Reopening also means gaining public trust

 

Everyday life four months ago was extremely different than July 2020. While we are not ordered to stay at home, it is suggested. Gatherings are still limited. Events like birthdays, weddings, and funerals are small private gatherings. Store shelves are, for the most part, stocked but there are still some items in which the shelf remains empty. 

 

Businesses small and large have had to adapt and overcome. Before everything shut down businesses quickly set up cleaning stations, Plexiglas shields, and tape on the floor. The temporary adjustments were hurried responses to keep employees and customers safe and stay open. Then everything stopped.

 

During closures, most businesses had time to adjust to coming restrictions regarding reopening. Temporary became permanent. “Behind the scenes” part of getting the economy going again were the efforts to create and install shields at customer interface points. Painter’s tape on the floors became printed stickers. Permanent signs explaining restrictions and warnings were manufactured. Face shields. And of course masks. The leaving home check of keys, wallet, phone has added mask. Which is also now apart of the employee uniform.

Masks

When COVID-19 began gaining momentum and entered into the pandemic phase the public and businesses went slowly. No one wanted to believe that restrictions and precautions were permanent. As the economy reopened it was realized that to stay open, and in some cases avoid fines business had to change. Temporary fixes had to become permanent. We now see permanent installations of shields, directional arrows to navigate, markings identifying where to stand, and in/out only doors. And of course masks.

 

Of all the changes we have seen from the pandemic the mask has been the most ubiquitous. Face coverings are our everyday life. They have sparked controversy. Started arguments about the improper or lack of wearing. They are now a point of fashion to be complimented. Masks are popping up in the impulse buy area at the checkout register and even vending machines. Masks have also become our non-verbal permission to enter and an invitation to leave. No mask – No service signs are posted in many storefronts. Businesses don’t want to turn people away, but they also don’t want to face the ever present risk of being shut down either.

Public trust

When stay at home orders were lifted and businesses began to reopen customers were leery about returning. Although we couldn’t wait to get out of our homes, we had to feel safe. The COVID virus was and still is a threatening menace. A big part of gaining a customer's trust is making them feel safe in your establishment.  To get ahead of competitors businesses had to try to be the first to explain the steps taken to keep customers safe. Not only what was being done to sanitize, but how, and how often. This has to be more than just words. Science has proven that we process visual data better than text or the spoken word. In fact, 90% of what we process is visual.  Customers have to SEE the action of cleaning and sanitizing in order to validate what is being advertised.  

 

Being in the grocery store and seeing an employee cleaning the carts or walking around, during business hours, cleaning door handles and contact surfaces goes a long way in convincing customers that the business is serious about their well being. On a recent went to a UPS store for their notary and overnight services this was evident. Of course, they had queue markers on the floor and Plexiglas at the registers, which would be expected. What was impressive was seeing an employee wiping down a public computer station with disinfectant after each use by a customer. Seeing the employee clean the keyboard and work area after a single use reinforces that business’ commitment in the eyes of the customer.

 

Demonstrating sound sanitation practices to the public will get them back and keep them coming back. With instant reviews being posted on multiple platforms, businesses not practicing safe procedures will spread quickly. At this point in time that is a quick way to lose customers and get shut down. Again.

 

Another good move to show how serious the company is taking health is transparency and decisive action. We’ve already seen businesses reopen only to be shut down again after a government agency finds a violation or an infected employee. Better to take the action yourself. Small businesses, especially bars and restaurants, have set this example. Setting up their own testing policies and discovering possibly infected employees, they have immediately shut down, publicized what happened, and the actions they are taking to rectify the issue. It hurts to close your doors but keeping the public trust is more important now than ever.

 

In addition to changes in sanitation and ensuring there are safe practices in place, there are other changes as well. How we conduct business has changed and will probably have long-term effects. Offices cleared, sending employees to work from home. After a few weeks, with no solution to the virus in sight, corporations announced that they would not be returning employees, adopting permanent work from home policies. Businesses have learned to adapt to stay in business. What we thought couldn’t be done or never thought of trying is successful.  

 

We are looking for a return to “normal” when we are living what our normal now is. 

Business Adaptability

How is small business adapting to COVID19?

NOTE: Since this article was posted it has been updated with new information.
 
When governors issued stay at home orders and business closings it was a shock to say the least. Businesses were deemed essential or non-essential, the latter being ordered closed for the foreseeable future with no re opening date. Small businesses of all sizes and industry are desperately hurting. It’s interesting to see how businesses have adapted to either reach their customers while closed or try to keep customers while operating under restrictions.

