Boating Industry

December 2014

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TOP 100 www.BoatingIndustry.com 46 | Boating Industry | December 2014 BEST TRAINING AND BENEFITS THE SAIL & SKI CENTER AUSTIN, TEXAS The Sail & Ski Center believes the best way to invest in the equity of the company is to in- vest in its employees through training, raising the staff 's efficiency and skills to the highest possible level. This belief is put into practice through the dealership's training policies, dedication to employee growth, staff recog- nition and benefits program. Sail & Ski attends all training opportuni- ties provided by its manufacturers and con- sistently attends any webinars or e-training available. Sail & Ski institutes mandatory participation in all webinars to help em- ployees stay on top of recent trends and certifications. One of the key e-trainings attended by Sail & Ski in 2013 was the Service Advisor training offered by ADP/Performance Inc., who administers Sail & Ski's Sea Ray Perfor- mance Group. This program was designed to improve communication and organization skills to provide a better customer experience. "In many service departments the Service Advisors are key touch points for the deal- ership, often dealing with customers who might be having a problem or desiring service in a time frame that is difficult to achieve," said Rod Malone, president of The Sail & Ski Center. "The Service Advisor position can be a fast-paced and stressful job." The program was worth the investment as Sail & Ski saw substantial results for the customers and for the employees. "We are dedicated to providing the parts and service personnel in our organization more than just technical training. We believe that they need training in people skills as much as our sales staff and we are commit- ted to invest in such training," said Malone. Sail & Ski is always looking for innova- tive ways to help its employees grow. This year the dealership formed the Sail & Ski Book Club. Every three months the group selects a nonfiction book and meets on a bi- weekly basis to discuss a few assigned chap- ters, review what each member learned and discuss how that information can be applied to daily work and personal lives. Sail & Ski covers the cost of the book and provides it in any format – print, e-book or audio – each member desires. "We wanted to nurture a positive culture of learning and self-improvement within our new and long-term employees," said Malone. This culture is taken to heart by Sail & Ski's management, which is self-evident in how the dealership takes care of its employ- ees. It budgets extensively for employee train- ing and offers a number of incentives. One such incentive is the Sail & Ski Employee Ap- preciation Annual Awards program. Sail and Ski hands out three "perpetual" awards: an Award of Excellence for an em- ployee who made an outstanding contribu- tion or achievement above and beyond the norm, as well as a specific Technical Achieve- ment Award for technical achievements and improvements. Nominations for these awards are taken from peers and the corporate man-

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