ABC Financial Services Obsessed With ‘Raving Fans’

ABC Financial Services Inc. Chief Human Resources Officer Bill Murray said the reason for the firm’s Best Places to Work honor is that its employees are obsessed with creating “raving fans” out of its clients.

The company has 880 employees — about half are in Arkansas — and provides fitness club management software to over 8,000 clubs throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada

The firm’s offerings to employees include:

• Six weeks of intensive new hire training;

• Onboarding with a 30-, 60- and 90-day plan for success;

• A learning and training team to provide continuous professional and personal development;

• Monthly talks that keep them up to speed on technologies that may or may not be applied to their work;

• Monthly game nights;

• Food truck Fridays;

• A casual dress code;

• Wellness lunch-n-learns on financial, physical and life balance topics;

• A retirement plan with a 100 percent match of up to 4 percent (for employees who have worked there at least six months);

• A toastmaster club called ABC Gladiators that meets every other week;

• Free gym membership (for local workers).

Doing these things is important because it keeps employees focused on serving clients, allows them to balance work and play and lets them know the company “cares about them as an individual and not just another person filling a seat,” Murray said.

He said, “Although we have grown tremendously, we have kept the family feel of a smaller company.”

Murray said about 300 local employees travel to meet with remote employees each year and spend the day with them conducting professional development and sharing in fun activities.

The firm also holds a wellness week with themed activities like obstacle courses; a spirit week that encourages employees to show off anything they “bring spirit to” — such as sports teams or alma maters — and an employee appreciation week that Murray said is very popular.