Businesses that provide personal services such as salons and barbershops do not have much choice. Restaurants were given a reprieve in that they could provide take out or delivery. Some businesses that were allowed to stay open are still seeing a decline in sales. People are just not going out. Even these businesses have had to become creative to develop more customers. One of the new buzzwords is contactless. Companies are using that description to reassure customers that you can obtain products without having to meet someone face to face. Businesses like hardware stores have begun offering curbside pickup to encourage shoppers that may not want to go inside the physical store. Ecommerce has increased especially for stores that are closed and have had to find other sales outlets.

A contactless marketing coup has been Little Caesar’s pizza portal. They offered in store contactless pizza pick up before contactless was a thing. They quickly adjusted marketing with the new terminology to point out their system of pizza delivery. Other delivery pizza companies are ensuring drivers wear gloves and masks, and leave the thermal delivery bag outside the door for the customer to retrieve the products. In addition to deals and sales there’s been other creativity to entice customers. Restaurants are offering ingredient kits to make your favorite menu item at home. Bakeries are selling cake and cupcake decoration kits. Gardening and craft projects, the list grows everyday of small businesses adapting to new marketing schemes.

What about when the restrictions ease? When everything reopens how are businesses going to change to reassure customers that it’s safe to patronize? As we’ve seen with the beaches around the country, when there’s a reopening some people are going to come out droves. Others will wait a few days or weeks to see what happens. And others may not return to restaurants and at all. A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll of 1,005 people found that Americans are wary to return to restaurants and retail.

Retailers will have to demonstrate what sanitization and distancing procedures are being taken to reassure customers that it is safe to visit. The stores that are open now are taking measures to sanitize. Grocery stores are limiting shoppers and installing shields at checkouts. Restaurants are limiting capacity and reassigning staff to compartmentalize duties to one person-one task. Other types of retail are installing shields, social distanced queue markers, and ramping up contactless pay devices. Others that didn’t normally wear gloves are now. And, of course, everyone is wearing masks. Store signs use to read-No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service. Now, No Mask-No Service!

Patrons have to know what is being down to ensure their safety. Receiving communications as to the efforts and seeing the physical efforts, employees wearing masks, limited capacity, shields at points of sale. all this goes a long way to reassure customers that they will be safe when shopping.

Some companies that sell services and some product based are able maintain operations by allowing employees to work from home. How will that change? Will companies move towards or relax work from home rules? If you’d Goolged the word zoom in January 2020 the search results would have been much different than they are in May 2020.  Now instead of the online dictionary definition (a more likely result) the first return is the website for the online video conferencing company. “Zoom” quickly became synonymous with web meetings. Japan’s business culture is having great difficulty with work from home. As technologically advanced as Japan is their business world is steep in tradition, requiring in person transactions and paper documents. 

What will go away and what will return to pre COVID? Sanitizing wipe downs, gloves, masks, and register shields will probably stay. Will we shake hands to close a deal? Or will elbow bumps be the new social norm of greeting and accords.

The deeper we go into the economic shutdown news of businesses adapting is breaking everyday. Here are a few approaches to rethinking how we do business. 

Still operating drive-in theaters are seeing a boom and entrepreneurs are looking to open new drive-ins. Music promoters are experimenting with drive-in concerts where venues will allow.

In addition to drive thru, Chick-Fil-A expanded curbside and added another feature. When the food is delivered to your car, it is carried inside of a plastic container. The customer then lifts their food bags out of the container. 

LYFT issued guidelines to reassure riders how they are ensuring clean and safe rides. https://www.lyft.com/blog/posts/lyft-launching-health-safety-program
A video of how Dutch restaurants are protecting employees and customers was released. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kz3oi4WIKl0

Apple Employees Win Suit

A quick post to relay the results of a California court ruling.  

The California Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of Apple employees allowing them to be paid for after shift security searches. Apple requires employees of their product stores to be searched after their shift, checking for stolen company products. Employees filed a class action suit claiming that they should be compensated for the time required to complete the searches. Failure to comply with the search policy can lead to being fired.

