An 80's-era Policy Was Holding The Ups Store Back. Here's How Its President Discovered The Problem — And Changed It.

When Sarah Casalan became president of The UPS Store, Inc., a less years ago, she spent a week moving successful 1 of nan stores herself. It's a customary acquisition for institution leadership, intended to proviso penetration into what franchisees and customers alike could usage thief with. Sure enough, penetration came connected Casalan's first clip successful nan shop — successful nan style of a ample stack of training binders. "My caput of instructional creation would opportunity that he remembers nan clip of that telephone telephone very clearly," she says pinch a laugh.

To Casalan, it was instantly clear that each of this paperwork was nan incorrect approach. And since then, she's heard clip and again from operators that a overmuch blase strategy was needed to spread workers. Training binders are a vestige of nan franchise's 1980s origins, not really you prosecute workers successful nan 2020s. So successful 2024, nan institution successfully launched its first digital, mobile-friendly training system. The interactive training modules are overmuch overmuch enjoyable for workers, she says — and overmuch overmuch 21st century.

Related: These Two Factors Are Leading nan UPS Store's Rapid Expansion

"The magic of The UPS Store happens complete nan counter," Casalan explains. "If you can't meet someone's needs aliases lick their problems complete nan counter, it is terrifying and it'll ruin your clip — truthful we petition to make judge [employees] are empowered really quickly pinch each of nan knowledge."

Though nan institution officially began adding self-serve kiosks successful stores successful 2023, customers still for illustration white-glove service. This improved training helps guarantee that customers tin get satisfying work arsenic quickly arsenic possible, moreover astatine busier locations — and it's 1 of nan ways The UPS Store has stayed connected top. This is nan company's ninth twelvemonth successful a connection successful nan Franchise 500's Top 10, and its 35th consecutive twelvemonth arsenic No. 1 successful its category.

Ultimately, though, nan caller training strategy — which will proceed to germinate successful nan coming twelvemonth — is astir overmuch than conscionable customer experience. It's information of nan company's larger effort to amended support franchisees. Another consequence of that effort: Its in-house franchise consultants utilized to work 35 aliases overmuch UPS Stores each. Many of them are now averaging small than 30, to springiness them overmuch clip pinch each franchisee. "We are supporting our franchisees to thief them execute their goals faster, truthful that they tin support [their customers,] nan small-business owners successful their community," Casalan says. "We're realigning each of our efforts astir that, and I deliberation that has made each nan difference."

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