a
publication
No. 6
30 min. update
Winter 2013
4
ur futu
re
Inve
yo n i t
!
Av
ail
able
h2
013
re a h S ey r a m l e s l Wo ve Prog Sa c r a from m dfd
Your Top Priority in 2013
s
Make this
12
A Trojan horse
Corporate
Heroes
in Twello
Win an
iPhone
sometimes wear a suit and tie
2 Europe’s (2nd) best staff magazine! 16 Tobler closer to becoming a full service provider
5 Ta ho ke m m e e
8
Inside
Charlotte Gullach Büttrich Chief Editor editor@fittings.nu
We find solutions together “We replicate the best ideas”
7 4
Congrats! You are reading Europe’s (second) best staff magazine!
Make this your Top Priority How to make 2013 a fantastic year
10
Act with Integrity
12
A Trojan horse in Twello
14
Close, closer, closest
16
Stolen - with permission from Ferguson
Wolseley corporate values Ideas@work Ideas@work
Sweet 16
19
Let me ENGAGE you!
24
Fittings Quiz
Action Plans Employee Engagement Survey
8
Corporate Heroes sometimes wear a suit and tie
USEFUL NUMBERS Tobler CFM Wasco
+41 44 735 50 00 +352 4995-1 +31 88 099 5000
OÄG +43 50406 0 DT Group +45 39559700 Wolseley +44 118 929 8700
Fittings is a perfect example of how we collaborate. It supports and promotes collaboration and the sharing of excellent ideas across business units. According to a panEuropean jury, we’re doing a great job. Fittings has been named the second best staff magazine in Europe 2012.
Around 2,000 colleagues read Fittings in five languages, three times a year. It’s only 24 pages an issue but nothing on these pages is left to chance. An editorial board that includes representatives from all of the business units ensures the quality of the magazine. For our readership there are specific magazine qualities that matter to them – content, look and feel, translation, availability and relevance, which is probably the most difficult of all to get right. We have to take different cultures, functions and expectations into consideration. Putting all of this together to create a balanced magazine isn’t easy. A Tobler colleague picking items in Däniken has different reading preferences to a sales colleague in a branch in ÖAG. But overall, we succeed pretty well. The federation of European business com-
munications associations (FEIEA) has named Fittings as the 2nd best magazine in Europe from among a group of topprofessional publications from 14 competing nations. Considering the fact that Fittings is only two years old, this is impressive. Something we can all can be proud of. We’re constantly looking for projects, ideas and initiatives that can inspire colleagues at different levels of the organisation. Our editorial staff usually have a good understanding of what is going on in the units and they’re close to the MDs. This helps to ensure that the magazine’s content is always relevant to the business
Happy reading You can write to Charlotte at editor@fittings.nu Feel free to share your ideas and comments – both positive and critical.
Fittings issue 6 · Distributed February 2013 · Fittings is the employee magazine for Wolseley CE staff in Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. Publication by Wolseley CE. Circulation: 2,300. Available languages: English, German, Dutch, Italian and French. Editorial responsibility: Wolseley CE/Charlotte Gullach Büttrich. Journalistic production and project management: Radical Communications/Patrick May. Design and layout: Appetizer.dk/Simon Johnsen. Photography: Martijn vd Griendt & Günter Wohlschlager. Print: CoolGray. Editorial committee: DT Group/Charlotte Gullach Büttrich, editor@fittings.nu; Wasco/Sacha Büchele, s.buchele@wasco.nl; ÖAG/Markus Woegerbauer, Markus.WOEGERBAUER@oeag.at, CFM/Cedric Faivre, cedric.faivre@cfm.lu and Wolseley CE/Tobias Roser, tobias.roser@wolseley.com
Customer Relations
Das
Zelt
Tobler was established in 1957 and last year was its 55th anniversary. It celebrated this milestone together with customers and suppliers by inviting 3,500 of them to an enchanting gala evening with excellent food and entertainment.
o
r rather - nine gala evenings. Tobler’s customers are spread over the entire country - and since they are served and supported locally - Tobler decided
that they should also party locally. So Tobler hired travelling theatre group “Das Zelt” (The Tent) to bring the party to its customers rather than its customers having to travel to the party!
Das Zelt is no ordinary theatrical venue. It is a genuine VIP experience, making it the perfect venue to celebrate Tobler’s anniversary with customers
Fittings 6 · 2013
3
r u o y s i h t e k Ma
p o TPriority Welcome to 2013. Our markets continue to affected by the European economic slowdown. But there are new opportunities. And new challenges. The impact on our businesses varies; depending on the local situation and the maturity of the business. If we stay focused and keep our eyes open, crisis or not, 2013 can become a fantastic year.
