The Story Behind the Awards
- June 2020
When Quality is the Bottom Line of Your Move Start to Finish Best Practice, Consumer Education Are the Story Behind the Awards
Bekins Van Lines Inc. takes measuring the performance of the agents in its national network very seriously and honors those who excel by awarding them with prestigious company awards.
Main Street Movers, a Bekins agent and proud repeat Bekins award winner, shares common ground with Bekins in its total commitment to quality. They also agree that the award goes beyond recognition to serve as a best practices benchmark for agents and a what-to-look-for-in-a-mover education for consumers.
A Commitment to Quality Performance Measures
Bekins proactively measures and enforces quality through various checks and balances and performance measurement programs, says Bekins’ Eastern Regional Sales Director Paul Salmon. The Spire Award, Agent of the Month and the Excellence in Hauling Award are among the Bekins’ honors that recognize and reward agents for outstanding performance in focus areas.
The Spire Award evaluates movers in eight operational categories and weights them equally with an agent’s customer service ratings. Measurable operational data accounts for 50% of the award and includes:
- Packing claim frequency
- Packing claim dollar average
- Hauling claim frequency
- Hauling claim dollar average
- Warehouse claim frequency
- Warehouse claim dollar average
- Safety points
- Weight estimate accuracy
The remaining 50% comprise an agent’s customer service ratings demonstrated through a customer’s answer to the question, “Would you use Bekins again?”
Bekins’ Driver Rating Program measures driver performance relative to claims, safety and customer service with weighted categories that include:
- Customer service (40%)
- Claim severity (25%)
- Claims frequency (15%)
- Safety (20%)
The Customer Experience Report (CXR) is issued to each transferee at the conclusion of their move. According to Salmon, more than 95 percent of the van line’s customers say they would select the van line to move them again.
Finally, the Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a nationally recognized measure of what customers think of their experience with Bekins.
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While the agents are rightfully acknowledged for performance, the customer is always the real winner. Working with a top performer translates to excellent service and operational efficiency, better outcomes and lower cost.
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Awards For a Team Respected by Peers
Despite the geographic breadth of the Bekins agent network, all are held to the same superior quality standards as they perform interstate moves for consumers. Because these drivers and haulers respect and recognize exemplary performance in their Bekins peers, they have some say in the Spire award selection.
Main Street, a two-time Spire Award winner, received the coveted honor both in 2019 and 2020.
In 2019, Main Street also won the Agent of the Month Award, and the Excellence in Hauling Award. While the company hits the mark in all performance categories, the Excellence in Hauling Award specifically relates to Main Street’s more than $250,000 in hauling with customer satisfaction and low claims.
To top things off, last fall, the New Jersey Warehousemen and Movers Association honored Main Street with its 2019 Mover of the Year Award. The award recognizes the company’s consistent excellent customer service and Tom and Karen’s never-ending passion for helping others. Like the Spire Award, the Mover of the Year win is based on the vote of company peers, many of whom are Main Streets’ competitors.
Recognition from fellow movers is particularly gratifying for Tom and Karen Mantzouranis, Main Street’s founders. “It’s rewarding to know that our work and our team are well respected by our peers,” says Karen.
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Every residential and commercial transport is dependent upon a team effort. At Main Street, there’s this cohesive sense of family that goes hand-in-hand with individual accountability. That’s what’s contributed to our success over the 10 years we’ve been in business.
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Contributions Are Many
And, there’s not a bit of complacency in being a repeat winner. Tom and Karen give back to the industry they love—in their advocacy before regulators and their initiatives to help other haulers adopt best practices.
In fact, Karen has been credited with keeping NJ moving companies informed and compliant with operational requirements during the global pandemic. According to Tracy Denora, NJWMA’s executive administrator, Karen spearheaded phone meetings to inform and answer questions on the requisite ways companies must perform during the crisis. Serving as vice president of the NJWMA’s board of trustees, Karen consistently emphasizes that worker safety, truck disinfectant and cleanliness, and the virtual accessibility of all workers are among the best practices that translate into excellent customer service.
Asking Questions Important for Consumers
Bekins’ Salmon agrees that information is important for both consumers as well as haulers. “I always advise consumers to ask questions. The criteria for these awards provide a good base when researching movers.”
What’s more, he adds, pay attention to the way a company responds when you probe. “It goes without saying that hesitancy to answer your questions is a big red flag.”
Karen agrees. Best practice includes communications transparency that begins even before a customer signs a moving company contract. “That’s what we mean when we talk about operations and service that ensure customer satisfaction from start to finish.”