A federal district court had earlier ruled in favor of Apple. Stating that the employees had to prove that they were being restrained from leaving. The case then went to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court, who returned the case to state court for an interpretation of state law regarding compensation. The California Supreme ruled in favor of employees and the case now returns to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court. The ruling, as of now, does not affect other states as it was not a federal court decision. However, once the U.S. Circuit Court considers California's Supreme Court decision it may rule in favor of employees. Compensation for requirements after an employee is "off duty" may be interpreted differently and cause a ripple effect through the U.S. regarding employee pay and overtime.

This is not the first time a California ruling has affected employee compensation. In 2018, The California Supreme Ruled that employers must pay employees for "off the clock" activities such as locking up, setting alarms, and other administrative duties. There is a federal rule called the de minimis rule that says that employees can be required to work small amounts of time, less than ten minutes say, that would be difficult to track administratively. However, California courts ruled that the federal rule had not been adopted under California wage laws and, therefore, did not apply.

De minimis Rule

The "de minimis" rule came from the Supreme Court in 1946, stating that employers, when considering amount of time worked, may disregard time worked over shift when it amounted to seconds or minutes. The U.S. Department of Labor adopted a similar rule under 29 C.F.R. § 785.47, which states, insubstantial or insignificant periods of time beyond the scheduled working hours may be disregarded. 

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations, 29 C.F.R. § 785.11, if an “employer knows or has reason to believe that the work is being performed, he must count the time as hours worked.” The Portal-to-Portal Act, 29 U.S.C. §§ 251-62, amended the FLSA and relieves employers of the obligation to compensate an employee for activities such as: traveling to and from the actual place of performance of the principal activity and activities which are preliminary to or postliminary to the principal activity, which occur either prior to the time on any particular workday or subsequent to the time on any particular workday. 

This is a just a small sampling of the laws and precedents that would go into any court’s decision on compensation of employees after hours. There have been too many cases to cite here regarding compensation beyond work hours. Cases involving employee’s loading/unloading/resupplying company vehicles at home, answering phone calls, emails and texts. If California is the test, then the trend would lean towards the employee.

Small business owners have to take this into consideration as they apply policy. Whether for breaks, meal times, or after work communications, how employers pay employees may be changing.

Link for the Maryland Guide to Wage Payment and Employment Standards

Move the sign

Went to MVA to meet with a fingerprint services company. The local MVA is a smaller facility compared to the State headquarters. This location has two entrances at either end of a long single-story building. The original intent was that customers with registration issues would enter through one door and licensing through another. Over time the entrances have become generic and there is a check-in desk at the center of the building. So it doesn’t matter what entrance one uses. 

Outside of one entrance is a sign for the fingerprint services company. One would guess that customers would enter through the entrance next to the sign. Once inside customers find that the fingerprint office is at the other end of the building, closer to the other entrance.

I explain all of this because of what was observed while waiting. Inside the entrance opposite the fingerprint office is a Trooper stationed at a lectern. While waiting, I observed customers approach him several times with questions, some of which regarded the whereabouts of the fingerprint office. Appearing annoyed the Trooper would direct the customers to the other end of the building.

The Trooper is stationed there for building security, not information. But stationed at a lectern, in uniform, near an entrance is going to attract questions. It would not relieve all of the questions, but simply moving the fingerprint services sign to the building entrance outside of where the office is located would alleviate many.

Businesses large and small see this or don’t see it, a forest for the trees kind of thing. Simple solutions that will reduce stress on a job or person. Sometimes it is poor planning or the next great idea that wasn’t vetted at all levels.

Management makes changes for employee well-being or system improvement. If the people at the top are not completely familiar with the issue sometimes the change can actually cause problems. Management needs to see the problem from the source and get employee input at that level. Employees who identify problems have to be empowered to make “field” decisions that can quickly solve issues and improve service.

Sometimes simply moving a sign to a better position can make a world of difference. 

CONVICTED? NEVER CONVICTED.

Note: This article was originally posted in 2014. It has been updated with new information.

Owning a business investigation company we often had clients who would come to us to perform self-background checks. They had had an indiscretion long ago and wondered if it would appear during an employment background check. Or they had records expunged and wanted to make sure that searches would not reveal the records. Every now and then we would find records that the client swore had been expunged.

The search techniques used and the diligence of the background check company can often uncover records thought to be vaporized by the delete key. As records become more digitized it is increasingly more difficult to erase yourself from the digital world. Just like the picture from a sophomore year party that a friend posted on your favorite social media page, once it’s out there-it’s out there. Removing it can be difficult and time-consuming.

