Networking Conference 2010!!

From September 23rd to the 26th I had the opportunity to attend the Equity University Networking Conference in Orlando, Florida. This was a great opportunity to be a part of a very successful event and also meet and hear the successes and stories that our clients have to share. Last year our post conference survey found that 89% of attendees were extremely satisfied and from the clients I spoke with they were even more pleased with this year's conference!

The conference is a way for our clients and other attendees to learn more about self-directed investing in their IRA. They were able to attend sessions that focused on different topics of self-directed investing in non-traditional forms of investments such as real estate and tax liens, to name a few. One of the more exciting sessions was Speed Networking where clients were able to quickly meet a lot of like-minded people who can help to share their knowledge. This session brought a lot of excitement and energy to event and the conversations even continued in the room long after we had formally ended!

By attending the conference I was able to meet our clients and even put a face with a name for some of the clients who I had spoken with on the phone during my rotation in Client Services. It was great to hear about the attendees' experience with Equity Trust Company and hear their success stories. While the conference was a lot of work, it was definitely worth it!

Passport Journey: Information Technology

This week I attended my Passport Journey with the Vice President of Information Technology (IT). This was a beneficial meeting to see how our IT Department impacts the experience our clients have and our employees' ability to provide the right information. In this meeting I was able to learn about the many projects that are happening in IT such as upgrading our data center, improving our work flow, upgrading our eVantage and building the best IT team. It is exciting to see the upgrades and enhancements that are coming to our company to help us better serve our clients.

I was also given a book to borrow titled Execution The Discipline of Getting Things Done. This book has been insightful and highlights how execution is a huge part of a company succeeding and how to really know if your company is an execution company. It also shows that execution means much more than just getting things done.

My next Passport Journey is with the Vice President of Marketing and Sales. I am looking forward to my next Passport Journey to gain a better understanding of the different channels our marketing team focuses on and the processes that allow our Retirement Plan Specialists to educate our clients on making tax free wealth within their self-directed IRAs.

Welcome to Service Excellence

The past few weeks have been very busy adjusting to my new role in Service Excellence. I started taking classes at Lorain County Community College to get my Green Belt in Six Sigma. My project for these classes entails researching the main reasons for our NPS to find ways to improve client satisfaction and the NPS.

In addition to my Green Belt project, I have also been assigned to implementing a new way of distributing and reporting Equity Trust's client survey. I have been learning the current databases we use and contacting other companies to see if their products would be better suited for our needs. I have been working closely with third party vendors, our IT department, and Jamie Reed, VP of Clients Service and Operations for this project.

I am very excited to see where this rotation takes me. I will keep you posted on the progress of my current projects and of any new ones that are tossed me way!

Client Services Rotation!

For the past three weeks I have been working in my first rotation in the Leadership Training Program in our Client Services Department. My experiences so far has been very beneficial and has helped me to have a better understanding of what our clients experience when they call us. I have spent time both taking calls from clients and working on projects that are going on in the department.

Assisting client's with their questions regarding their accounts, investments, and IRAs has helped me to better understand and apply the information I learned in training. It has been rewarding to tell when I have made a positive difference in the ability for a client to understand the process for making an investment or find the information they need regarding their account.

In addition to assisting clients I have also had the opportunity to work on department specific projects. One of the projects I am working on is reviewing reports for our First Call Resolutions and to identify areas where we can improve by creating an action plan to submit to my supervisor. The goal is that I will be able to plan and present a training session for our Department next month. Working on this project has really helped me to better understand our client's needs and to recognize opportunities we have. I am looking forward to the results of my project and to see how it will impact the calls we receive.

On to the Next Rotation!

The last few weeks have been very eventful with many exciting changes occurring. I had the opportunity to attend a Happy Hour at Champps with our Summer Interns and members of our Management team. It was a very exciting opportunity to be able to have a casual meeting with our management team over appetizers and drinks. We discussed things like movies and sports and they were all very curious to learn about us and what our goals for the future are. This was a very unique opportunity that was enjoyable for all involved.

