Case Study: A Major Automotive After Market Retailer

Incentive travel program improves morale and customer experience. Incentive travel program improves morale and customer experience.

Situation

The client was facing major competition from other automotive aftermarket stores at the retail level. Low company morale was affecting employee attitudes. Retail sales were down. Poor follow-through and lack of teamwork in the service channel of the business was resulting in poor customer service. Hoping to change the customer experience they looked for a way to motivate employees to work together to increase sales.

Solution

Maritz recommended a goal-oriented incentive program for the retail and service managers at 635 stores. A first ever sales-incentive travel trip would be awarded to the top 50 performers. Maritz selected a five-night Caribbean cruise that would have particular appeal to the young, less traveled audience. Winning a full week off work also had strong appeal to this audience. The goal was to reward service and retail managers who attained variable profit targets and top ranking CSI scores for the fiscal year. Service managers had to be in the top 100 service centers in percentage service variable profit improvement for the fiscal year. Retail managers had to be in the top 100 retail stores in percentage retail variable profit improvement for the fiscal year. Service/retail managers needed a total (CSI) score in the top 50 percent of company for fiscal year.

Results
  • Employee engagement improved.
  • Store managers for both retail and service were motivated to improve customer experience and the (CSI) index improved in many stores.
  • Connections made on the cruise motivated both the retail and service side of business to work together to increase each other’s sales and exchange more client information on a daily basis.
  • Trip winners valued the opportunity to network with other attendees and executive hosts.
  • Post trip survey of attendees on the trip experience was 9.4 out of 10.