The survey results are in! Thank you to everyone who submitted their input on my Winery Compliance Challenges survey. It was sent out to winery staff who have varied levels of involvement with compliance at their facilities. I was asking for their input to help in the development of some of my upcoming training programs. In some cases I was surprised by their answers to questions while for others I could have predicted the responses that came back.

So here are the results question by question:

1. 67% had some sort of compliance responsibility.

2. 27% had TTB power of attorney for their winery site.

3. What is their biggest challenge?

27% said the TTB monthly report (702)

51% said maintaining the day to day recordkeeping

60% said finding answers to their compliance questions

4. What specific wine compliance tasks are they managing?

60% are filing the TTB monthly report (702)

31% are filing TTB label approvals (COLAs)

33% are filing the TTB excise tax report

76% are doing data entry of work orders

27% are filing amendments to their TTB permits

5. What electronic filing systems are they using?

89% are using the COLAs online system to file their label approvals

44% are using Pay.gov to file the TTB monthly report or excise tax form

33% are using the Permits Online system

6. Where did they receive their wine compliance training?

89% received their training on the job

58% had taken some classes

38% had learned through web research

38% had asked their colleagues for guidance

7. Would you be interested in compliance training?

(Here’s my favorite answer yet!)

76% said Yes

Probably the two responses that were most significant to me were the high percentage who stated “on the job” as their source of compliance training and that 60% said finding answers to their compliance questions was their biggest challenge.

I’ve long known that “on the job” is the standard issue for compliance training. That is how I learned it once upon a time. And it was frustrating trying to find answers to my questions.

I also think that has a lot to do with the reason that compliance is an unpopular and frustrating task for most it is given to.

So most definetely I was excited to see the high percentage (76%) that said they’d be up for some compliance training! Music to my ears!

More details to come on that topic, but for now thanks again to everyone who gave me their valuable input. You’re who the programs are designed for.