I was informed two weeks ago that I would begin my new rotation in Service Excellence on August 30th. I had the opportunity to meet with my new Manager, Rob Nordman, to discuss possible projects I may be working on and what I can expect on the team. He informed me I would be attending Green Belt Training in Six-Sigma methodologies at Lorain County Community College. I attended an informational breakfast on the training to see what the expectations of the course are. I will be expected to work on a project for the company in order to receive my certification.

With that said, I was informed that my project will be to assist in improving the companies Net Promoter Score and my new start date for Service Excellence will be August 16th. My first day I will meet with Jamie Reed to learn more about the details of this project. I have enjoyed my time in Client Service and feel I have learned a lot. I feel it was a very valuable experience to learn how to communicate with clients and put their needs first. I feel this experience will make me stronger and more successful in my next two rotations. I am very excited for my new opportunity and can't wait for the challenge!

Welcome Home!

Hello! My name is Eric Groesch and I am also a Leadership Trainee at Equity Trust Company. I am a recent graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College with a degree in Business Management. Upon starting in the Leadership Training Program I began June 21st with a five week investment training where I learned about the types of retirement plans we offer, the kinds of investments that our clients make and our company history. The past five weeks have allowed me to get a good grasp of the company, our values, and our commitment to our clients.

To give you a better idea of what the Leadership Program is I will be posting updates on my experiences in the program. The Leadership Training Program is an 19 month journey through the company. The program is split into three, six-month rotations. The first rotation that I have currently started is in our Client Services Department where I will have the opportunity to assist our clients by educating them on our retirement plans and investments as well as work on different projects. After this rotation I will move to our Service Excellence Department where I will be trained in Lean Six Sigma and learn about process improvement and business project management. The third rotation will be my Leadership Rotation in our Operations Department where I will be able to further develop my managment skills.

While going through these three rotations I will also have the opportunity to take part in many different Passport Journeys, where I will have the opportunity to meet with the managers, supervisors, and the CEO of Equity Trust Company. As a part of my first Passport Journey I have been reading the book From Good To Great by Jim Collins. This book highlights the key findings in what has allowed good/average companies to make the leap to a great company.

I am very excited to be beginning my first rotation here in Client Services and I look forward to the many experiences and opportunities I will have along the way!

Welcome to the Leadership Trainee Program!!

Hi! My name is Aurie Watkins and I am the third Leadership Trainee to join Equity Trust Company. I started with the company in January of 2007 in the Operations Department. During my first three years at Equity Trust, I attended classes at Lorain County Community College through their partnership program with Ohio University. In June, 2009 I graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Organizational Communication. I was offered a position in the Leadership Trainee Program in February 2010. At this time, I went through four weeks of investment training where I learned the ins and outs of IRA Accounts, investments, and company history.

After investment training, I was asked to help Human Resources with recruiting over 60 new employees for Equity Trust and Sterling Trust. During this time I assisted with phone screens, conducting skills testing, attending career fairs, and on several cases conduct interviews.

After a month of recruiting, I began my Client Service rotation. During my time in Client Service, I have taken client calls, learned how to handle escalated situations, manage payroll for a team of 14 employees, and learn how to conduct score cards. Coming from an operations background, this rotation has been a great experience for me. Being able to interact directly with the clients has furthered my understanding of the company Core Values and the service Equity Trust has to offer.

Over the last five months, I have had the option to begin my Passport Journey. I have had the opportunity to have lunch with the Vice President and Director of Client Services and Operations, dinner with the CEO, as well as meet with the Vice President of IT and the Director of Equity University. During my time with these individuals I had the unique opportunity to gain valuable insight to what each department does, the future of the departments, and the visions each of these leaders have for the company.

