One of the key advantages that large vending operations have over their competitors is the ability to invest in employee development, and Canteen Vending Services Inc., the world's largest vending operation, doesn't miss a beat. The fact that a Canteen driver — Lester Fields of the Verona, Va. branch — won the second annual Automatic Merchandiser Route Driver of the Year is a testament to the investment the company has made in employee development, along with Fields' personal commitment.
Fields is the first to acknowledge that his performance is part of a team effort. The employee development programs in place at the Verona branch — like other Canteen branch operations — involve the entire staff.
Fields, a 32-year Canteen veteran, has received ongoing direction from his supervisor, his regional manager, the district accounting manager, and a corporate support system.
The ease with which a veteran driver was able to adapt to DEX handhelds in a short period of time is one sign of the effectiveness of the ongoing communication and support that Canteen provides its employees. Fields and his fellow drivers received two days' worth of individual attention from a special DEX training team.
Fields' enthusiasm is matched by the entire staff at the Verona, Va. branch. The company has several employee development initiatives that keep employees motivated to perform at a high level, consistently.
Employee development fosters ongoing communication
One of the key initiatives, "Be-a-Star," involves the entire branch management team in communicating with the whole staff on a regular basis.
Another program, "Executional Excellence," is more geared to the route drivers. The entire branch management team inspects locations and fills out a comprehensive check list, awarding a numerical value to compliance with planograms, perishable food waste, placement of branded products, placement of "Balanced Choices" items, personal appearance, cash handling, condition of vehicles, record keeping procedures, safety procedures, and other items.
The "Executional Excellence" program was developed with the assistance of professors from Michigan State University, who also developed the route driver certification program for the National Automatic Merchandising Association program. The instructional material for this program includes five videos, three CDs and eight workbooks.
Sherrie Maxwell, vice president of field human resources for Canteen, said the "Executional Excellence" program is even more comprehensive than the NAMA program. Drivers who have completed the "Executional Excellence" qualify for the NAMA certification. "We're motivating them to be more efficient," Maxwell said.
Drivers use interactive tools to develop skills
To further enhance performance, drivers, like other employees, can access a proprietary website to learn about a variety of internal training programs Canteen offers. There is even a program to learn management skills for drivers interested in becoming managers.
Every month, the management team conducts an open meeting with the entire branch staff in the break room where new products are explained and safety issues are discussed.
Canteen is constantly developing its management team as well. There is a training and development team dedicated to helping managers train employees. During the recent DEX handheld rollout, for instance, managers received twice as much individual attention as the route drivers. There are ongoing management training seminars focusing on topics such as operational excellence, customer satisfaction, market leadership, financial performance, and strategic account management.
"Executional Excellence" standardizes many of Canteen's service procedures, but individual branches also have a lot of autonomy in setting compensation programs, along with other areas.
Jo Dee Jolley, the regional manager for the Verona, Va. branch, said individual branches have unique characteristics that need to be considered. The Verona, Va. branch, for instance, is more industrial than nearby Richmond, and has more Hispanic customers. This impacts some of the product choices the branch chooses to planogram.
The column level sales reporting has provided more accurate data for developing planograms for both the snack machine and the refrigerated food machine.
Drivers must understand location preferences
While the company expects drivers to follow the planograms, they still have responsibility for several selections in both the snack and food machines. "You (as a driver) have to listen to what the customer is asking for," Jolley noted. "You might have a location where you need more fresh pastry than what's on the planogram."
The Verona branch also offers incentives to all employees to provide customer leads. Jolley said this makes sense because many of the employees have deep roots in the community. "We believe in everybody selling," she said.
The Verona branch was part of the Washington, D.C.-based Macke Co. when Karen Harlow, the current district accounting manager, first joined the company as an office assistant in 1977.
The Verona branch became responsible for drivers in the Charlottesville, Va. market when Compass Group decided to close the Charlottesville branch shortly after it acquired Service America Corp. in 1998.
Recently, the implementation of DEX handhelds has enhanced route efficiency, noted Harlow. "We had a great group of people already, and it (DEX handhelds) took a lot of work out of their hands." In addition, it is no longer necessary for someone in the branch office to key in route card reports every day.
Branch managers oversee the motivational program
The "Be-a-Star" program is largely administered at
the branch level. Every month, plaques honoring
winning employees are placed on the walls. There
are annual awards given at both the branch level and
at the national level. Lester Fields has been recognized many times.
The branches also carry a lot of responsibility for executing the company's merchandising programs.
A major initiative this year is "Balanced Choices," which replaced the "Nurture Our World" point-of-sale nutrition education campaign. The "Balanced Choices" program includes better-for-you selections such as low-fat, caffeine-free, sugar-free, hydrating beverages, and soy-based products.
The company is targeting a minimum of 15 percent of all of its choices in its snack, cold drink and food machines as "Balanced Choices." There is also a dedicated "Balanced Choices" machine that offers 100 percent healthier items for select accounts.
Harlow admitted that consumers have been slow to change their eating habits, but the company feels that healthier habits are taking hold. "It will continue to grow," she said.
Canteen features one of the vending industry's most competitive fresh food programs, a key selling point in every market. The "Fresh To You" fresh food offerings include signature brands, in addition to several nationally recognized quick service restaurant brands that Canteen offers on an exclusive basis in vending: Blimpie Subs, Checker's, Rally's, Krystal, Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, Sbarro's Italian, Au Bon Pain Soups, Tony Roma's Place for Ribs, and NASCAR Café.
Company Emphasizes its points of difference
The company aggressively markets its fresh food in several ways, including dramatic point of sale graphics on the machines. The "Fresh To You" graphics work in conjunction with the company's proprietary "Market Central" machine designs. There are five different machine design concepts that the account manager can choose from, based on the individual account's demographics.
Another competitive advantage is the ability to provide manual foodservice. As in most markets, the largest vending accounts also require a cafeteria. Canteen has its own manual feeding division, which is separate from Compass Group's Eurest Dining Services, a dedicated foodservice operation. Canteen's manual feeding division also provides catering.
In the future, the company is looking to expand into OCS, Harlow noted.
"We have a terrific group here that acts as a team," she said.
