Enterprise founder Jack Taylor started his company on the simple premise: "Take care of your customers and employees first, and growth and profits will follow." With their first and primary emphasis on individuals, Enterprise has grown from a small, seven-car operation to the largest car rental company in North America. Their business approach is studied by CEOs and MBA students alike, with much attention given to the fact that it's never been about just the numbers. It can be said that a true commitment to customer service begins with the customer. Enterprise has thrived off of this concept by striving to put the customer first in every aspect of their business. Enterprise took a big risk by going against car rental industry trend of setting up a primary base in airports. Instead, Enterprise saw a different need for car rentals in various communities. Service and value are essential even more so for Enterprise as they strive to establish themselves in the hearts of the locals they serve.

Enterprise realized that local communities often found themselves needing an additional vehicle for whatever reason; contrary to what was previously thought, cars were not only being rented by transitory businesspeople in airports. By listening to customers' needs, Enterprise established a neighborhood office network that now operates branches within 15 miles of 90 percent of the entire U.S. population. With their tremendous reach comes a tremendous responsibility to be thoughtful â€" and accountable â€" corporate citizens. Enterprise has not only successfully accomplished getting themselves into the public eye, but they've also won the trust of their customers through their intense focus on service.

The Enterprise service standard begins long before a customer walks onto their lot (or calls to be picked up). Enterprise makes a point to buy their vehicles, products, and services locally, making them an immediate contributor to the local economy. In addition, they hire and train women and men who live in the community that have a special interest in their city or town's development. By surrounding themselves with locals and buying locally, it's easy to see how Enterprise quickly establishes themselves as an integral part of any community. Rather than focusing their business solely on the occasional businessperson passing through town, Enterprise builds loyal, long-term relationships with their customers and neighbors by treating them fairly, exceeding their expectations, and earning their trust. These relationships, sustained by personal honesty and integrity, are the foundation of their success.
In 1957, Enterprise car rental began as a leasing business in the basement of a Midwest car dealership with the simple goal "To exceed customer expectations." Enterprise Founder Jack Taylor looked around his small office one day and saw a handful of co-workers fielding phone calls, calculating rates and prepping cars. But he saw something else too. He saw people doing ordinary, everyday things with extraordinary passion and focus. He saw people willing to go well beyond their own jobs to get the whole job done rightâ€"people who believed in his vision and made it their own. Thus, the foundation was laid â€" superior customer service â€" for what would become the largest car rental company in North America.

The environment at Enterprise is truly unique. Even today, decades after he founded Enterprise and many years after he stepped down from day-to-day management, Jack Taylor still greets employees with the question, "Are you having fun?" Enterprise is known for their enthusiasm, high energy, healthy competitive drive, and team spirit. The people at Enterprise understand that as they grow, the best fuel for sustainable appreciation is through workforce community highly committed to each other's success and focused on collective success of the entire company.

People feel validated as they are listened to and assured that their needs are being met in the best way possible. The challenge of operating in such a talented and competitive world today is finding a way to bring out great, innovative ideas from such a large pool of talent. Enterprise has found a simple solution: listening. Day-to-day, face-to-face, listening leads Enterprise to working more effectively together with both its employees and customers. They recognize that an open and respectful exchange of ideas is critical to maintaining a high standard for service and personal success. As Enterprise continues to grow they thrive off of the philosophy that at the end of the day, a business is only as strong as the reputation it maintains in the minds of customers, potential customers, and employees.

To ensure that their ability to provide superior customer service is never compromised, Enterprise created a unique way to measure customer service satisfaction. The Enterprise Service Quality index (ESQi) rates its service ability based on whether or not customers are "completely satisfied." Every month, customer satisfaction is measured with each local branch through telephone surveys of hundreds of thousands of Enterprise customers. Each branch earns a ranking based on the percentage of its customers who say they were "completely satisfied" with their last Enterprise experience. Its good to know that Enterprise is competing to completely satisfy their customers, and its paying off. By taking the time to listen to customer responses, Enterprise builds lifelong relationships, the essential principle to sustainable growth, with their customers. ESQi is one of many ways in which Enterprise puts customers' needs first. The result has been millions of satisfied Enterprise car rental customers, thousands of successful employees, and a company that just keeps on growing.