Formula Dealers Praised for Outstanding Practices

Formula Boats is represented by many hard-working, customer oriented dealerships. To recognize their efforts in achieving excellence, Formula introduced the Best Practice Awards honoring five areas in which dealers can excel: Service Process, Customer Follow-Up, Employee Training and Development, Facility and Sales Process. This recognition began by honoring efforts for the 2007 model year, with dealers receiving awards at the 2008 Dealer Meeting. New award winners were recognized at the 2009 Formula Dealer Meeting.

The Best Practice Award for Service Process is awarded for high scores on CSI (customer satisfaction index) surveys for follow-up service needs as well as warranty work. This year’s Service Process Award winner is Erickson Marine of Hastings, Minnesota. Erickson Marine has averaged a 99% score for the past four quarters, including many 100% surveys. These scores are a direct result of the expert training and professionalism of their service staff.

Customer Follow-Up is ever important to customer satisfaction and future business. South Austin Marine of Austin, Texas, has personified exceptional customer follow-up, making them a two-time winner of Formula’s Best Practice Award for Customer Follow-Up. South Austin Marine follows up with 100% of their customers, generally by phone. This practice results in a perfect 100% rating for the dealership compared to the national average rating of 87%. Formal follow-up procedures allow South Austin to continually monitor customer satisfaction, resolve issues in a timely manner and adjust their policies and procedures as needed to better meet their customers’ expectations.

Employees are businesses’ number one asset. Development and training improves not only the employee, but also the business. Hampton Watercraft and Marine of Hampton Bays, New York, earned the Best Practice Award for Employee Training and Development. Each position at the dealership features a highly detailed job description which defines responsibilities for each employee and serves as a measurement tool during annual employee reviews. Hampton’s management also takes time to cross-train its employees. Each position at the dealership is assigned a specific secondary position to ensure consistent dealership performance even in the event of unexpected absenteeism. Hampton’s employees also receive continuous training throughout the year. During the off season, a dedicated training area is established in the service shop for employees to participate in online training and review manufacturer literature. All courses attended by employees are then discussed at weekly departmental meetings so that everyone can benefit.

The facility of any dealership is the first impression of any potential customer. Walker’s Marine’s 20,000-square-foot Marco Island, Florida, showroom already provided customers with a comfortable, luxurious atmosphere in which to shop for a new boat, and the facility seemed to need few, if any, improvements. The Dealer Certification program has helped Walker’s Marine implement mandatory quarterly facility inspections, getting feedback from employees and customers. In this process, any attribute receiving a score of two or lower is reviewed by management and ownership to develop a plan for resolution. Employee involvement in the facility inspection process has also resulted in one unforeseen benefit — employees have taken increased ownership in maintaining professional work areas and take great pride in the overall appearance of the facility. For these reasons, Formula rewarded Walker’s Marine with the Best Practice Award for Facility.

The Best Practice Award for Sales Process goes to Shipyard Marine of Suamico, Wisconsin. As part of the Sales Process, Shipyard Marine takes an active approach in promoting itself in its market. Aside from numerous spring launch, customer appreciation and end-of-season events, Shipyard Marine also hosts many off-site sales events at popular local restaurants and malls. During this past winter’s holiday season, a three-month lease of a store in a local mall resulted in traffic of nearly 300 persons per day. Also introducing a new logo and website have helped frame a new mindset and goals for the dealership to continue the outstanding sales process.

Formula Best Practice Awards are based on the core concepts of the Marine Industry Dealership Certification Program, designed to increase customer service levels in the marine industry. Recipients of this year’s awards were determined by reviews of dealership applications, customer nominations and Formula on-site visits. Congratulations to these outstanding Formula dealerships for earning the 2008 Formula Best Practice Awards!