Culture of caring leads to exemplary Customer Service!

​It’s oil change day and as I rolled into Wilde Honda in Sarasota, bright and early—I had a smile on my face.   Why?  Well, one reason is that I am and always will be a Wilde Fan.  Additionally, I knew I was going to see some people that I care about and that made me smile.   Also, I knew I was probably going to get a few hugs—and hugs always make my heart happy.  (Yes, I hug people—yes, I’m HR—I like to keep the “Human” in Human Resources.)
 
As I pulled in, Melissa, my advisor approached me.   While I know a lot of employees at Wilde Honda, Melissa is a new face.  She greeted me with a warm and welcoming smile, iPad in hand and asked for my name so she could look up my appointment.  I liked her immediately.  Her manner was pleasant and she treated me as if she cared.  Her smile was genuine—you know, one of those smiles that reaches the eyes.  She created instant rapport with me, joking and laughing, while efficiently taking care of my service needs.  
 
Getting vehicle serviced can be an annoying task—but necessary.  These days I’m so busy that it sometimes feels challenging to have to stop and take care of these mundane life tasks.  Having someone like Melissa in the drive can make all the difference to my entire experience.  Melissa seems to be a perfect fit for the extraordinary culture at Wilde Honda.

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​CULTURE = WHAT IT IS LIKE TO WORK AROUND HERE
 

Wilde has very low turnover (around 26% when I was working for them)—that is one of the reason’s I know for sure that IS possible for our industry.  This year we have watched turnover industry wide go UP—after a year of chatter about attracting, selecting, and hiring the “right” people.  I’ve believed for a long time that simply focusing on hiring the right people is just the beginning of a solution.  It’s just bandage on a wound when it’s not followed by strategies that move toward a real retention solution.
 
I’m convinced that there is no one answer to our turnover issues.  I believe that every dealer is unique and as such, their particular turnover problems will be unique and therefore the solutions for each dealer will be a little different.  I do believe however, that employee retention issues revolves around the much bandied about word—Culture. 
 
When I was finishing my Bachelors I had this awesome Professor--Professor Dudley.  I loved him because he was not only intelligent and fun—but he also served as VP of HR for a large insurance company for many years and I appreciated his real world experience.  He gave a very simple definition of “culture” that has stayed with me.  Culture = What it’s like to work around here.   

CULTURE START FROM THE TOP

​The employees at Wilde Honda know that they are actually cared about.  How do they know?  That starts with the General Manager, Skip Strasburger.  Skip is one of the most genuine and maybe the nicest person I’ve ever met in my life.  I'm not exaggerating.  If you know him, you know what I mean.  He takes the time to let his people know that he cares.  When a Wilde Honda employee has a birthday or work anniversary, they can be assured that Skip is coming around with his hand written balloon.  It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference.  I know from experience.  I get the balloon too—even now, that I’m no longer an employee with Wilde—I know that in a week or so, I’m going to see a balloon message on my Facebook feed from Skip, wishing me Happy Birthday.  I know I’m cared about.  So do his employees.  Anyone who has worked with or for Skip, knows that when receiving a card or note from Skip, it is signed “Thank you for all you do!”  Across the board, at every level of the dealership—employees know they are appreciated. 

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GREAT EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE = GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

​Customer experience is ultra-important is it not?  It’s generally accepted that truly amazing customer experience comes from genuine caring from the company, delivered through employees solving problems and exceeding client needs.  How do we create an environment where employees develop genuine caring?  I think one of the first places to start is to have genuine caring for them—for their experience within the company.
 
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE—Aren’t employees our internal customers?  I’ve always held this to be true:  I have three customers when working for a dealer:  The dealer/company first and foremost, department heads—helping them achieve their goals and creating learning relationships, and employees.  It’s logical that if we apply the same principals of caring customer service to our internal customers/stakeholders that we will begin to see positive changes in the organization.  My experience—and the experience at Wilde Honda shows that the first dividend will be evident in lowered turnover.