4
Fittings 6 路 2013
Spotlight
Wasco priorities 2013
“The Dutch market has been under pressure and it still is,” says Wasco CEO, Herold van den Belt. “It should come as no surprise that this has had an impact on our business. Our customers are experiencing hard times and they put pressure on their suppliers - which is us and our competitors. The situation requires us to be exact. There’s little room for failure.”
1
2 Sales:
Be present where it counts “Our inbound sales department has to focus even more on collective sales and follow up on questions and complaints from our customers. Outbound sales must focus on selling the right mix of products, be present where it counts, ensure offers and quotes are exact and don’t have any errors. And follow up. All structures and processes are in place. It’s about using the existing business framework and getting it right.”
Logistics:
Fewer mistakes = money saved “Our logistics staff must perform at their very best. This means no mistakes. If we reduce the amount of extra deliveries we have to make because we forgot an item or packed the wrong item, we save money. What’s more, we gain respect from customers. We do a lot of things well. We can see that in the customer survey. Customer satisfaction is increasing. Our logistic colleagues must deliver what we promise our customers - and the quality of our deliveries must be the best in the market.”
3 Don’t make it about price “Competitors drop prices to get business from our customers and it can be tempting to do the same. But in times like this, it’s important to keep emphasising that price isn’t everything. We deliver a great service. We have our showrooms, we are doing great in the WEC (see page XX) and our service concepts work. We should keep that in mind. It is what differentiates us from our competitors.”
More on next page Fittings 6 · 2013
5
TOBLER priorities 2013
Tobler is doing well. Centralisation of the warehouse function (Däniken), an efficient network of professional Marchés and success in managing a customer-relevant assortment has put Tobler ahead of the competition. Surveys show that Tobler’s customers appreciate its service, and the company’s staff feel they work for a great company. But according to company CEO Heinz Wiedmer: “We can always do better.” Here’s the Tobler to-do list for 2013.
1
Gaining marketshare in a new product range
“Heat generation and systems are the new big thing in Tobler,” says Heinz Widmer. “We have invested significant resources and prepared the organisation to get this wildly fascinating range up and running. This is the moment of truth. This year we have to prove that we can sell this range. To ensure success, everyone in Tobler has to be aware of their contribution and perform beyond expectations. We’re the newcomer in this market and we need to prove ourselves.” “Our purchasers need to make sure that we have the best possible product availability, keep an eye out for new products and make sure we
6
Fittings 6 · 2013
have all necessary product documentation. In logistics, we need to make sure that we make no mistakes picking items. We’re selling systems and if one little item is missing, the entire system is useless. The installer cannot finish his work and that will have a negative impact on our ability to sell.” “Sales have to be closer then ever to the customer. They must guide customers, be clear and convincing and make inclusive offers. Outbound sales have to promote the product range, inbound sales have to make sure the offers are detailed, include all the necessary items, and ensure customers are getting the correct technical drawings.”
2 Sanitary “Today we have an assortment of both private label (Comfort) and branded products in front of the wall supplies. We started selling sanitary last year without making any big investments. We use our existing stores and try to sell larger projects, where we are allowed to provide sanitary solutions for larger buildings. It is a huge market and although we’re relatively new here, it is our ambition to gain market share in 2013.”
We’re the newcomer and we need to prove ourselves
3 Adjust service levels “We are currently testing software (customer relationship management) that will help us plan customer visits and follow up on quotations more efficiently. The software will make it easier to see how many offers we’re sending out and how many of these are converted into sales. The software will also help us to differentiate our marketing messages and our service level in relation to our customers. All in all, the software will provide better management of our customer base. We expect to implement the software in the first half of this year.”
Continued on page 22
The Wolseley Advantage
We find solutions
together “We replicate the best ideas”
Human capital is the most important asset in our organisation. The CE workforce is diverse; in terms of culture, functions and in a many other ways. Human Resources has to ensure we have the right people with the right skills and competencies - at all times. And they have to create a good place to work.
“I
t’s a large responsibility,” says Tobias Roser, CE’s HR Director. “To get the most of our combined experiences and competencies, we borrow each other’s good ideas. There’s a solid culture of collaboration on all levels. On a Wolseley level, we discuss issues of a strategic nature, like health and safety, personnel development, leadership training and the like. Discussions at this level have an inspirational character whereas collaboration on other levels is more practical, more hands-on.”
Finding inspiration elsewhere “One of the excellent ideas to emerge from our groupwide collaboration is the Employee Engagement Sur-
One big family Being a part of a larger family has advantages. Your family might include a mechanic who doesn’t mind taking a look under the hood of your car or a tech-savvy nephew who connects your iPhone with your iPad in a jiffy. Wolseley resembles a big family where the sharing of skills, competencies and experiences is just more structured.
vey (EES),” says Tobias. “In DT Group, conducting EES has been a positive experience. So we were able to copy processes and ideas for the questionnaires. On the CE level, we worked together to adjust the survey and the processes so that it fits
with our organisation. The results and the experiences we got while conducting the survey, we share again, group wide.”
