Retailer Invests in Reputation with Customer Facing Program
Published: June 2004
Overview
STS Group was established in 1937 and now has a retail centre network that covers most of the South and South East of England. With 52 centres comprising of STS Group Tyre & Exhaust, Holburn Tyres & Exhausts, Man on Wheels and Tyreweb. These centres carry out a wide variety of fast-fit services, including tyres, exhausts, MOTs, batteries, brakes, shock absorbers and general servicing.
Working with motor training specialist Acorn Management Associates has begun the ongoing process of training and development of staff at STS Group from a retail perspective. Training has helped to increase awareness of how to handle customers effectively and understand how to improve on the business opportunities available.
Background
Last year Hertfordshire based STS Group made a decision to invest in a full training program for senior team members on the retail side throughout its 52 UK centres. STS Group aim is to offer a first class to service and ensure customers receive the ultimate customer service experience. The objective for STS Group was to formulate a development plan to provide a customer service outside the industry's poor reputation.
The first stage was to determine how STS Group was performing at the time so that a bespoke development program could be created to identify specific requirements. Acorn initially conducted a doctored vehicle and telephone mystery shop, highlighting the overall areas for improvement. This was followed by two business reviews to assess systems and procedures and six training needs analysis to align training to the business development program.
In total 8 businesses were reviewed and a detailed overview of all systems and processes was put together. It is important to carry out this process first as it clearly lays down an initial measurement and determines a cost effective solution.
Acorn then recommended some changes to systems and processes and implemented an in-depth training program for the 52 STS Group sites in the UK where key members of the team such as technicians, assistant managers and managers were provided with customer facing training aimed at long term business development.
STS Group and its staff felt that the program offered a great deal of value. Alan Denton, Operations Director from STS Group points out “Once systems were reviewed and analysed it provided us with the opportunity to see how we worked as a business from a different perspective. It was a positive move to invest in training and improve on existing systems, it's vital that STS Group constantly reassesses and evaluate the business so that it runs effectively. We have had a successful few months and we link this directly to the program”.
Sylvester Allen, Regional Manager of STS Group who attended the training admits, “At the beginning we didn't know what we'd get out of training but it has proved to be a great boost for us as individuals and as a company. Feedback from those who attended the training sessions has been positive and has inspired renewed enthusiasm. Acorn provided experienced professionals with in-depth knowledge of the industry and could talk about the benefits of customer care as well as understanding in-depth business issues”.
Benefits
Training and development is an important incentive to all companies no matter what trade they are in. Most employees in the motor industry are mechanically minded and understanding the business as a whole can help them to contribute to it. As the training is customer focused it helps to create an understanding about how to handle customers and build the business both over the short and long term.
Glenn Peake, National Training Manager from Acorn says: “The people who attend training find that they benefit through the transfer of knowledge and skills. Being able to share experiences creates an understanding of the business, how to deal with situations and gain a sense how performance can directly affect the business”.
The benefits of training have provided STS Group staff with the opportunity to gain knowledge on how improving systems and the customer experience can have a positive impact on the business and help production.
