The Thriving Small Business

Example Customer Service Standards

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Most know that successful organizations have great customer service.

And we all know that it is our employees who take care of those consumers who pay the bills.

I find it interesting when I intereact with an organizqtion and employees are curt, uninformed or simply rude.

I seem to scratch my head and think, “how can you possibly have a profitable business with employees who chase customers away?”

Every organization should have a basic expectation for employees to provide good customer service. Read the Full Article →

Vendor Selection Criteria – 8 Things to Consider

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Successful organizations understand the importance of investing in the business. However, taking that step to spend money isn’t always an easy decision.

As a result, you have held off on making that vital business investment long enough. It’s now time to upgrade your phone system, redesign your website, or replace the carpet in your office. Read the Full Article →

7 Steps to Writing a Vision, Mission and Values Statement

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I was recently asked why a business needs a mission, vision, and values statement.

My response was that a vision, mission, and values statement is a tool to help an organization accomplish what it has set out to do and helps provide a framework for strategy, focus and decision making.

A Vision statement describes the ideal future state of the organization. Read the Full Article →

4 Steps to Successful Project Management

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It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run – the ability to successfully manage projects is a crucial component to getting things done.

Projects are a series of tasks performed by people involved in accomplishing a goal or solving a problem. 

Projects can be short-term or long term. Each has its own unique set of issues, but both strive to improve operational efficiency and improve customer satisfaction. Read the Full Article →

Loyalty Programs – How to Win Customers and Keep Them for Life

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Coupons, loyalty programs, and customer incentives seem to be in most establishments these days.

I have to admit I love coupons but I also love reward programs that can utilize my phone number to track visits and rewards.

We used to purchase the Entertainment Book for my kids every year and sneak one in for myself. Read the Full Article →

5 Advantages of Professional Networking

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A simple life reality is that people need people. We need our family, we need our friends, and we need others in our industry. Which makes professional networking so important.

Professionals use networking as a means to form relationships with others, in like or related fields, that help to expand ones’ effectiveness in an organization or industry. Read the Full Article →

6 Employee Benefit Trends – Is Your Organization Competetive?

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The unemployment rate in the US remains at historically low levels. This tight labor market has organizations interested in the latest employee benefit trends.

A decade ago, employers were reducing benefits just to survive the great recession of 2008. Cutting budgets was commonplace in an attempt to limit employee layoffs of the time. Read the Full Article →

What is Total Quality Management (TQM)?

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The way organizations are managed not only determines the quality of its products and services – but ultimately its success.

Businesses use a Total Quality Management approach to how it manages in an effort to improve how work gets done.

All organizations benefit from Total Quality Management (TQM).

Total Quality Management (TQM) is defined as a management model that focuses on customers and the development of products and services that meet the needs and exceed the expectations of customers. Read the Full Article →

What are the Seven Parts of a Business Letter?

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Writing a professional business letter is a vital part of business communication.

Written communication to customers, vendors or other businesses is a developed skill that requires practice.

Understanding the proper business letter format, the parts of a business letter and practicing writing is key to effective business correspondence.

The business letter is a little more formal than other written business communications such as email, memos or text messages. Read the Full Article →

5 Tips For How To Improve Workplace Communication

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I’ve long been of the belief that we as leaders don’t communicate enough. We sit in meetings and have a good grasp of what is going on.

We intend to take that information back to the people on the ground, but in the course of our busy schedules we lose sight of the importance of sharing information with employees and communicating in the workplace. Read the Full Article →