Accelerate development “Why should we reinvent the wheel, when it’s already operational in an-
other business unit?” Tobias asks. “Intelligent borrowing makes it possible for us to accelerate the development of the HR function in CE. There are a lot of things we could do to contribute to the development of the organisation and to create a better workplace. But our resources are limited. By combining forces, we can do more than we would be able to do individually. We save money too. Processes and tools we can copy, we don’t have to buy.” “There’s another important purpose for working together,” Tobias explains. “We meet up and get to know each other. This makes it easier to pick up the phone and call a colleague from another business unit.”
Fittings 6 · 2013
7
Christoph Zelezo
Corporate
Heroes sometimes wear a suit and tie At first sight you might think Christoph Zelezo is your idea of a typical computer specialist who spends all of his time in front of a computer. He is in fact a SAP specialist but we all know first impressions can be deceiving. Because when the siren goes off Christof becomes an absolutely cool, calm and focused fireman - with the ability to act fast and be in the right place at the right time. 8
Fittings 6 路 2013
Resume
Ö
AG has it’s own company fire brigade, established in 1984. It includes six brave colleagues, people who actually run towards danger when all hell breaks loose. “Yes it can be dangerous,” Christoph explains. “That’s why we undergo basic training and why we conduct monthly training sessions. When calamities occur, we have to be ready to act.”
When the sirens wake you up Christoph joined the fire brigade at ÖAG in 2003 but it was not a new field for him. “I was a voluntary fire fighter before I started here. It has been my dream since I was a small boy. There’s something heroic about it.” Christoph is married and has two kids. “Of course my wife worries when the sirens go off. Sometimes in the middle of the night. Then I have to pack my gear and get going. She’s always happy when I get back in one piece.” “The training we get, prepares you for a little bit of everything. Our main role is to pave the way for the professional firefighters, make sure they have access to water and to do as much damage control as possible. Of course, when the incidents are small, we can manage it ourselves. But our equipment compared to the professionals is
Find the firefighter inside of you “Today we’re 17 people: 3 women and 14 men. We manage but we could definitely use some more people. Preferably from different departments as this will allow us to train together. After all, it’s hard for a department to have to miss three colleagues all at once. Of course there are certain requirements. To start with, you have to undergo a medical with our physician because you need to be in good physical condition. We’re on standby from 7 - 17 on all working days. And you need to want to train with us.” “It gives me great satisfaction knowing that I’m contributing to the safety of the people around me. Why do it? My motivation is simple. If I was in need of help, I’d like there to be people out there who can help me, who really know what they’re doing.”
pretty limited. Let’s just say, it’s not what you’d call James Bond standard.”
it takes between ten and twenty minutes before a fire engine is at our premises. But the company brigade is already in the
building and where possible, we can reduce the damage - make sure nobody gets hurt and control what can be controlled. Once the professional brigade arrives, we can guide them to the incident area and give them a full overview of the situation so they can act fast.” ÖAG’s brigade has around 30 operations a year. “One of the more serious incidents here at ÖAG occurred two years ago. A waste container caught fire. It was a potentially dangerous situation because the container had a hydraulic press that was filled with hydraulic oil. That oil could have caught fire causing a serious danger for employees. We could have had a major catastrophe on our hands. Fortunately we got the situation under control but it took us two scarey hours.”
Ten crucial minutes “The first ten minutes of an incident are crucial. When a calamity occurs,
Fittings 6 · 2013
9
Wolseley corporate values We act with integrity We conduct our activities with fairness, honesty and integrity We take responsibility for our actions and do not blame others
ls
We have the courage to do the right thing for Wolseley, our people, customers and vendors
10
h t i w Act
y t i r g e t In
Wo Patrick Headon
p o r ate val r o ue yc s e l e
(
Fittings 6 路 2013
) s y a alw
Between the lines
us Personal values are functional guidelines, helping to make decisions. They reflect our sense of right and ns. wrong and influence our attitudes as well as our actio how In a business context, our behaviour contributes to ive perce ers, other people, including our business partn Ultiour company. It has an impact on our reputation. mately, it has an impact on our business results. sure Values tend to differ from person to person and to make busiour by ived perce there’s coherence in the way we are a ness partners and stakeholders, Wolseley has developed (see set of three values that are consistent across the group left page). In ‘Between the lines’ Patrick Headon, CE’s CEO, will share his personal take on this, making them more tangible.