My first five months of the Leadership Trainee Program have been very beneficial and exciting. I am looking forward to meeting with more of the company’s leaders, getting involved in projects, and experience all the opportunities to come my way!

Moving Fast During Tax Season

It's been a while since I had a chance to post anything on this blog, but I've been very busy with new projects in the Leadership Rotation. The months leading up to tax day (April 15) are very fast-paced at Equity Trust and my projects can change at any given time. Fortunately, this gives me the opportunity to learn new things and gain experience handling multiple projects.

Lately, I’ve been working with the Human Resources Recruiting Team to review resumes, phone screen job candidates, and assist in the interviewing and hiring processes. Equity Trust hosted a career fair in February and I had the opportunity to interview several great candidates. Some of the hiring decisions have been made now, so I’m developing a training plan for the Client Services Supervisors to bring some new employees on board. It’s exciting to see our company grow!

Another project I’ve been focusing on is a plan to bring in a large group of new clients to our company. Of course, a big influx of new clients will require additional staff to handle the increased volume, so I’m creating training plans for these new hires. These new employees will be part of a new team at Equity Trust, so it’s great to learn how to build a team from the ground up!

Overall, the Leadership Rotation is full of new experiences and challenges. I’m learning a lot in this fast-paced environment. Over the next four weeks, I’ll be conducting two training classes and then serving as the team lead for the new team that will be bringing in the large group of new clients. I can’t wait to see how these projects turn out! Best of all, by the time the projects are done, tax day will be behind us!

The Leadership Rotation Begins!

I was surprised and excited to learn last Friday that my Client Services Rotation was over and I would be starting the Leadership Rotation immediately. Service Excellence was previously planned as my next rotation, but Equity Trust's needs have required a change in plans. As a result, I have begun planning for a six-month leadership position in the Client Services Department.

One of the benefits of remaining in the Client Services Department is the opportunity to help with the implementation of the call volume project that Rachel and I completed over the last few months. Our proposals are awaiting approval and they will likely be implemented just in time for tax season. Another benefit of staying in CST is the chance to continue working with the team leads, supervisors, and manager whom I've gotten to know well over the last seven months.

I don't know all of the specifics of my new role in the Leadership Rotation, but I'm sure I will be learning very soon. Right now, I am job shadowing the CST Team Leads to learn about their daily responsibilities. I've also been reviewing Equity Trust's employee handbook, which I will have to know well in a leadership position. I am really looking forward to the challenges and learning experiences that this new rotation will bring. As I learn more about my specific role, I'll follow up with details about tasks to be completed and project plans.

Recruiting!

As my last post indicated, I am now involved in the Human Resources Department assisting as a recruiter for both Equity Trust Company and Sterling Trust Company (which is located in Waco, Texas). For the past month I have had the opportunity to work closely with the Corporate Recruiter, Amanda Thompson, to learn the procedures and skills necessary to be a successful recruiter. Throughout the past month I have been interviewing candidates for a variety of positions for both Equity Trust and Sterling Trust. I conduct phone interviews with candidates for different positions on a daily basis. I also have been scheduling in person interviews and sitting in on those as well. I am learning a ton about the questions to ask, answers to look for and how to determine if a candidate possess the core competencies necessary to fulfill the open positions. As both Equity Trust and Sterling Trust continue to grow, there are many open positions that we have been looking to fill. Every day is exciting and fast paced. As Colin mentioned in his last post, I too remember job hunting and sitting in on interviews not too long ago. It has been a fun experience to get the opportunity to be on the reverse side of an interview.

I also have been finishing up on my strategic mapping project that was dealing with fee awareness and our competitor's fees. I have created a spreadsheet which provides an at a glance reference comparing our annual fees and service fees with those of our main industry competitors. I also made a coinciding PowerPoint to possibly be referenced or used for continued education training or new hire training. Fees are something that our prospects and clients seem to have many questions about and knowing how our company compares to others out there can help strengthen our competitive advantage.