EXPUNGED?

Similar to those unwanted pictures, records of your past, even expunged records, can be found in the digital world. The legal term “expunged” has different definitions in different States. Some allow for the records to be sealed and treat the case as it never happened. Some change the conviction to “dismissed” but the other details of the case are the same. In Maryland, it means to remove from public inspection. Although records are expunged, they are filed somewhere.  

Once you receive an order to have your record expunged and it is served, the judicial system possessing the record will remove it from its online court access. Anyone searching your name would not see the record. Contrary to what the fast working TV detectives would have us believe, there is not one government sourced database of criminal records. Records of arrests and adjudications are kept at the local courthouses and county jurisdictions. The closest to any semblance of a national database is the FBI’s fingerprint database, to which only law enforcement has access. See “National” record checks  Third-party vendors must rely on court reported data offered by State and local governments. 

As with your personal information and shopping habits, court data is downloaded, bought, and sold every day. Vendors collect the data from several sources. As the data is shared and stored and stored again it ends up in narrower access points allowing for the production of a single report.  If the vendor then resells that report, the record moves to another database. You get the idea. Just like the unwanted picture, although expunged from the government files, your record is sitting in who knows how many vendors databases waiting to be accessed.  

REMOVING THE RECORD 

The criminal record you had expunged was downloaded, bought, shared, compiled, stored, all the digital speak long before the record was expunged. The best, and least expensive, way to rid the record from existence is to deal with the source vendor directly. Most companies that deal with personal information are forthright about the data that they dispense and pride themselves on the accuracy, which means they are more than willing to help. Sending them a copy of the expungement order along with a request to have the record removed usually will suffice. The problem is finding all the places where the record is stored. This can be a tedious and long process for the individual. There are companies that will chase the record and do the work for you, but of course, fees are involved.

DISCLOSURE

Cities and states throughout the U.S. have enacted laws banning the criminal history question from employment applications. See Ban the Box 

In October 2018, a Massachusetts criminal justice reform bill went into effect that included further Ban the Box regulation. The new regulations include disclosure of misdemeanor convictions for three years (Previously was five). Also, employers cannot inquire about expunged records. Applicants that have had records expunged may legally answer “no record”.

The bottom line is, job seekers cannot be 100% sure that an expunged record will not turn up in a background search. If unsure, be honest about the existence of a record with the requester. Provide copies of the expungement order when the record is requested. However, know your rights within your state and handle the criminal records question per the law. You may not be required to answer.

Refer to the blog archive for more articles about criminal records in Employment

Communication is Key

Customer communication can solve many problems

Readers of this blog know that one of my customer service pet peeves is communication. Many headaches can be avoided by keeping customers informed. Even if it’s bad news, getting “in front” of the problem will result in better customer interaction and build trust in your business.

Communication with a company in which I’d completed business caused both irritation and satisfaction. Thompson Creek Window Company had installed windows. Touch-up work was necessary after the job was completed. Although scheduled for a month later the process was smooth and painless. There had been quoted a two-hour arrival window in a confirmation email. On the appointed day, the scheduled timeframe passed. I called to check. The two-hour window surprised the customer service rep as their policy is usually four, but at this point, that wasn’t the issue. When was the tech arriving? The representative made a call and I was told that the tech had been delayed due to a problem at another site. I would be the last call of the day and the tech would call a half-hour before arriving.

The end of the [business] day came and no call-no repair tech. Well, sometimes they arrive after hours to finish the scheduled jobs. That didn’t happen. Day wasted. The first thing the next morning I’m on the phone to work it out.

The customer service representative was empathetic and apologetic. Good start. She said she would “investigate” and get back to me. I put investigate in quotes because I found that an interesting choice of words. Regardless, it made me (the customer) feel that she took the matter seriously and would actually get answers.  (Read I’m in your way, to see how simple words can change a customer’s experience)

It took a couple hours but the customer service rep did get back to me. And she had really investigated what had happened.  She explained the company’s internal communication process and policies. She then explained where the failure occurred. In my case, the repair tech had been delayed beyond the appointment time and emailed the service coordinator. However, that email was after hours and the coordinator was out of the office the next day. 

She offered the explanation not as an excuse but as factual reporting. I thanked her for the explanation and for being so thorough. She said that she tries to respond to customers the way she would like to be treated. While I understood their process, I explained that a call directly to the customer at the time of the missed appointment would have helped; it would have been more welcome than no communication. The customer service rep sincerely took my suggestion. She then scheduled my repair for the first available date, which was within three business days.

