacturer specs and not the real world of a 15yr plus old car, or a brand new zero mile dealership car. Causing pressure, rushing and errors. I first hand witnessed complete disregard for the bonding process for DOW products with the non caring attitude of the techs when pointed out the errors and failure it will lead to. Further more the division of work from head office to regional depots is very poor with yeovil depot doing mainly commercial vehicles, from vans to articulated trucks. When the company has their own commercial glazing division? Resulting in domestic techs doing work the went assessed or trained for.

I worked for this lot for a few years. I started on minimum wage with a pay rise at 3 and 6 monthly reviews.After 7 months I hadnt had a review or a pay rise and eventually did when I asked. My two pay rises totalled 10p per hour!! Your working hours are taken for granted as they will take work on for you and give you overtime without even asking. You are expected to be "on call" for absolute peanuts. Management have no idea how to repair or fit a windscreen yet feel they can question how you do your job! Bonus scheme is unachievable unless you rush jobs but then you get a rectification if the job isnt right so you cant win either way. Expected to work through your legally entitled lunch which you cant take as they track your 2nd hand 10yr old rust bucket van.Without a doubt the biggest bunch of mickey mouse "autoglass" wannabes ive ever encountered. They  even brand their company identical to National Express just so people will notice them because no one has ever heard of them. Small small company in a big big pond. Avoid!!!

In my time at the company I have become a better Technician, learning new skills and approaches. However, the company was bought out by another partner in the group and things have changed. Excessive workloads/travel time are now the norm. Roughly 50% of the product we are receiving from our main distributor (a Sister company) is scratched or damaged. 50% of the scratched glass received we are told to fit so the NPS/Time to Serve figures aren’t affected adversely. Essential tools and products no longer available, or switched to cheaper lower quality equivalents. Morale is so low below director level, that experienced Techs, Manager and Call Centre Agents are leaving or contemplating it. Technicians made to operate hand held devices whilst driving. Customer Experience placed above Technician appreciation. The Customer always used to be the hardest part of the job…now it’s Senior Management

When you first start as a windscreen fitter you'll be put though a whole two weeks of training, at your own cost - which does not cover half of what the job entails. You'll be allocated a company van that'll be 6th hand and poorly maintained or even unroadworthy. You'll then have to buy the tools off them, tools which are cheap and outdated, on top of that they also make money flipping these tools to you. 

Your day will consist of being over loaded with work(6-7 jobs per day). Jobs that you have not been trained to do.. But, if you try to address this to the management they will belittle you and make you feel worthless.

The management have never actually done the job but feel as though they are experts.

You will be made to work though your lunch.

You will be made to go on standby all night for less than minimum wage.

Callout pay is SHOCKING.

They're too many bad things to list.. All I can say is if you are reading this please, if you value your list do not work for these cowboys.

The customer reviews say it all. By far the most poorly run company and the most out of touch leadership and behind technology middle management I’ve ever worked for. The computer system often do not work, are the most inefficient you could dream up, and there’s no accountability what so ever. 

Read the reviews! Technicians  regularly fail to show up for jobs with no notice or rebooking offer, jobs are scheduled knowing the glass won’t be in stock, and all to please upper management with low turnaround on appointments when they cook the books to blame the missed scheduling on the customer rather than the asinine practices and the lack of decency, follow  through, and communication. And who gets the brunt of these abysmal failures of leadership all the way from the top down? Us call center staff. Hard to toe the line and lye to the customer when it’s obviously apparent we never intended to fulfill the booked appointment. 

0/10 do not recommend for service or employment 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Providing a service to motorists in their time of need
Communicating with various  sources to get the job done


What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Trying to work to the time constraints of the workshops to the customers satisfaction

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Friendly and helpful
Willing to accommodate employees needs

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
From logging on to end of day it is a fast paced environment
Booking customers in to get the windscreen replaced or fixed either through insurers or privately  
Taking the details and arranging for the technician to attend or customer to take the vehicle to a centre
Problem solving any delays or changes in the process due to customers needs or centres availability

What is the best part of working at the company?
When I first started it was like working in a big family and learning from the elders that had many years experience and the crack was good 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
People getting in the way people moaning 
And the senior management towards the later end of my days 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Was brilliant at the start and then it drastically deteriorated as the years went on with the new changes the company had many changes 
The hr couldn’t run a bath and senior management are what I call MIA ( missing in action)

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It was great would go out have a laugh and get the work done and cover up the mess others had done

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Windscreen technician 127 salaries reported	£29,981 per year
Technician 42 salaries reported	£32,106 per year
Technician trainee 34 salaries reported	£27,928 per year
Branch manager 6 salaries reported	£37,333 per year
Housekeeper 5 salaries reported	£23,505 per year

Working at National Windscreens: company overview and reviews

National Windscreens

National Windscreens ratings

Popular jobs at National Windscreens

Salary satisfaction

Jobseeker tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected