Archive for the ‘For Employers’ Category
Getting employee feedback
Friday, July 9th, 2010
I was very excited when the opportunity came along to spearhead an employee feedback campaign. While some may view this additional responsibility as an unneeded burden, I view it as a true value-add. Too often, I see companies moving forward with little insight into their employee’s thoughts on the state of the company. To have a chance to gain meaningful feedback from our employees is a true gift.
There are several things I want to make sure we gain from this feedback. First, I really want to make sure that the questions we ask of employees are focused enough to target specific areas of improvement. However, I also want to make sure that our employees have the freedom to report what they truly feel needs to be changed or adjusted within the company. These may seem like opposing guidelines, but I think asking direct, yet open-ended questions will get us there.
Beyond that, I also feel there needs to be some sort of measuring process to the survey. It is important that once we know how our company should improve, we have a process to understand whether initiatives are improving or not. Although this may also contradict the direct questioning, I think we can combine a rating system with those questions to get a broad understanding and the direct reasoning behind that response.
With both directives, I feel it will also be absolutely imperative that employees feel that they can openly share information and communicate. To do this, I want the survey to be anonymous, however, this presents a problem. The easiest way for us to communicate with all employees is through email and it would be difficult to have employees email back an anonymous response. A physical survey or one online would be the next best option but there is no way to track whether all employees provided their feedback. There doesn’t seem to be a perfect solution, but I’ll find a way to navigate the best one available.
The final step in my plan is really the most important. Once I have the information, what will I do with it? How will I ensure that the responses lead to actual change? This requires buy-in from senior leadership, but it also requires that there be criteria for what will be worked on and what won’t be. Once we identify what needs to be worked on, we will have to set-up timelines and start moving forward with what the employees want to see happen at the company.
I truly believe that by opening up this sort of communication we will become a much stronger company. Has your company used this sort of feedback system? What has worked best for you on the giving or receiving end? What has worked best to implement actual change within the company? I would love to get your feedback and as always, please feel free to send me a private response at: cihde@ewaldauto.com
Tags: automotive, Automotive Advantage, car dealership, employee moral, employee retention, employees, Ewald, Human Resources, managers, Milwaukee, Oconomowoc
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Supporting safe teen driving
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
There may be nothing more exciting than getting your driver’s license for the first time when you are a teenager. That is, unless you are the parent of that person! For anyone that has children, it is easy to understand what a terrifying time this can be. While nothing can completely calm the fears associated with this time, one such mom has taken it upon herself to help those in a similar situation.
As someone in the automotive industry, I am always looking for resources for our customers, some of which are parents whose children are getting their driver’s license. When I was in high school, learning to drive was a part of the curriculum and everyone was mandated to take defensive driving courses. Unfortunately, those days have passed us by and are now replaced with graduated licenses. In order to help parents through this graduated phase, Anne Scallon created Before the Wheel (beforethewheel.com).
Before the Wheel is a resource for parents that are facing their young ones learning how to drive. It provides best practices to ensure teens learn how to become safe and competent drivers. Whether it is your first time dealing with such a situation, or you have gone through it before, Before the Wheel exists to support you and your family.
One of the best things about Before the Wheel is that it is from right here in the Milwaukee area. When I met with Anne, to discuss the new project, she told me about her reason for starting the site. She talked about her first time going through the experience and about how she wished for a place of support. Instead of waiting for someone to create something for her, Anne took it upon herself to create the resource that she wished she could have had.
Ewald Automotive Group is proud to stand behind Anne and Before the Wheel. We invite anyone that is, has or will be dealing with teen drivers to visit the website at www.beforethewheel.com . It is a great resource to help parents ensure their teens stay as safe as possible while learning to drive. Thanks for the great work, Anne!
Tags: automotive, Automotive Advantage, car dealership, car sales, Ewald, Milwaukee, Oconomowoc, Safety, Teen Driving
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Race the Klements Sausage Racers this weekend!