Not offering excuses and providing a thorough answer definitely deescalated my situation. I’m sure some customers would have been more irate and would not have accepted the answer, but hey, the appointment had already come and gone, what could the representative have done at that point. Except for provide-Customer Service.

Another positive experience that started out as an inconvenience occurred at a Chick-Fil-A. I had placed an order using the mobile app for pickup. The order went through and the payment processed.  When I arrived at the restaurant, it was closed for remodeling. Now what. Luckily, I’m in an area that pretty much has two of everything in a short drive. I hop over to the next nearest restaurant ready to tell my story. Once inside I ask for the manager. A sentence into my dilemma and she asks to see my mobile order to confirm. Without further explanation from me, she processed my order. I complimented the manager for being on top of the issue and her reply was, “Thanks, but we’re really not on ‘top of it’ if the app is still accepting orders”. She immediately got on the phone and I could overhear her speaking to someone about the problem. 

Both of these examples exemplify how communication is essential to customer service. My experiences started out poorly due to a lack of communication but both ended positively. In both instances, the problem was identified, what was suppose to happen explained, and the problem fixed with little effort on the part of the customer. 

Read more articles on Customer Service 

HIring in the Gen Z age

Look out workforce there's a new generation on the horizon. Employers are, hopefully, getting comfortable with the changing hiring landscape that Millennials have cultivated. But not too comfortable. For the first time since Millennials took over the top spot in the workforce, the next wave is coming of age. Gen Z, those born after 1996, are entering adulthood and will be submitting resumes.

The numbers

Millennials are persons born between 1981 and 1996. The Pew Research Center estimated that Millennials surpassed baby Boomers in 2016 and now are the "Old Salts" in the labor force. While Baby Boomer numbers are declining and Millennials are taking the mantel, Gen Z has been sneaking up. Bloomberg estimates that Gen Z will surpass Millennials in 2019 comprising 32% of the world's population. By 2020 they will be the majority in the workforce.

Millennials hit the workforce in such numbers and such differing personalities from Gen Xers and Baby Boomers that they changed the way business was done. Both in marketing and hiring. In order to court new hires from this generation employers had to change practices. The marketing world has gone to great lengths to shape campaigns to attract Millennial customers.  A generation literally changed the way business was done. Just as the business world had things were figured out it appears that changes will again have to be made. 

Who is Gen Z?

Millennials seemed to get a bad rap in the workforce but by sheer numbers were able to change how business is done. Every generation has its own idiosyncrasies. Technology advanced so quickly over the past thirty years children and grandchildren grew up much differently than their parents and even from each other. Gen Z is the first post 9/11 generation and the first generation in which smartphones are bodily attachments. According to Buzzfeed, here are a few things that Gen Z never heard of or are curious about: Payphones, Floppy discs, VHS and cassette tapes, The phrases-"Roll down the window" or "Hang up the phone", pound sign, pencil sharpener, film or film canisters, Gameboys or game system cartridges. At least some early Millennials may have come across these things or their remnants.

Generational differences

A Cultural trends report by Endeavor Global Marketing lists three major differences between Millennials and Gen Z. Gen Z is described as having non-binary beauty or gender fluid beauty concepts. They are a progressive foodie culture in which stories are part of the experience. The report says, "Expect to see a shift from photogenic, Instagrammable, food to the emergence of the stories of those behind the dishes". Gen Z will expect a more connected theater experience in which shows are releasing soundtracks early and streaming shows which generate more viral interest.

According to Inc.com, Gen Z prefers conversation to mass communication. Instead of being absorbed in social media they are more interested in quality, personal relationships. While Gen Z is less interested in their friend count, they are interested in getting their news via social media or the Internet. Compared to Millennials Gen Z is more interested in entrepreneurship.

Hiring Gen Z

What does all this mean to employers and hiring? Knowing what is coming next and how to adjust. Just as you know the qualities you are looking for in an employee you need to know what qualities the employee pool has to offer and is expecting. As you and your business age, the hiring pool is getting younger. Gen Z has aged in a different time from Millennials. Knowing about what will soon become the largest generational workforce is how employers will attract and retain employees.

