Freese receives high praise from Ford

Kirk Freese, service manager at Freese Motors Inc. in Monticello, recently attained Level 4 Elite Status in the Ford Company’s 2018 Employee Excellence Program. 

Freese was one of only 46 Ford dealership service managers in the U.S. to achieve this status, which is based on customer service and satisfaction. He was the only Ford service manager in the State of Iowa to receive this award. 

Freese has been working for Freese Motors since 1996, starting out washing vehicles. 

“I was the wash boy,” he said. 

He worked his way up the business ladder to mechanic, parts manager, and now service manager, a title he’s held for the past few years. 

His job entails scheduling customers’ vehicles, filing warrantee claims, and payments. 

“Anything that needs to be fixed goes through me,” Freese said. 

Since receiving the recognition, Freese has been featured in several automotive and national publications, including “USA Today.” 

With the award based on customer satisfaction, Freese said the Ford company “keeps track of everything we do as a whole.” The company sends customer surveys out and tracks the results. 

“We’re pretty fortunate to have an 80 percent return rate,” Freese said of the surveys. “They (Ford) grades us on the responses.” 

Living and working in a small community, Freese said it’s important to reach out to their customers to know how their service rates. 

“We stand by what we do 100 percent,” he said.