. Jobs are sometimes like boats - the two happiest days are the day you get it, and the day you get rid of it. For this person who decided to move on, someone I've worked closely with for 5 years now, it was a happy day. Will we be able to replace him? Yes. It won't be exactly the same. Each individual brings different strengths, skills, and work habits to a company, so when a key person leaves, it changes how the company operates.

I remember when I left my management job, I wondered how the company would survive without me. It seemed to me that I was keeping the boat afloat. Of course, when I left, things went right on like they always had. In a way, that was a testament to my results, because I had developed, trained, and nurtured a lower management staff precisely to do just that - take over when I left. Five years later, the company is still prospering, and I expect they will for a long time. Even though I was a key person, I was just one out of a team of 50+, so unless I had my finger in the dyke, it wasn't going to be doomsday when I left.

Employee turnover continues to be a major concern in the towing industry. One thing I did before I left that management job was to call in a staffing agency to assess our operation and to see if they could help us. The agency rep was quite candid when she pointed out that she couldn't provide a single qualified candidate for the open driver positions we had, based on the average wage of our drivers. We just weren't paying enough to get and keep good people. Because our drivers were on commission, the experienced, motivated drivers could do quite well, but the entry-level drivers struggled and inevitably left for the afore-mentioned greener pasture. Developing the skills to become a high-producing commission driver was a difficult proposition for us as a company - if the driver didn't do well within a few months of being hired, he would start looking elsewhere. And if he could take a $10/hour job and do better, who could blame him? So we often just hoped we would find the driver who already had what it took to be a high producer.

Employee turnover was probably my number-one headache when I was managing that tow company. I don't think I ever learned to accept it. And maybe that's what would have helped more than anything else. I've heard the analogy of the axe that was kept by its owner for 25 years and used every day. After 25 years, it was on its fifth handle and third head, but it was still the same axe. That's a pretty good analogy for a tow company. Don't keep swinging an axe with a broken handle or a dull head, or both. Replace and retool when necessary.

I used to be a fan of the TV show "The Apprentice." In fact, I dreamed of firing one employee every week. I thought I could make it one per month, just to make it more workable. Think about how much that would raise the level of performance for the employees in the lower half of the scale. If, no matter what, one employee were fired each month, most people would do almost anything to not be that person. I think it would really expose the potential of many workers who seem to guard that very closely.

I've been hearing the same statement for years: So many people are out there looking for work when there are plenty of jobs available. Maybe people are too picky, or maybe they are not looking in the right place. Every job I've ever had - and I mean EVERY job, except for two hours when I washed dishes in a restaurant in Caldwell, Idaho - I got through someone I knew. Family member, family friend, former colleague. I've tried to find work through classifieds, Monster.com, whatever, but like many things in business, nothing beats the efficiency of networking. I think that job-hunters sometimes bypass this simplest and most effective of approaches. Conversely, some of the best recruiting I've ever done was via networking, asking friends and employees and colleagues to recommend someone they knew. There are a lot of reasons for this working so well, not the least of which is trust. When you interview someone you don't know, and you don't even know anyone they know, there are a lot of things you will not find out until later down the road when circumstances bring them to the surface. I often called the manager of top competitor to ask for an unofficial reference on an applicant, and he did the same with me, because tow truck drivers seem to cycle in and out of many different companies in a single market. I encourage those of you who do the hiring to do the same. And be honest when someone asks you for a reference. You don't want to contribute to any surprises. What comes around, goes around, you know.

Have a safe and profitable week.

Sincerely,
Nick Kemper

www.TowPartsNow.com

Municipal Contracts are a part of our business, let's face it.  Here in Portland we have a Towing Coordinator whose name is Marian Gaylord, and Marian has been running the show here for at least 20 years.  She has completely revamped the system, including ushering in a new Municipal Contract for City Towers that many think is the bane of their existence.  Hopefully they realize that it keeps unprofessional, fly-by-night outfits from qualifying for a spot on the tow rotation.

