Name: James Rodgers

Position: Graduate Management Trainee

University: Queens University Belfast

Interesting Fact: I am currently training to run the New York Marathon in 2016!

The Night Before

At the Airport, our busiest periods are often first thing in the morning, so preparation starts on the late shift the night before – making sure cars are clean, safe and fuelled for the team next day, as well as preparing contracts for our many corporate customers who arrive for work each morning.

5:30 AM – Time To Get Moving

The day at the branch starts at 6:45am, often with four or five of you on the shift. We make sure our entire fleet is ready for the day and check when other vehicles are due to return. There are usually a few customers who bring back their cars before we even arrive, so the first thing I do is to check the secure drop box for keys and book in those cars so I can get them back on the road again for anyone who’s flying in that morning.

7:00 AM – Morning Meeting

Teamwork rules at Enterprise, and a morning meeting is a great way to motivate the team. We usually discuss customer service – everything we do puts the customer front and centre – and set particular goals for each other, such as how we can increase revenue at the branch by selling a wide range of products to the customer more effectively. This creates a competitive working environment and makes everyone appreciate the hard work of the whole team.

7:30 AM – Time For Customers

We have an arrivals desk where one person will meet customers individually and welcome them to Enterprise. This is the first contact all our customers have with the company, and it’s really important we set expectations for how their rental experience will go, because when we do this, we can meet and then exceed those expectations. Customers then make their way to the car park, where we greet and walk them through their rental agreement and show them to the car. The pace can be fast, but we pride ourselves on providing a personal, efficient service.

9:30 AM – Back Office Focus

Often there are quiet periods between flights, when we can focus on financial reports, marketing plans and our own personal development. Management Trainees play a large role in shaping and controlling the business, and every month I’m responsible for corporate accounts which I actively have to manage.

11:00 AM – Time To Hit The Road

Throughout the day we may need to collect cars that have been repaired or had new tyres fitted. Sometimes we may make trips to neighbouring branches for additional cars if the following day looks busy, and this is a good opportunity to meet colleagues – as well as making sure we have the right car ready for our customers the next day.

12:00 PM – Training & Lunch

Our four core values – Customer Service, Profit, Growth and Employee Development  – are part of daily life in the branch, but as a management trainee, it’s Employee Development that’s most applicable at the moment. During a quiet period I’ll go through my training folder to work out which new projects or tasks I can complete. Enterprise is proud of its culture of internal promotion and there is every opportunity to progress right to the very top.

2:00 PM – The Late Shift Are Here

The early shift ends at 5:00pm, but before then I’ll make sure that everything is ready for the evening team who arrive at 2:00pm. This crossover period gives us time to brief each other on the day and work together to make sure the handover goes smoothly. We get more of our cars returning in the afternoon, and throughout this time we are outside, checking for damage. Personally, I love doing returns and it puts a smile on my face every time I watch a customer leave knowing that they’re completely satisfied with the level of service we’ve provided.

5:00 PM – Home Time

Many of my customers are flying out now, and it’s time for me to go home, relax, and enjoy the rest of my evening so that tomorrow I’ll be ready for another challenging, yet rewarding day at the airport.

Here at Enterprise we’ve got plenty of exciting job opportunities for anyone who enjoys a busy working environment with plenty of variation and a culture of promoting from within. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, check out our current vacancies today.