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
Join us this Saturday, May 8th from 11am to 1pm as we grill out and race the Klements Sausage Racers! We invite everyone to bring their children to enjoy all the fun! The event is meant to help Oconomowoc Youth Baseball win a baseball diamond make-over courtesy of Chevrolet.
The event will take place at Ewald Chevrolet Buick on Highway 16 in Oconomowoc. We are proud sponsors of Oconomowoc Youth Baseball and hope you will help us support them.
Tags: automotive, baseball, Chevrolet, Chevy, Ewald, Oconomowoc, youth
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We need your help to support youth baseball in Oconomowoc
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
What a better way to start spring than Chevrolet, Baseball and the Sausage Racers! In the spirit of community collaboration and teamwork taught through youth sports, Ewald Chevrolet Buick has once again partnered with Oconomowoc Area Baseball Club through the Chevy Youth Baseball program that will include equipment donations as well as fundraising opportunities during the 2010 little league baseball season. To really kick off the event they have invited the Youth Baseball Teams and the Klements Sausage Racers to the Ewald Chevrolet Dealership May 8th.
Now in its third year in the Milwaukee area, Chevy Youth Baseball is an initiative that establishes a positive relationship between your local Chevrolet dealers and the communities they serve. Ewald Chevrolet Buick selected the Oconomowoc Area Baseball Club because of the league’s proximity to the dealership. Over the course of the season, Ewald Chevrolet Buick will donate team equipment kit items, which include: equipment bags, ball buckets, coaches’ padfolios, water bottles and t-shirts.
Ewald Chevrolet and Chevrolet Motors will also donate a Chevy Equinox which will be raffled off by participating teams, including Oconomowoc Area Baseball Club. Team and leagues that participate in the Chevy Equinox raffle keep 100 percent of the proceeds. Over the past three years local Chevy dealers have helped raise more than 3.6 million for participating leagues.
Last year’s winner of the new 2009 Chevy Tahoe was Doug Pierce of Oconomowoc. Doug purchased his winning raffle ticket through the Oconomowoc Area Baseball Club.
“We are looking forward to another great season with the Oconomowoc Area Baseball Club that will be filled with exciting games and an enhanced experience for the kids and the teams through the equipment donations” said Brian Ewald of Ewald Chevrolet Buick. “Chevy Youth Baseball is just one example of how committed our dealership is to supporting the youth and families in the Oconomowoc community.
I also wish to remind everyone to visit www.chevybaseball.com and vote for Oconomowoc’s zip code so that the children and the community can win a new ball diamond courtesy of Chevrolet and Scotts Lawn Care Company.” “It will be like hitting a double if we can win a ball diamond and have someone from the Lake Country Area win the Chevy Equinox” said Ewald.
“Chevrolet is a proud sponsor of Major League Baseball and Youth Baseball, it’s because of this relationship that we are able to host the “Kick Off Event” for the Oconomowoc Youth Baseball and have the Klements Sausage Racers at the dealership. Bring the kids to meet the Klements Sausage Racers and have your photo taken with them. We will gladly print or email them for you.” said Schutte.
For more information about Chevy Youth Baseball, visit www.chevyyouthbasebaseball.com.
For more information about helping Oconomowoc win a new Baseball Diamond visit www.chevybaseball.com.
For more information about purchasing raffle tickets to win the all new Chevy Equinox contact Steve Smith at snksmith@charter.net
Tags: automotive, Automotive Advantage, baseball, benefits, Chevrolet, Chevy, Ewald, Oconomowoc, youth
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We want to be Milwaukee’s best!
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
Over the past 46 years, the Ewald Automotive Group has worked hard to serve the Metro-Milwaukee area to the best of our ability. After this long record of service, we would like to ask you for one favor. Now through May 2, WISN.com is holding their annual A-List competition to find the best of everything in Milwaukee. For the first time ever, they are looking for the best new car dealership in the metro area.