“I
n our business we must operate within the law and comply with our own corporate policies,” Patrick Headon explains. “Both of these are non-negotiable. But there are situations where neither the law nor our policies provide sufficient guidance. It is in these grey zones where we need to be able to rely on our core values. We need to make sure we always do the right thing.” “Act with integrity is the most important value. It underpins our other values and it makes us consistent in our behavior. At CE we’re focusing on performance but I always care about how we achieve results. We must be proud of our decisions
and feel good about what we’re doing. It is never a good idea to compromise integrity. When making a decision that feels awkward, listen to your conscience. Ask yourself whether what you’re about to do is something that you can be proud of. Is it something you would be able tell to your best friend or someone whose opinion you value?”
Good for business “We’ve developed a training module that deals with the principle values, which we will introduce soon. We believe it’s better to prepare than to rely solely on gut feeling. Managers have a crucial role. It starts with Ian Meakins (Wolseley’s CEO) of course but goes all the
way down to the team leaders. We expect managers at all levels to set a good example. It’s part of the responsibility of leadership. Integrity is also found in communication. In the past, we didn’t always communicate bad news either because we were afraid the competition would learn about it or it would worry staff. I believe that people have a right to know what is going on. Communication supports understanding and must include unpopular decisions.” “Integrity is good for business. A workplace with a high degree of integrity is a place where people like to work. It allows us to attract the right people. A clear set of values also makes
our decision processes smoother. We can make better decisions, faster. On top of that, most of our large customers have their own codes of conduct; their guidelines, and they prefer to work with a supplier that operates with similar standards. It can cost us business with a customer or a supplier if we do not share these values. Recently, a supplier invited us and our competitors to the table to discuss market dynamics. After careful consideration we declined because we feared there might be a discussion between competitors - an inappropriate discussion.”
Fairness principles “Never compromise integrity because it results in a bad reputation. We should set the standard and not look at what others are doing. Treat all of our customers with fairness and honesty. Don’t make promises we cannot keep and keep the promises that we make. Every customer deserves fair treatment and that includes the smaller ones.”
Fittings 6 · 2013
11
ork ard where we shaivreisidioneas.s w @ s a Ide on-exclusive whitinecbluoding the Noordn icwhdether your t ’n Fittings f the divisions not dependen truck. The idea o is from all ty of the idea r the cabin of a On the li o r. The qua e boardroom t science eithe as that th is e le ide rocke c b a e c b offi li p to p al, a have doesn’t we love practic thers. o , contrary y be copied by il can eas
A Trojan ho r s e i n
Twello
Up to speed on sustainable energy solutions
The Wasco Energy Centre (WEC) sounds almost too good to be true. It’s a showroom and a classroom at the same time. Installers can visit the WEC and learn about the latest sustainable energy solutions. Visitors can get all the ins and outs here. Free of charge.
“O
ur energy centre is a service for customers who are interested in sustainable energy solutions,” says Rob van Houten, Business Unit Manager Sustainables. Since Rob started in September 2011, the WEC has had a steady flow of visitors. Not only customers but colleagues too; all visiting to learn about the latest developments.
12
Fittings 6 · 2013
We get the products for free “We developed an internal training for staff - and test all of the participants using a small E-learning module developed especially for the purpose to make sure they have internalised what they just learned. For some staff the training was compulsory, for others voluntary. It’s of vital importance that staff know what
there is to know about sustainable energy so they can act as the best possible sounding boards for our customers.” Rob has updated the showroom in Twello with the latest solutions available on the market. “Developments certainly go fast within this area. Fortunately producers have an interest in showing their solutions in our centre. Therefore we get the
products for free. We educate our customers in the technical details, the possibilities - and this helps our customers to sell sustainable solutions to the end user, which in turn gives us the opportunity to sell the products to go with the solution. So this is really a win-win situation for everyone involved. Even the environment wins.”
Sustainable passion “The WEC has a rather unique position in The Netherlands,” Rob explains. “We get customers from all over the country. I try as much as possible to customise the
Ideas@work
A typical workshop
presentations and workshops to suit our customers’ needs and requirements. Some customers use sustainable energy as an opportunity to differentiate themselves from their competitors. We help them in the WEC to make this possible.” When you talk with Rob you know immediately he is a passionate advocate for sustainable
Rob van Houten
“A popular topic is sustainable installation concepts,” says Rob. “We’ve developed a four-hour workshop where we discuss the energy standards that new buildings have to comply with, a combination of solutions like floor heating, heat pumps, solar energy and ventilation, the challenges and differences between the solutions and how to implement them. We also discuss the initial investment versus the benefits. The workshop typically takes four hours and we typically have around 10 participants for these kind of workshops. The objective is to give installers, project managers and future homeowners a good idea on why and how to use sustainable energy solutions.”
energy solutions. “My interest in the technology is from way back when I started sailing tugs. Afterwards I went to Shell - kind of by accident. The next step was Vaillant, where I worked for 25 years, and build up substantial knowledge about sustainable energy solutions. I like the idea of generating energy in a smart fashion with a minimal use of gas or electricity. I haven’t got a favourite. I can’t help myself - as soon as a new product comes in, I have to open and have a look inside. I have to see
how it is made and how it works for myself.”
