EXCEEDING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS
By Kirk Kazanjian
© 2007 by Literary Productions
reviewed by Scott Urban
All companies talk about providing customer service, but how many really “walk the talk?” Jack Taylor and his son Andy took Enterprise Rental from a start-up leasing agency to a $9 billion global company in 50 years, by doing just that. They credit their success to a simple philosophy: “Take care of your customers and employees first, and the profits will follow.
Table of Contents
Take Care of Your Customers and Employees, and the Bottom Line will Follow
“I didn’t start out wanting to get rich,” says Jack Taylor, founder of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “Ensuring that customers were well taken care of and employees were happy – those were the most important things.” Here are some of his major points
· Make everyone feel special
· Go beyond the call
· Think ahead
· Surround yourself with like-minded people
· Stand tall in tough times
To Gain a Competitive Edge, Be Different
He started the business by attracting an overlooked customer, the non-airport renter and kept his mind and his options open. His thoughts on the subject:
· Be open to opportunity
· Pick customers up…the breakthrough that sent Enterprise skyrocketing
· Take advantage of market voids
Never Settle for “Satisfied”
As Enterprise grew it was determined to maintain exceptional service, so it developed one of the simplest yet most effective programs to track customer service. It is called ESQi – Enterprise Service Quality index. It measures customer satisfaction and is crucial to all employees because this is the measure for determining who gets promoted. Enterprise’ six points of satisfaction
· Personal courtesy
· Professionalism
· Timeliness of service
· Personal treatment as a valued customer
· Condition of the car
· Timeliness to complete rental transaction
Hire and Train People from the Ground Up
Enterprise hires thousands of new employees each year that fall into two categories; recent college grads and people wanting to begin a new career in a structured management program. The basis for keeping good people is simple:
· Create opportunity
· Promote from within
Treat Everyone Like an Owner
Enterprise is one of the few companies that allows employees to behave and be compensated like an owner
· Pay on company and individual performance
· Move up based on “wowing” customers with excellence in service
Form Strong Partnerships
In Enterprise’ case that mainly means forming bonds with insurance companies. Enterprise developed ARMS (automated rental management system) to make it easy for insurance companies to manage the entire process of working with customers electronically. In addition, they have continually updated this program to make tracking vehicle repair easy. As a result, Enterprise remains the preeminent leader in the insurance replacement field.
Use Technology to Enhance the Customer Experience
Enterprise works on the philosophy that technology should, first and foremost, serve the customer. Senior management has consistently supported IT’s initiatives to find modern solutions to customer problems. They are also a company that develops their programs in-house so that they are all written specifically for the car rental business.
Grow Smart
Enterprise has let the market and economy dictate how and how fast they would grow. They stood tough during the rough times and moved fast when the market was clear. It wasn’t until the 90’s when they finally entered the airport market and while other companies are seeing their market shrink, Enterprise continues to grow and flourish.
Live Your Core Values
Enterprise says that their eight founding values are what define and drive us. They are:
· Our brand is the most valuable thing we own
· Personal honesty and integrity are the foundation of our success
· Customer service is our way of life
· Enterprise is a fun and friendly place, where teamwork rules
· We work hard … and we reward hard work
· Great things happen when we listen … to our customers and to each other
· We strengthen our communities, one neighborhood at a time
. Our doors are open
Andy Taylor says, “these values are the reasons why customers should want to do business with you, why talented people would want to build their careers with you and why neighbors are glad to have you in their community.
In Summary
If you’d like to read an interesting book about a values based business model that has brought about terrific success and perhaps find a way to adapt much of that model to your business, try “EXCEEDING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS”
Contact Scott Urban with any questions or comments