I recently went to a company meeting for one of our sister companies, and the subject of Marian Gaylord came up, because one of the Tow Company Managers deals directly with her on formal complaints she issues on behalf of the Agencies or citizens.  There was some discussion about why there were so many complaints, and what to do about them.  This Manager told the GM, his boss, "I'm not trying to be condescending, but you don't have a clue."

I thought, that's pretty good for not trying.

It was funny.  That's partly why I mention it.  But I also mention it because there are probably many of you out there who are frustrated at dealing with Municipal Agencies who "don't have a clue" about the towing industry and, whether they are trying to or not, are making your business life difficult.  At a company where I managed and dealt directly with Marian, we had 3 Municipal Contracts and also had a good market share of Private Property Impounds, which were also regulated to an extent.  When I received a formal complaint from Marian, I usually followed this procedure:
1. Investigate the complaint internally to get all of the facts.
2. Send back a written response within the given timeframe (we usually had a few weeks to respond, I think), either agreeing to the terms requested (usually payment of a fine or reimbursement to the vehicle owner), or requesting a different resolution.
3. Institute or revisit an internal procedure with our staff to attempt to prevent another similar complaint.

My written responses all had a very similar format.  In fact, they were basically form letters that I changed the particulars for each time.  I'm sure Marian caught onto this early on, but she never seemed bugged by it, and I think that was partly because the standard introduction and conclusion were overly polite.  In the introduction, I always included the statement, "We have reviewed this complaint and all applicable policies and procedures with our staff."  This told her we were taking it seriously, and you know what?  It was true.  We DID always review complaints and all applicable policies and procedures with our staff.  The intro also always included this statement, "Thank you for the opportunity to resolve this in an informal manner."  This showed Marian that we were actually grateful to get the complaint.  And it was also genuine and true.  A complaint letter and maybe payment of a small fine was better than a lawsuit, or interruption or cancellation of our Contract, and it was certainly a more informal resolution.

The middle of the letter included information that I felt was pertinent to the complaint, so that was the part I had to actually write every time.  I dealt only in facts, not in emotions or speculation.  I didn't write anything that I "thought" was true and claim it was true.  If it was a "he said/she said" situation, I would write that "the driver reports that..." or "the dispatcher reports that...."  I would leave it to Marian to interpret which account was most accurate.

The conclusion was either acceptance of the terms of the complaint or a request for a different resolution.  Acceptance was, "Enclosed is a check for $xx.xx for penalty payment.  We apologize for any inconvenience caused to the vehicle owner and/or the Agency, and we are taking steps to prevent this problem from recurring."  A request was simply asking for the penalty to be waived or reduced.  Her complaint letters always left that option open, and if she still felt a penalty was warranted, there would be a follow-up final resolution letter.

If I thought that the penalty or reimbursement was at all warranted, I almost always accepted the resolution, no questions asked.  You know what I found as a result?  If I did ask for a waiver or reduction, I almost always received it, or at least a partial reduction.

Then there was the most important part of the whole procedure, making sure we didn't screw up again.  We would go over the complaint with our staff--drivers, dispatchers, whoever was affected--and we would either figure out a new procedure to prevent the problem from happening again, or we would review the old procedure already in place that should have prevented the problem from happening in the first place.  Here's the deal: you can't prevent everything bad from happening.  Supposedly you have to tell a kid something 30 times before they completely understand it.  With an adult, it's probably twice that.  Why do you think they're called Drill Sergeants?  You have to drill things into your employees.  Don't fight it.  Just accept it, and do it.

If I saw Marian in person, I always tried to make her laugh--tell a joke or comment on something that I thought was funny.  I enjoyed working with her, and if I disagreed with her decisions, I was respectful.  In fact, I was somewhat mystified by some of the negative reports I heard from other tow companies about dealing with Marian.  Now, you might call all of this "buttering up" or "greasing the wheel."  Whatever.  I thought this was the most productive way to deal with a Municipal Agency, and I think the results bore that out.

Have a safe and profitable week.