Differentiate through our solutions You’d expect that Rob’s home is equipped with the latest sustainable technology but no. “It’s not possible to install a heat pump for my house as it is too close to a public water installation. But in the spring I installed solar panels on our roof.” The future for sustainable energy is bright. Wasco with the WEC has taken an important step to be a significant player within this area. “We’re preparing the next important step. The solutions we offer today are semistandard solutions. We’re now engineering our own combination of products and offer customers a far more finished and applicable solution than they can buy today. We believe this will differentiate us positively in the market. None of our competitors are doing this. We expect to be able to market our new solutions later this year.”
Fittings 6 · 2013
13
Christoph Ernst
Close Closer
Closest (to our customers)
Tobler closer to becoming a full service provider Tobler has taken an important step forward, dedicating substantial resources in the battle for marketshare in heat generation and systems. The sales team focusing on this cateogory, both inbound and and outbound, has more than 20 people. All of them operate locally. And they are more than ready to support installers but also architects and project managers.
“H
eating solutions are complex,” says Christoph Ernst, heating consultant in the region of Wintertur. “There are many parameters to consider, which makes finding the right solution a serious chal-
14
Fittings 6 · 2013
lenge for our customers. Swissnet has been on its way since March 2010 and is born out of the vision to be able to support them in every step of the process. This meant that we had to increase our knowledge base and our local competencies
so customers can get the same high level of support regardless of their location. What’s more, it meant that all of departments invoved had to improve communication to esnure customers experience a seamless service.”
Reaching out to architects and project planners Swissnet is relatively new to customers and the first reactions are positive. Customers get an all-inclusive solution: from advice, to product, to servicing and maintenance. Tobler does it all. Except installing the system. “When a customer buys a heating solution, he wants all of the components to fit and function flawlessly,” says Cristoph. “And if he has a problem with his system, he wants Tobler Service to know what he’s got lined up in the basement and get the support he needs. Before we were basically operating like a traditional wholesaler. Thanks to Swissnet, we’re exploiting our expert knowledge and synergies. We’re like an orchestra, playing together. And for every day we’re in the market, we’re getting better.”
Ideas@work
Our customers want heat pumps, solar energy – sustainable energy solutions
Close to customers Taking on the role of consultant is an integrated part of Toblers’ identity - its DNA. Tobler talks to its customers man to man and is accepted and respected as a sounding board. A role the organisation is able to play because Tobler is close to the customer. Swissnet takes this to the next level, allowing the company to get an even better understanding of all of the customers’ needs in heat generation and energy systems. This makes the company an attractive sounding board, also with
Thanks to Swissnet, we’re exploiting our expert knowledge and synergies
new groups of customers, higher up in the value chain - like architects and project planners.
Product complexity increases Silvio Ponti is a heating consultant operating in the Ticino region. Silvio has been working for Tobler for 17 years; a substantial part of his time in Sixmadun (now Tobler Service). “Our work has changed over the past few years,” Silvio says. “We sell fewer traditional heating sources. Our customers want heat pumps, solar energy - sustainable energy solutions. The product range has changed. The amount of products has increased and with it the level of complexity. This of course also requires that we keep our product and technical knowledge up to date. At all times. We can’t get by with what we learned yesterday.”
My job has become more exciting “Our main customer is the installer but we need to be able to support the end user as well. They either have seen one of our ads in the papers or have been sent to us by Tobler Service or an installer. Either way, we have to help them process a large amount of information and ensure they feel comfortable with the so-
lution they end up with choosing. It might make our jobs more demanding but it also becomes more exciting. Each customer has different requirements and often I end up proposing different solutions. Sometimes in collaboration with an installer, other times I send our offer to the installer after which he drafts the final offer for the end user.”
Silvio Ponti
Fittings 6 · 2013
15
Roel Gootjes
n le o St with permission f r om Ferguson Sweet 16 2.0 16
Fittings 6 路 2013
We are family
Being a part of a large family is a pain in the neck sometimes. There’s rules and regulations while decision processes may not always be as fast as people want. But at the end of the day, the advantages exceed the disadvantages. In 2011, representatives from Wolseley’s European Business Units visited family in the U.S. - Ferguson, the largest distributor of plumbing supplies in the world. The mission was to find inspiration and bring some good ideas home to CE. They succeeded. The goodie bag they returned with included ‘Sweet Sixteen’, a concept that has now been implemented in all of units (except for CFM), and with good results.
