Renate And Arno Häringer

2023 Author: Hannah Pearcy | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-06-01 01:49

The customers who are looked after by the company Häringer from Freiburg should get a taste for color. This is the motto of Renate and Arno Häringer. So that the desire for your own company is not neglected, the operating result should also be right. Reason enough to get a consultant for a general check.

Mr. Häringer, why are you having your company checked? Are there any problems?

Arno Häringer: I don't want to let it get that far. We have been running our business since 1996 and it has been going up ever since. In 2000 we moved to a larger company building with a separate exhibition room to provide advice to our predominantly private customers even more intensively. The number of employees has now grown to 7 journeyman and 3 trainees. However, we have noticed for some time that the results have not reached the level of previous years.

Ms. Häringer, you are responsible for the commercial part of the management. How do you assess the situation?

Renate Häringer: Like my husband, especially since I am responsible for finances and there has also been an unsatisfactory change in the area of liquidity. According to our tax advisor, everything is fine. However, we notice that something is going in the wrong direction. A friend of ours, with whom we always exchange ideas, recommended Mr. Krauss. After a few preliminary talks over the phone, we went on the spot. What does our cost burden look like, how do the processes work for us, in general the entire organization

Mr. Häringer, what came out of the check?

Arno Häringer: It was confirmed that we felt that we were right. The productivity of our people is definitely okay, as the analysis has already shown. We have to take countermeasures in terms of costs, and we want to further optimize our processes. Here we now have concrete starting points. Interestingly, our tax consulting costs, for example, were well above average. Before we had no comparison options, Mr. Krauss gave us that. As a result, this led us, among other things, to look for a new tax advisor, especially since it turned out that some of his recommendations were counterproductive for us. This measure alone leads to savings of several thousand euros without the performance deteriorating. In the processes, we will spend more time on work preparation and organize it more tightly. We are now increasingly using checklists that Mr. Krauss has made available to us.

It has been shown that our order sums for our company size are significantly higher. Of course, I am happy to be able to generate orders with a decent amount as an entrepreneur. On the other hand, it means that we have to pre-finance a higher volume. This in turn affects liquidity. Here we have been made significantly more aware and carry out budget bills much earlier.

Ms. Häringer, how were your employees involved in the new processes?

After we agreed on the sequence of the implementation measures, an employee training course was held by Mr. Krauss. Without us, the management, so that the employees also have the opportunity to be able to ask their questions in a completely unbiased manner. At the end of the training, all points were recorded, as a joint agreement and signed by everyone.

Mr. Krauss, how did you sell the changes to the employees?

Wolfgang Krauß: First of all, it was not about selling something to the employees, but honestly showing the situation of the company. Experience has shown that this is accepted by third parties rather than by the company's own management. It is important at such an information event that the meaning of the measures is explained. E.g. that the correct completion of timesheets and the punctual submission is not only important for the payroll, but also to determine the status of the construction sites and to enable timely accounting. That improves liquidity. The measures introduced are primarily to support employees in order to make their work easier. This is the case if the boss has already recorded the special features using a list as part of the initial consultation on site. That it is an old building and a longer ladder is needed. These "little things" like to go under. The journeyman then receives the list as additional information before the start of the construction site.

Is there anything in employee training that is striking in all companies ?

Wolfgang Krauß: Yes, that is the assessment of company profits and the effects of unproductive times. Employees see both points completely differently. In my view, it is particularly important to show employees where and how they can exert direct influence. For example, through the consistent recording of additional services that are increasingly incurred when working in the private customer area. It is not uncommon for the journeyman to have inhibitions about recording the additional times and having the customer sign them. Of course, they are in your own timesheet.

Arno Häringer: Although I honestly have to admit that we didn't estimate the costs of unproductive times as high. Mr. Krauss once calculated for us what 30 minutes of unproductive time per employee and day would be at the end of the year. A company of our size can quickly raise € 25,000.

Ms. Häringer, what other measures have been taken?

Renate Häringer: We can now carry out our offer and post-calculation with secured values. In addition, we have the option of continuously comparing our targets with the effective results.

Mr. Krauß, the measures initiated are primarily aimed at the internal area. Have factors such as the range of services been analyzed?

Wolfgang Krauß: Of course, I always carry out the qualitative analysis in advance, before it concerns costs, yields and productivity. Here the Häringer company is much better positioned than many of its colleagues. Starting from a special senior and holiday service to membership in a craft cooperative and a recommendation network.

Mr. Häringer, what is your overall result of the consultation?

Arno Häringer: We are really happy that we followed our colleague's recommendation. Now we know exactly where we are and what we still want to achieve. Of course, the first thing we need to do as management is to push ahead with the necessary steps. But it is a great support to have the right contact person at hand, who is always available to us.

And Ms. Häringer?

Renate Häringer: The nice thing is that we are not left alone with the implementation. In addition, we are continually obliged by Mr. Krauss. By phone and on site. We also have to deliver. And an improvement in results is already evident.