Staff Training at Affordable Granite - Classroom and Group Work
For the first time since October 2019, we had a Staff Training Day last week. Well, a Staff Training afternoon, anyway. Some talks, some interactive group work and a few laughs – a stimulating afternoon that was designed to help us prepare for the interesting months that lie ahead.Â
Andy kicked things off with some thoughts on the current outlook for the country and our market. He stressed the importance of maintaining and improving our excellent reputation for customer service, our efficiency and productivity so as to weather any storms that may lie ahead. He wants a team where all staff take ownership of sucesses and challenges, and where we all have at least some understanding of the financial wheels that drive our business so that we can really get how our actions help to make the company the sucess that it is.
Our accounts are overseen by Z group, and our account manager is Alex Bessonov. He gave us all a rapid workout on the economics of the company, showing how a good job, well done, first time, is the basic essential that goes into sucess and keeping us all paid. I think that people were surprised by how interesting staff training on accounting could be!
Naomi led a session on our internal communication. We often say that our job is all about the accurate gathering and transfer of information – starting with interpreting the customer’s requirements as we prepare a quotation, but especially in moving from the agreed quotation via the template to installing kitchen worktops that fit exactly – both into the kitchen and into the customer’s vision for their kitchen. Errors regarding sizes, thickness or even material choice have all occurred over the years – eradicating them is the name of the game. We split intio groups to analise our “Fitters’ Sheets” – the key paperwork that accompanies each job through templating, workshop and back into the client’s kitchen.
Naomi speaking to the whole company
Group work – discussing how we could improve our internal communication
We were pleased to welcome Becca Cranfield of Athena Stonecare – a leading company in the field of repairs to and maintenance of natural stone. Although we work mainly in slightly different fields – Becca’s people are more floor, rather than worktop oriented – there is much to learn where our areas of interest overlap. A good talk.
Finally, Andy shared news of the Caesarstone Master of Stone Training Programme. All members of the company are encouraged to work through the sequence of shortty courses, designed to help us in general Health and Safety. Specifically, we want all staff to be aware of the dangers of crystalline silica dust, and of the steps we need to take to avoid exposure. A safe company that looks after its staff will be a happy and efficient comoany, that looks after its customers!
It was a useful training day with enough serious material to chew on and enough laughs to provde some light relief. Thanks especially to Andy, Naomi, Alex and Becca for putting it together!
We are Affordable Granite, the leading granite installer in Surrey, Sussex and across the South East. We are committed to the ongoing trajing of our staff in all aspects of health and safety – in our office and factory, on the vans and on our customers’ sites. And we want all members of the team to really “get” what we are about, so that quality and customer service are genuinely instinctive for every one of us. For questions, queries and quotes connected with any aspect of worktop installation or kitchen design, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01293 863992 or by email on sales@affordablegranite.co.uk/ .