The recipe
S
weet Sixteen is a carefully structured sales approach, designed to boost sales while limiting the use of resources. Everyday tasks easily tend to dominate work and proactively approaching customers suffers from a very low prioritisation. The concept is simple: select a time frame, for example every Tuesday between 9 and 12. In this time frame you must call 16 carefully selected customers from your list. Not 15, not 17 - but 16. Typically customers who buy little or next to noth-
Loyal customers In Maastricht, the South of the Netherlands, we meet Wasco inbound sales rep Roel Gootjes. He can’t hide his enthusiasm when it comes to Sweet Sixteen. “We’re used to customers calling us. Sweet Sixteen allows us to proactively contact customers that do not know us that well yet. The weekly offerings are a great excuse to call them and more than that. Because once you got your foot in the door so to speak, you can do a lot more with these potential customers. Out of 16, there are five customers that order directly. But I’m allowed to send one of our outbound sales reps to half of the leads I call. Of courses, the objective is for them to get to know Wasco and become loyal customers over time. Most people I call are positive. With the right attitude and a good deal of humor, you can go a long way. Should continue Sweet Sixteen? You bet. Give me a list with 1,000 customers and I will call them all.”
ing for the moment. You call them with a specific, relevant offer. You won’t reach all of them. So you try again in the afternoon or the next day. For a period of a month you stay focused on these sixteen customers. So you typically talk to each customer four times in one month. The objective is to activate these customers and turn them into regular buyers.
Sweet 16 @ Wasco
Start: August 2012 (14 weeks) Additional revenue: + 24% Callers: 8 in average (both in- and outbound) Identified Sweet16 customers: 400 Amount of calls: 1,370 Orders booked: 170 Customers visited: 87
Sweet16 customers Wasco decided to work with a flexible customer segment for Sweet 16. Callers realised that some customers perceived one phone call a week as too aggressive. Customers who accepted a visit from one of the Wasco sales consultants, were also removed from the list in exchange of new prospects (sales lingo for potential customers). Last but not least, customers who really didn’t appreciate being contacted, were also removed from the list. All in all, Wasco has evaluated the project positively, and considers a Sweet 16 2.0 shot - most likely increasing the amount of callers. Fittings 6 · 2013
17
Sweet 16
Roel Gootjes
@ ÖAG
Start: May 2012 (8 weeks) End: December 2012 Additional revenue*: +46% Callers: all sales staff is involved (both in- and outbound) Identified Sweet16 customers: 628 Amount of calls: >3.500 Orders booked: 245
Sweet16 customers The customer segment identified for Sweet 16 was defined by revenue - all of the customers having a share of wallet below 20%. During this period, 237 customers ordered at least once. ÖAG chose to send out an offer to the selected Sweet 16 customers on a Monday and contacted them by phone the next day. A fantastic 44.6% of all those who were contacted accepted a meeting with sales staff.
Sweet 16
Ferguson in a nutshell Established: 1953 Part of Wolseley since: 1982 Headquarters: Newport News, Virginia, USA CEO: Frank Roach Number of branches: 1,300 Number of employees: 17,500 Revenue 2011: USD 8.8 billion
18
Fittings 6 · 2013
@ Tobler
Start: End: Additional revenue: Callers: Identified Sweet16 customers: Flyers send: Amount of calls: Orders booked: Customers visited:
June 2012 (12 weeks) September 2012 + CHF 291,437 44 (outbound) 842 6,300 4,927 912 440
Sweet16 customers Tobler has been extremely structured and effective in its Sweet 16 approach. The main customer segment identified for Sweet 16 were customers that buy most of their supplies from head to head competitors. The objective was to get these customers attention and make them deepen their commitment with Tobler. Tobler reserved Tuesday from 08:30 to 10:00 for making Sweet 16 phone calls. The offers were on a ‘take it or leave it’ basis and sent out before the calls were made. With 912 orders and 440 visits in twelve weeks, the action has been very successful. Tobler is planning to continue with the approach and has asked all participants to share experiences and ideas that can lead to improvements.
A good place to work
Action Plans Employee Engagement Survey
Let me
ENGAGE you!
We conducted a group-wide employee engagement survey in the first quarter of 2012. The results were awesome and in the last issue of Fittings we could report that CE staff are happy with their workplaces. The scores also showed room for improvement (isn’t there always?). We visited Wasco and Tobler to learn how they deal with improvement issues.
“T
hanks to the set up of the survey, we are able to link the scores of the survey to the individual departments and teams,” says Michael Engeler, Tobler’s HR Director. “We have asked the individual managers, together with their teams, to develop tangi-
ble action plans. At headquarters we will make sure the action plans are being implemented and followed through.”
