Here at SpotHero, it’s our mission to make lives easier by designing better ways to find, reserve and pay for parking. And while building outstanding tools for drivers and operators alike is what we do, it’s our corporate values that guide how we do it. Our values inform the way we make decisions and treat our customers, our partners and one another while we work together to reach our goals, both big and small.
As Training Lead for the Customer Hero team, it’s my mission to instill our values in new hires while making sure they feel like part of the SpotHero family from day one. We’ve trained 35 new hires so far in 2017, and there are around 10 more joining us later this month. With our large class sizes and rapid hire rate, our values serve as our GPS to make sure our culture lives on, no matter how quickly we grow.
SpotHero’s seven core values are:
• Drivers Get the Right of Way
• Fuel Relationships
• Drive Growth
• Act Like You’re in the Driver’s Seat
• Remember to Signal
• Don’t Get Stuck in Traffic
• Enjoy the Ride
•… and yes, they’re all parking-themed!
We call our Customer Service representatives “Customer Heroes”, and we take the “hero” in our name seriously. While each Hero has his or her unique way of hero-izing (Act Like You’re in the Driver’s Seat, remember), everyone on the team shares an insatiable desire to help people. We all work together to create an unsurpassable customer experience that gives our Drivers Right of Way. We truly believe we’re our customers’ personal superheroes (at least when it comes to parking), since we can help make or break each caller’s individual experience – often their entire day.
In addition to making sure our Drivers Get the Right of Way, we also focus on Driving Growth, which is my favorite value. In my role, Driving Growth is about investing in current employees and helping them develop lifelong skills that can further Heroes’ careers at SpotHero and beyond. Throughout new hire and ongoing trainings, we teach skills that not only apply to the Hero position but can be used long afterwards – like self-empowerment, emotional intelligence, tactful communication and teamwork. By focusing on interpersonal skills in addition to skill sets that are easily quantifiable, Heroes develop and refine character traits that help them grow both personally and professionally.
As noted above, another value that’s highlighted throughout trainings is Act Like You’re in the Driver’s Seat. In new hire trainings, this value is communicated as taking control of your own destiny by assuming ownership of your work – and this requires confidence. While confidence can be hard to master when starting a new role, it’s a key trait for our Heroes when they’re on the phones with customers. To help build confidence, trainings are filled with positive reinforcement and interactive workshops during which new hires have the opportunity to let their personalities shine. We make it a welcoming environment where questions and feedback are constant and encouraged.
We call our Customer Service representatives “Customer Heroes”, and we take the “hero” in our
name seriously.
By incorporating our values into every training, I help to ensure that the SpotHero culture is instilled in our employees. Whether it’s new hire training or ongoing development for someone who being promoted to a new role, there’s always opportunity at SpotHero to show how every role furthers our company mission and vision while contributing to our company’s culture.
Raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michelle Fischgrund graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a B.A. in Communications. Since starting at SpotHero, her passion for parking has grown immensely as well as her passion for onboarding new hires and training the Hero team. She can be reached at michelle.fischgrund@spothero.com.