All of us at Ewald Automotive Group would be humbled if you would be willing to take a few moments to vote for your favorite Ewald location. You can do so by visiting http://wisn.cityvoter.com/contests/spring-fever/4767/auto/dealers?page=2 and selecting which location you prefer to use. If for some reason you do not feel we are the best dealer though, we would love to know why you would not vote for us so we can continue to improve. However, for all of our loyal customers out there, we would like to thank you for an amazing 46 years and we look forward to many more!
Thanks,
Cortney
Tags: Auto, automotive, Automotive Advantage, car dealership, car sales, Ewald, Milwaukee, WISN
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The hurdles of being a manager
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
Sometimes I’m just too nice. I mean, normally being nice is a great quality to have, I have found it to help me out in business tremendously. However, when it comes time to manage employees, being too nice can be detrimental.
Now, as a manager, I have it pretty easy, I have little to complain about. I have been lucky enough to manage a great group of people. The main issue I run into is getting people to find stuff to do with their time. It is great when I give a task to an employee and they complete it just as I asked. However, if this leaves them extra time in their day and they decide to text or play on Facebook instead of working, this does not help me out. I want to be able to motivate my employees to find the next thing that needs to be accomplished and to start working on it.
Of course, this is a pretty good problem to have. In the past I have had employees that didn’t even get their assigned tasks completed. When an employee fails to follow simple instructions, I am left with little choice but to micro-manage and I HATE to micro-manage. I guess I do not understand what is so difficult about listening and completing the assignment as instructed.
However, these days are hopefully behind me now. What I really want to figure out is how to get employees to reach their potential. As I said before, it is great that you do your tasks just as you’re supposed to, but I am often left knowing that the employee can do so much more. The real trick I want to find though is how to get them to that next level themselves, instead of pushing them to go there.
So, my fellow managers, what has worked best for you? If there is possible training for my employees, or myself I would be open to that. Even if you can recommend a good book, that would be great. Or, if you have faced a similar issue with your employees, how did you handle it? I would love to learn from those that have faced this issue!
As always, feel free to respond privately: cihde@ewaldauto.com
Tags: automotive, Automotive Advantage, employee moral, employees, employer, Ewald, Human Resources, management, managers
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What is your policy on perks and discounts?
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Having had the opportunity to talk with a lot of companies, I have seen just about every perks and discount program around. I have seen everything from companies bending over backwards to get their employees the best possible perks and benefits and constantly reminding them of what is available to all-out refusal to offer any perks or discounts no matter how much they can benefit their associates. Having seen this array of offerings, I always wonder how a company decides what to offer their employees.
I have heard from companies that offer just about everything that it is important for them to make their employees feel like the company is going to bat for them. They want to find the best possible programs for their employees to show their appreciation for all the hard work. I have also heard from companies that offer nothing that if they offered one sort of program they would have to offer them all and that they do not want to make it look like they are endorsing one company over another. I guess there is a fear that if an employee has a bad experience it is because the company sent them there.
What does your company offer its employees? Is it on one side of the spectrum or somewhere in between? Also, for your human resource individuals and executives, how did you arrive at that decision? Was there an issue that needed to be changed or was it a strategic move? I am especially interested to learn how companies arrived at their decision!
Finally, for the employees out there, what perks and discounts would you like to see your company offer? Does your company ever ask you that question?
I look forward to everyone’s responses! Please feel free to respond privately at: cihde@ewaldauto.com
Thanks!
Tags: Automotive Advantage, benefits, Employee benefits, employee moral, employees, employer, Human Resources, perks
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How do you get customer feedback?
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
After being out sick last week Monday I arrived to my office Tuesday elated to have a voicemail from a customer that took advantage (pun intended!) of the Automotive Advantage program. The customer explained how elated he was with the entire shopping process and how he would be sure to recommend the program to his colleagues. Although I am used to positive feedback, it is not too often that people go out of their way to tell us they enjoyed their shopping experience.