Structure was lacking Just like Tobler, Wasco has delegated the responsibility to develop action plans to local teams. However, there are a few
Are we developing n? as an organisatio
central issues that are being picked up by headquarters. “One of the hot issues within Wasco is employee development,” says Monique Valkenburg-Kok, Wasco’s HR Manager. “The survey clearly showed that staff think we can improve here. The things is, we are doing quite a lot
Fittings 6 · 2013
19
but the courses we offer have not been very structured and therefore difficult for people to figure out.”
No need for rocket science “So to start with, we’ve mapped all of the courses and training so the options are more transparent. We’ve introduced assessments for most functions, which helps us to individualise personal development. Last but not least, we’ve expanded available options with new courses and training. Not all of it is rocket science. There has been a large demand for Excel (spreadsheet applica-
tion) training. We found two internal Excel wizards who now teach colleagues spreadsheet magic. Employee development is an important focus area and I’m curious to see how we score on this topic in the next survey.”
Leadership training Wasco and Tobler share most of the focal points. For example, employee development is also an issue in Tobler. “We’ve a lot to offer in terms of training, courses and education,”
We have installed PCs with intranet access in the warehouse 20
Fittings 6 · 2013
says Michael. “But only a few of us had an overview of the entire range of initiatives. So we developed a catalogue that included everything. We made the catalogue accessible for all staff on our intranet. We also developed a
new leadership training which was another issue that emerged from the survey. We’ve developed a set of basic leadership principles. The training will be available from the beginning of this year and will include concrete leadership
A good place to work
Employee
Satisfaction Satisfied Not satisfied
tools as well as cultural training. The training is primarily aimed at line management.”
More information “We have done two things to improve information to staff,” says Michael. “To start with, we’ve restructured our intranet. We hope that it will be easier for staff to find the information they need. But not all staff have access to a computer at their workplace, so they can’t access the intranet. To solve this, we’ve placed a couple of PCs for public use in Däniken and the regional sales headquarters, so staff in the warehouse can access the intranet.” Monique: “This issue took us by surprise to be frank. We feel we give staff a
lot of information. We have road tours, internal memos, internal newsletter, intranet. So what is lacking? To get a better understanding of what exactly it is that staff wants us to improve, we’ve asked line managers to find out what information is lacking in their teams.”
The fine art of collaboration “Collaboration is another focus point for Wasco,” Monique says. “The survey revealed quite a few issues, which we’re taking action on. We do share knowledge and experiences, but we can do better. Last year we conducted a workshop where team leaders and senior team leaders discussed what actions to take. We
We use the Wiki d to share ideas an best practices made sure the actions were SMART (Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely).”
Tobler Wiki: sharing best practices “Communication between departments can be improved,” says Michael. “The technical guys don’t often interact with the sales guys and vice versa. To improve mutual understanding and collaboration we organised a series of fixed meetings during which product managers, sales staff and other involved staff discussed technical issues and solutions. We also plan to
launch a Tobler Wiki later this year. It’s going to be an important feature on our intranet. We use the Wiki to share ideas and best practices.”
Next step next survey Monique is looking forward to the next survey (expected in April). “It is interesting to compare our survey results with other business units but the value of this is relative. The geographical markets and local cultures differ a lot. They influence the results of the survey. It’s going to be a lot more exciting to be able to compare this year’s results with last year’s. That will show us whether we are developing as an organisation. Did we improve? Where are we doing better, less better?”
Fittings 6 · 2013
21
Cedric Faivre:
Who is?
Continued from page 6
Cedric Faivre has a master in Economics from the Sorbonne. He was born in France and has lived the past 15 years abroad (Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Spain). He’s married and has two kids (7 and 12). Luxembourg suits him and his family. “It’s a small country with an amazing, diverse culture.” Previously, Cedric worked extensively in logistic and in the automotive industry.
CFM priorities 2013
Cedric believes that CFM is a great company with an impressive reputation. “We’re doing a lot of things right. But we should be careful to not act in a business as usual fashion. We have lost customers. Our financial performance is below expectations. The good news is that we have a decent base from which we can get back on track and make the company profitable again. Efficiency and performance are key parameters and we’re working on both of them. Reviewing all processes to see where we can be more efficient. At the same time, we’re defining clear targets for everyone in the organisation. We have a lot of talented, competent people and we owe it to them to get the best out of them.”
2012 has been a tough year for CFM. The company had to operate in a tough market without a CEO for several months. Fortunately, in September there was good news. Cedric Faivre, 40, was appointed as the new CEO for CFM. Cedric has one clear objective: bring CFM back to profitability.
