WISPI has developed a few specialties over the 50-plus years we’ve been in business, like OEM decals, vehicle wraps, aluminum signs … and so much more.
Our biggest specialty of all is making sure every interaction with our company is a pleasant one.
Wanna’ know the secret to that?
We have fun at work!
Think about it. If employees don’t have fun at work, they’re less likely to care about the work they do. That impacts customer service — and we’re not going to let that happen here at WISPI.
“A person can’t fake being happy, and they can’t fake enthusiasm,” says Frank Meiland, WISPI President. “Enthusiasm is key to great customer service. We’ve worked hard to create a work culture that brings out the enthusiasm in our employees.”
A culture of respect creates employees who care
When employees feel respected by their employer, they’ll be happier and more likely to treat others with the same level of respect — including their customers. That’s why Meiland makes it a point to say “good morning” to every employee. He also strives to get to know each employee on more of a personal level.
Employees have to respect each other too. At WISPI, camaraderie-building exercises happen both inside and outside the company. For instance, Frank might shut the plant down early on a Friday afternoon to take everyone mini-golfing. The following Friday might involve a material scrapping day at the plant, where small groups of employees work together at a table to make a painfully laborious task a pleasantly social one.
Most WISPI employees are also cross-trained. This helps everyone gain a better appreciation for the jobs their coworkers do on a regular basis.
Many of WISPI’s employees have been enthusiastically doing their jobs for more than 20 years. Aside from being highly proficient at what they do, Meiland says they are all “wired the WISPI way.”
“Cultural fit is the biggest thing I look for when hiring someone,” Meiland says. “We can train a person on how to perform tasks. But you can’t always train things like demeanor and attitude. We want our employees to be wired a certain way, and then go out of our way to bring out the best in them.”
Meet the dream team behind WISPI’s winning service formula
We recently sat down with Frank to hear what this proud papa has to say about some of his employees.
Scott – He does a lot of finishing work, but he’s also one of those guys who can fix anything. Everyone knows that if something breaks down, Scott’s the guy to go to.
Sebastian – He’s one of our newer employees. He always comes to work with a smile on his face and raring to go. Yeah, Sebastian oozes enthusiasm.
Michelle – She’s as cross-trained as a WISPI employee can get. She has a degree in graphic design, but will do anything we ask of her. She’ll help with screen printing, large-format digital printing, and even finishing work like die cutting and laminating.
Barry – He’s really amazing at installing vehicle graphics, and is equally talented at screen printing. If there’s even a remote possibility that a highly complex part could be screen printed, Barry will figure out how.
Lance – His primary job has been packaging and shipping. But he’s one of those guys who’s just really likable. So he’s also been taking on more of a sales role, calling on customers to gather their feedback and help come up with solutions to their needs.
Jim – He’s a super competitive person who does not like to fail, to say the least. As our operations leader, he is constantly working on initiatives to make our company better and more efficient. Jim is also someone who leads by example. If an employee is ever out sick, Jim will jump right into that person’s spot to keep production on track.
Angela – She handles inside sales and estimating. She’s super-focused and a real go-getter. I’ve never seen anyone jump on customer requests faster than Angela. When Angela’s on a mission, look out.
Jodi – Jodi is cross trained in shipping and inside sales, so she jumps between roles where she’s needed, and she’s easy to work with. She’s also the mother of four and juggles many responsibilities by working a flexible schedule that works for both WISPI and her and her family.
Sarah – She’s a bit of a unicorn. As our senior graphic designer, she’s extremely creative. But she’s also really detail-oriented. Sarah is also very honest and obsessed with “following the rules.” I don’t think she’d sleep for days if she ever cut a corner.
Betsy – She’s that friendly voice who typically answers the phone when you call into our office. Betsy also handles finance and HR. She’ll even run down to the production floor when things get really busy.
Like everyone at WISPI, Betsy is willing to pitch in wherever needed. That’s been the winning customer service formula for more than 50 years, and there’s no reason to start changing that now.