This positive reinforcement made me think about how we get our customer feedback. Currently we are following up a purchase through the Automotive Advantage program with a survey of what the customer did or did not like. We generally receive decent feedback but a lot of people are too busy or simply forget to return the survey. I wonder if there is possibly a better way to get post-purchase feedback from our customers.
I have considered phone calls but most people know the chances of actually reaching someone are rare, especially during the work day. If we do something like a call after the customer purchase, I would want it to be personal and not simply some call center person that has no real interest in the customer, or our program, leaving a message on voicemail. I want to ensure we receive actual customer feedback, not someone simply filling out a form.
So, I once again turn to my social network for advice. I would love to hear about your best customer feedback practices. Of course, if something positively did not work, that would be great to know as well. Either way, your feedback will allow me to not only measure my own performance with our program, but also allow my company as a whole to better service our customers every time. Please feel free to send me your responses privately to: cihde@ewaldauto.com
Tags: automotive, Automotive Advantage, benefits, car buying, customer feedback, customer service
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We need your help to go green
Monday, February 15th, 2010
The green topic has been in the mainstream media for sometime now and it continues to get attention. As a corporation, Ewald Automotive Group has made the decision to become more environmentally conscious. Since this is our first attempt to move the needle, I would like your feedback on the subject.
As of right now we are considering several different options to make Ewald more “green.” The first of these is to put a major effort behind recycling 100% of the items that can be recycled. While this sounds fairly simple, implementation could be difficult. Our main question with this option is enforcement. Besides educating our employees and reminding them from time to time, how do we ensure everyone is recycling?
We are also looking at replacing our standard light bulbs with energy efficient models. As of right now it appears to be a substantial initial investment but one that will save us money by reduced energy and increasing bulb life. Does anyone have any solid numbers on what the ROI timeframe is or what the best bulbs are? A difficulty we face with bulbs is that we need a wide range of them. Our facilities have everything from standard office lighting to industrial units for our shops.
We also want to look into other energy saving possibilities within our dealerships but we have yet to find anything that would warrant the investment. If anyone has any ideas on how we could improve our energy consumption in a cost effective manner, I would love to hear about it.
Besides these things we are open to any other suggestions that you have. We consider this an important step to take in 2010 so we welcome your feedback. Please feel free to send me your suggestions: cihde@ewaldauto.com
Tags: automotive, car dealership, energy efficient, environmental, Ewald, green, recycling
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Am I too salesy?
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
When I made the decision to go “all in” with social media four months ago I had two goals in mind: education and discussion. Along the way, it has been brought to my attention that my goals may not be coming across in my posts. I would like to take a step back and discuss this for a moment.
Each week, when I decide what to write about, I look at issues that have come up in our dealerships. My thought process is that if one person is facing this issue, there must be more out there. I attempt to write blog posts that will let people know why that issue arises and how to address it. I also attempt to ask questions relevant to that issue in order to find out other people’s opinions. I feel that feedback allows me to be better at my job and serve my customers better.
While following this plan, several people have expressed that my posts and questions come off as being “salesy.” To me, this is a big problem because that is the last thing that I want to portray. However, as I review my posts, I have trouble seeing where those people are coming from. I have also reviewed other postings in forums and they appear to come across as much more sales focused than mine. I wonder if the negative response is due to my actual posts, or some people’s negative connotation of the auto industry.
I do want to say, though, that not all responses have been negative. As a matter of fact, the majority of the social media world has been very open and embraced my initiative. I brought this topic to the surface in order to make my position clear, and encourage dialogue as to how to constantly improve how I help my social media connections. I want to ensure my posts are educational and create discussion but I do not feel that I should have to avoid talking about my place of work, as it is key to my insight.
And so with one caveat, I will open up the discussion. I request that all responses do not attempt to personally attach me or air grievances about the auto industry that I cannot control. I honestly look forward to everyone’s constructive feedback!
Tags: Auto, Automotive Advantage, car buying
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