1
Sales:
Clear targets “In 2013, sales staff will have a well-defined customer portfolio that they will be responsible for. They will have clear targets in terms of numbers of meetings and expectations towards turnover and margins. I expect us to pick up the phone, be out in the field - not wait for the customer to contact us but be proactive and get close to them. We have to deliver on our promises. Offers have to be finalised and sent to the customer within 48 hours. We have to start acting with confidence and keep a focus on customer satisfaction.”
22
Fittings 6 · 2013
2
3 Logistics:
Check, double-check “For logistics staff the message for 2013 is clear: deliver what the customer ordered - in time. We have to get it right the first time. When picking orders, I want us to check and double-check. Every mistake we make, costs money. Last year we made changes in our distribution process. We still outsource transportation but we have taken over the planning of the routes so we can prioritise certain deliveries to certain customers. On top of that we now only pay for the actual amount of lorries that we’re using compared to a fixed monthly amount as we used to. This has reduced our costs by approximately 30% and had a great impact on our service level to customers.”
Positive attitude “In general, I’d like to see more happy staff. Staff with a positive attitude towards the opportunities that we are pursuing. Our attitude rubs off on our customers and influences our performance. Negative or positive. The choice is ours.”
Spotlight “We centralised IT su pport”
ÖAG priorities 2013
“We’re not growing as we expected,” says Christian Kogler, Financial Director at ÖAG. “In our budget we expected sales to continue to grow at around 5% like we did the year before. We currently have flat sales in a market that has stopped growing. We have to downscale our sales expectations and adjust our cost base in all departments. We can take comfort in the fact that our competitors are facing the same situation. It doesn’t change the fact that we have to save money but it indicates how tough the market is.”
1
2
3
Sales
Logistics
Reduce costs
“We need growth, but the growth needs to be profitable. We will do this by segmenting our customers and adjusting the service levels. Logistics, pricing and marketing services need to differentiated; based on importance and profitability of our customers. We started targeting our least profitable customers and will continue to implement further service differentiation.”
“Our first priority is to be more efficient and reduce costs but without jeopardising the quality of the delivery service. We will focus on efficiency with selected KPIs for each department. We also streamlined the setup and integrated the logistics platform in Graz into our central DC in Wels. This move will improve our efficiency and the availability for our customers but also reduce working capital overall.”
“The focus is to reduce costs at all levels but without jeopardising our business. We’re currently working together with consultants to improve our structure and processes in the area of sales and logistics. We are closing down our DIY business area because we acknowledged that we were not geared up to succeed in this business. These changes will reduce complexity which is crucial for a leaner and a more cost efficient organisation.”
Fittings 6 · 2013
23
Win an
Jan van Loenen (Wasco - Apeldoorn) is the happy winner of the trip to Berlin. “I participated in quizzes before but I never won anything. I’ve never been to Berlin before either. So yes, I’m very excited. I’ll take my fantastic wife along - it’s going to be great.” Jan is in inbound sales and has worked at Wasco for 28 years.
iPhone
5 2 What is Swiss- 3 How many times net? ÖAG Sweet is the Sixteen ÖAG fire a The name of customers brigade Tobler’s heat placed an called into generation and order? action in a systems concept a 114 year? b A brand new tunnel construction b 245 a 5 times in Switzerland c 521 b 15 times c The name of Tobler’s transpor c 30 times 1
How many
tation fleet
How well are you informed about what is going on in CE?
Answer the questions below and win an iPhone 5!
4
What is the objec-
tive of the WEC in Twello?
a Update staff and customers about sustainable energy solutions
5
Tobler is
planning a new collaboration platform. What is the name of this tool?
b Increase sales within sustainable energy solutions
a Tobler Sharepoint
c Give suppliers the opportunity to show their sustainable energy solutions to customers
b Tobler Wiki c Tobler Academy
Send your answers before March 15th 2013 Use the coupon below or send your answers by e-mail to: magazine@fittings.nu The winner will be announced in the next issue of Fittings.
a 1: 2: 3: 4: 5:
b
c
Name: Address: Postcode and City: Country: Phone: E-mail: Employed at:
Send this coupon to: DT Group Att.: Charlotte Gullach Büttrich Gladsaxe Møllevej 5 DK-2860 Søborg Denmark
YOU MUST PAY TAX ON THE PRIZE. ENTRIES NEED TO BE SENT TO DT GROUP, ATT: CHARLOTTE GULLACH, GLADSAXE MOLLEVEJ 5, DK-2860 SOBORG, DENMARK OR E-MAILED TO MAGAZINE@FITTINGS.NU. eNTRIES WITH ALL CORRECT ANSWERS WILL BE PICKED RANDOMLY. N0 CASH ALTERNATIVE.
The winner is...