Sincerely,
Nick Kemper
www.TowPartsNow.com

During the time that I managed a  towing company, my wife went through a health ordeal with a condition called  ulcerative colitis.  This is a nasty thing that ultimately led to 2 major surgeries, and now she is fine and has gone on to enjoy exceedingly good health.  However, for a period of about a year, we faced many challenges, and we had 3 kids, from newborn to age 9, so my family responsibilities increased during this time period.  My employer was very patient during this time, and I will always be grateful for that, but some of the people I worked with--employees I managed, other managers, etc.--occasionally voiced complaints or concerns or just joked around about my work schedule.  I wrote and produced a monthly company newsletter at that time, so for April 1 I decided it would be a good idea to do an April Fool's issue.  This is where everything in the newsletter is a joke.  The great thing about April Fool's issues is that there are always a few people who take it seriously.

So I thought this would be a good opportunity to poke a little fun at myself and these people who were doubting my commitment to the company.  The following is an article I wrote for the April Fool's issue of our company newsletter, on the topic of my work schedule at that time.  You might appreciate the subtle humor that, unbelievably, some of our employees took seriously.

"I want to take another opportunity to thank all of you for the consideration you’ve given me the first few months of this year as I’ve struggled to deal with health issues and other personal matters with my family. It has meant a lot to me.  Many of you have stepped up and taken on more responsibility, which has made it possible for me to focus on the most  important work tasks.  The continuing ongoing success of the Dispatch and Driving Departments has really been a team effort.

“It’s a good thing, too, because things aren’t going to get any easier.  It seems like when it rains, it pours, and more and more servings keep getting added to my plate.  Barb has made some improvement in her health since getting out of the hospital in late January, and
she has been able to reassume many of her family responsibilities that I have tried to do as well as she does.  But she still has a long way to go, and she is going to need me to help her.  Her doctor has designed a treatment regimen, and I will be helping with it.  Every Tuesday and Thursday, from 10:30-11:15 a.m., I will be giving her a shoulder massage and perhaps a few chiropractic adjustments.  She is
required to nap every afternoon for 4 hours, so I will be leaving work early 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), say around 1 p.m. or so.  We’ve worked out childcare the other 2 days.

“Alexander just started T-ball, and practices are Tuesday and Thursday at 5 p.m.  Since he gets out of school at 2:30 p.m., and Samantha gets out at 4:30 p.m., I might as well just leave work at 2:00 so I can do all that taxi work.

“Mornings are a real bear, just trying to get everyone up and out of the house, so 9:00 a.m. is about the earliest I can get to work, and that’s on a good day. I’ve agreed to do some volunteering at the school, reading to the kids and that kind of stuff, so I’ll be in more like noon on Fridays.

“Oh, and I’m going to try to squeeze in golf lessons once the weather warms up a little.  Monday mornings seem to work best for Sabrina, the teaching pro at Pumpkin Ridge.  That should only be from about 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

“I have found some weekend time to come in and do some work, which is great, because I can get a lot more work done when most of you aren’t around.  Every seventh Saturday I will come in in the afternoon, around 3:00, and get caught up for about 45 minutes or so, unless there’s a golf tournament on TV that day.

“One of the most demanding parts of my job is being on-call 24 hours a day, 365 (366 this year!) days a year.  I’d really appreciate it if you all could stop trying to get ahold of me when I’m not in my office.  That would help me out a lot.

“I will, of course, be taking some of my work home (like right now, for instance—I’m writing this on my home computer).  I’ve devised a board game that uses dice, and it helps me with driver and dispatch scheduling.  The kids pitch in and play it with me.  They like to play
it a lot, so expect frequent changes.  Also, I’m always reading management literature and unique books that help me with my job.  For
instance, right now I’m reading some Satanic Texts to help me with reworking the disciplinary system.

“Bottom line: If you really need to talk to me face-to-face, or communicate with me in any other way than email, you should be able to catch me on Wednesdays, between about 9:00 a.m. and 1 p.m., except during lunch, when I will lock my door.  Thank you for your understanding."

Everyone deserves a yank on their chain every once in awhile, don't you agree?

Have a safe and profitable week.

Sincerely,
Nick Kemper
www.TowPartsNow.com
http://www.facebook.com/#!/towpartsnow