Workforce Engagement Delivers Increased Customer Satisfaction for Volvo Construction Equipment’s GB dealership.

Leading machinery supplier Volvo Construction Equipment's wholly owned dealership in Great Britain has been ranked 46th in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies To Work For 2012. More than 1,000 businesses entered, with almost a quarter of a million employees expressing their views through independent engagement surveys.

In excess of two thirds of the staff at Volvo replied to the survey and an incredible 80% said that they loved working for the firm, with 79% admitting that they wouldn't leave tomorrow if offered an alternative job. The dealership, part of the Volvo Group, is based at Duxford in Cambridgeshire and employs 340 staff in more than eight locations around Britain. Of that number, nearly a third has been with the company for at least 15 years.

An impressive 86% of the firm's staff believes that Volvo cares strongly about the environment, the third best result in the survey, with 83% saying that it is doing its best to protect the environment.

Volvo invested heavily in its staff and its facilities throughout the downturn and continues to do so. The company recently took on an additional four apprentices and is now recruiting a further six. It is also actively seeking service engineers to meet growing demand from customers.

"When the downturn started we said that we would spend the time preparing for the upturn," says Managing Director Val Ledden.

"We've spent more on training in the last three years, than the previous 10 years, investing in our people demonstrates our belief in them. For example, last year we launched a mentoring programme and this year we will be concentrating on developing that further. We also offer a degree programme in cooperation with Anglia Ruskin University."

The result for customers is a company that delivers a joined-up approach, rapid response and a strong sense of pride in the customer service that it delivers.

"There is only one customer for Volvo," says Mr Ledden. "There is no sales customer, or parts customer or service customer. There is only one customer and we work as a team to make the customer our focus. When customers think of Volvo, we want them to think best in class service."

"We believe that having highly engaged people in a motivated team is the best way of providing the customer with great service," adds Human Resources Manager Maxine Knowles.

Volvo Construction Equipment already holds ISO9001, 14001 and 18001 standards, and has also achieved the highly respected ROSPA Gold Award. In addition, Best Companies who carried out the survey accredited Volvo as an 'Outstanding' company to work for.

Volvo is keen to improve further, and is using the results to put in place additional initiatives that will further build employee engagement. "To be honest we didn't think that we'd make the cut first time," says Mr Ledden. "None of our direct competitors has ever attempted this process."

"We knew there was going to be competition from the cream of the crop in the UK, but our view is that we can learn from the best," says Ms Knowles. "The most valuable thing to come out of this is the data from the survey, which we are already working with to improve year on year. We didn't for one minute expect to get into the Top 100, let alone be ranked 46. Being in the top 50 is truly amazing and a credit to the great people who work here."

Volvo Construction Equipment Division markets wheeled loaders, articulated haulers, hydraulic excavators, graders, Volvo utility equipment and Volvo road machinery products in the U.K. There are eight strategically placed customer support centres located at Stirling, Newcastle, Birmingham, Warrington, Immingham, Horsham, Pontypridd and Cambridge and a network of utility equipment dealers to ensure high quality customer support is maintained throughout the country.