Katy Richey Treating Her Clients Like Gold: Ensuring Clients Feel Valued Beyond Measure
As the newest Area Manager overseeing Quantum Services’ Northeast Region, Katy Richey has been a shining example of an inventory auditor that treats her clients like gold, every interaction as a precious investment in building a lasting trust-based relationship. With the company for over 10 years, Katy knows that punctuality, positivity, and taking initiative are the types of auditor attributes that go a long way in delivering exceptional service. Honing her managerial skills and being able to laugh at everything are just two of the reasons she has been able to grow within Quantum Services.
Katey Richey, Quantum Services’ Area Manager of Northeast Region
Enhanced Service Through Team Communication
With 13 years of experience in inventory control, Katy has learned that open and honest conversations are key to success. Having dedicated time to connect outside of audits and creating an open forum for sharing has been invaluable for her team’s performance. Division Managers meet virtually to discuss how operations are running for their shared clients, review client specifications, identify opportunities for improvement, and recognize the efforts of team members. These examples foster an environment of collaboration and continuous improvement.
The impact of enhancing services for clients, such as RaceTrac, CrossAmerica Partners, and Road Ranger, is a relationship built on trust and mutual respect. Katy’s clients know that her audit team will complete their audits to client specifications when promised and they will interpret results during the wrap-up phase. Katy’s expertise is apparent when analyzing audit reports and helping store managers focus on key areas of inventory management, such as preventing theft or identifying issues with vendor invoices. Understanding what Quantum Services’ proprietary reports reveal shows real value to the client.
Adaptability: Always Bending, Never Breaking
A core value of Quantum Services is adaptability, and Katy shows this quality every day. While in her previous role as Division Manager of Dallas, TX, she faced the challenge of hiring and training new staff while managing a new client and keeping the usual audit schedule—all during a time when a team member was unavailable. She has benefited from coaching to help her juggle competing demands, which has impacted her managerial and leadership skills. She also believes in finding the bright side of any situation, a positive quality that makes her an admired member of the team.
Collaboration Uncovers A Costly Problem
One sign of a true partnership is open communication between c-store personnel and the audit team. Katy loves it when store managers are aware of issues before the audit team arrives and communicates with them prior to starting the count. But sometimes inventory issues happen outside the c-store walls where people least expect it. One memorable instance that Katy recalls was when a Quantum Services auditor, counting ice at the outdoor kiosk, noticed a beer vendor leaving product outside the truck unattended. Katy advised the manager to watch the surveillance camera, which revealed a group of kids stealing beer—a cause behind the client’s ongoing inventory shortages. Due to the actions of Katy and her team, they were able to prevent further theft and save the client thousands of dollars, while being a part of the solution to change the beer check-in process. Katy and her team went above and beyond to deliver value and protect the client’s interests.
Passion And Purpose
Since joining Quantum Services, Katy has enjoyed the flexibility that the job affords. She experiences a balance in work and life which she appreciates while her boys are young, and her work brings joy in seeing new places and faces every day. One rewarding aspect of her role is reviewing results with store managers at the end of an audit. Katy knows these conver-sations have meaning for her clients, and she takes pride in knowing her work directly contributes to the client’s inventory success.
To learn more about how you can have an elite audit team like Katy’s deliver top-notch results in your c-stores, check us out at the Quantum Services Website, our Facebook page, or our LinkedIn page. If something caught your eye here and you would like to be an inventory auditor, visit us at here.