As the new year begins, we all like to sit back and reflect on what we’ve achieved thus far, leading us to set new and higher goals for 2018. Some of us make small, day-to-day goals to keep our minds and bodies lifted, while others make long-term, high-reaching goals to spend the year working towards.
In the corporate office, we had a wide variety of goals! A few revolved around personal health and worldwide goals, such as living a healthier lifestyle, running six 5Ks, and peace all around. Although peace in the world on a large scale is out of our personal control, peace in our everyday lives and bringing peace to lives around us is entirely in our control. A few goals were something fun – such as buying and riding a new dirt bike and reading at least 2 books per month! Others included getting better sleep, spending more time doing what you love, enjoying the outdoors, and overall just being happy.
A few other employees here at DP Air chimed in, one resolution is to spend more time with parents and family, as we don’t ever know how long we’ve got left with them. Another was a bit more business focused, with bringing in more money from projects for the company and themselves.
New years resolutions are meant to be achievable goals, many times they’re confused with hopes/dreams/wishes that aren’t entirely under our control. However, if you work hard enough, you just might make those dreams come true!
We sat down with Jennifer Harler, our COO and asked her a few questions looking back over 2017 and onwards into the new year.
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Overall, what were the strengths of the company in 2017?
High levels of customer service and support, which led to high customer satisfaction. We also had high levels of employee retention and were very successful in recruiting highly talented individuals. We also minimized the number of workplace accidents on the job and auto accidents compared to previous years. We also completely redesigned our website, and it looks fantastic!
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What are some goals you have both internally and externally for the company in 2018?
Internally, definitely the implementation of our new ERP system, and recognizing and gaining efficiency in the operations. On the sales side, continuing with the momentum gained in the fourth quarter of 2017 and carrying that into 2018. As an organization, continuing to focus on high levels of customer support and satisfaction, showing more employee appreciation and continuing the retention and development of our talented individuals. Externally we want to be an organization that continues to give back to the communities around us and focus on philanthropic interests.
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What are you most excited to see happen for the company in 2018?
The successful implementation of our new ERP system, as it’s one that we’ve been working on for quite some time now. The sales team will have a new CRM system and we’re excited to see the impact of that on their sales and in customer support. We are looking forward to seeing our employees grow and develop with the company, and to see the different contributions they will make, both from the development of the new system and from their prior experience.
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What did we make happen this past year that was outside of the company’s goals?
Our company charity, Light The Night for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society surpassed all of our goals with fundraising! It was a great charity to be a part of and we got involvement from most of our team across three states. It encouraged a great friendly competition! We also went above and beyond with bringing our employees together across the company, via social media, a food truck event, employee recognition and company-wide competitions and e-mails.
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What could our organization do differently in 2018?
We could definitely do better with participation from all of our locations. On the management side, getting the team engaged more. There is always room to do better in customer service, spending more time with our customers and building relationships. From the social media standpoint, continuing to think outside of the box to get the word out about our company and what it is that we do.
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What can each individual do to be more helpful to the team?
Participation is key, it really encourages employee involvement and inspires co-workers to also partake in anything the company is doing. Especially for team-building, having more team meetings with an open, positive environment that encourages anyone to speak up regarding new ideas and any questions they may have. Being proud of your work, always putting your best effort into each and every job and customer interaction.
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How did we lay the groundwork for 2017 successes?
We took a step back to see where we fell flat in previous years, identified where and why those failures occurred, and what resources we have available to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Taking full accountability for mistakes and being able to step away, review them, and address them. Being willing to work with your team and embrace different opinions than your own is very important in business. You have to trust the process, and trust that the management team is making decisions in the best interest of the employees and the company as a whole.
2018 is off to a great start so far, and we can’t wait to see where the year will take us! We already have a few community outreach projects in mind, and we are taking new steps in highlighting our employees and encouraging growth in our company!