Concordia University-St Paul released a study on what to expect from Gen Z in the workforce. Gen Z tends to be more like their grandparents when it comes to privacy and practicality. As mentioned, they have never known life without a digital connection at their fingertips. They are multitaskers, using on average of five screens. They believe that social media is a big part of their lives but crave more personal relationships and worry that social media erodes this. They are frugal shoppers and distrust big brands. 35% plan to start retirement savings in their 20's. 

The study continues with an assessment of Gen Z in the workplace. This generation is hard working. They are deeply driven by security and are motivated by salary and health benefits. They are willing to put in the extra hours if they are rewarded for it. They prefer to work independently and value skills and self-improvement. They feel that they are responsible for driving their own career. They view technology as a tool. They want to be coached and trained.

There you have it. Everything you need to know about hiring the perfect young candidate and providing them with a long and successful career. Well, not everything. But it's a good jump on knowing who will be sitting in your interview chair. The point is, there is so much more than just putting up the Help Wanted sign. Knowing your candidates will go a long way in making the proper hire and saving everyone a lot of headaches.  

More blogs on generations and the workplace at https://mazzellainvestigations.blogspot.com/search/label/millennials

Millennials are changing everything

The year 2019 will see Millennials overtake baby boomers as the largest generation. They already make up the majority of the U.S. workforce and are considered the world’s most powerful consumers. They are also the most technologically engaged. If your business has been overlooking them as potential employees or customers, you may be making a big mistake.

Hiring

My July 2018 post, A generation changes hiring explains how business has had to adjust their hiring process to attract this pool of candidates. Millennials are not shy about talking to bosses or jumping jobs. They’ll move until they find the right fit and expect salary increases and better working environments. 

Declines or poor planning

As far as consumers, they are driving the marketplace and causing change. A variety of recent studies regarding business and products have claimed that Milliennials are to blame for their decreased sales. A few examples are fabric softener, bar soap, canned tuna, casual dining, and department stores.

Proctor & Gamble believes that Millennials are unaware of what is the intent of fabric softener. Market research company Mintel found that 18 to 24 years believe that bar soap is full of germs. The Wall Street Journal reported in December 2018 that canned tuna sales have declined due to this generation’s decision that the cans are too difficult to open. There was also a report that breakfast cereal sales are declining due to claims of the product being too messy. This may also explain the lack of interest in casual dining restaurants, which have claimed that Millennials are not interested in sitting down for longer periods of time to dine. They’d rather eat on the go. Department stores may have trouble blaming a generation more than a technology phenomenon. While it’s true that Millennials are less interested in brick and mortar stores, e-commerce is probably more to blame. Consumer goods companies that have not adjusted are filing Chapter 11.

All of these products or services have seen sales decline. They’ve had to resort to price reductions, closings, or even bankruptcy to adjust. Are they looking for something to blame for declines or excusing poor planning? Some of the reports and research were based on interviews while others were based on declining sales and attributed to Millennials. Of course, claims run rampant on the Internet further fueling Millennials as scapegoats.

Reviews

They read them and they give them.  Online reviews and apps like Yelp cannot be ignored. Millennials make informed decisions about large purchases and where they are going to eat. How many stars and positive reviews your business has can drive business as well as detract. If you’re noticing a decline of business from a certain demographic, check your reviews. 

Make sure your business has listings set up on Google, Yelp, and any other app that may service your industry. Encourage reviews and be interactive, for the good and the bad. If there are bad reviews try to respond in a way that shows empathy and what is being done to correct the problem.

Home delivery

Even fast food restaurants are getting into the home delivery game. Partnering with services like Grub Hub and Door Dash major franchises are providing home delivery. More than likely another way commerce is changing to accommodate a generation of buyers. To keep up or ahead, delivery or some sort of convenience offered to customers may be another consideration in your business model.

It is yet to be seen if the largest generation will become the next greatest generation, but, currently, they are a powerful economic force. Recognizing this and adapting could literally mean the future of your business. 

Visit the blog archives for more articles on how Millennials have affected the marketplace. http://mazzellainvestigations.blogspot.com/search/label/millennials

Maryland General Assembly 2019

The 439th session of Maryland's General Assembly is in the books. Not without some somber news as it's longest serving Speaker of the House, Michael Busch, passed away the day before the end of the session. 

Here is a snapshot of business and public safety bills that passed and are awaiting Governor Hogan’s Signature. 

• $15 minimum wage-Although the Governor vetoed the bill there were enough votes to override the veto. The increase to $15 will be incremented as follows.

Businesses with fewer than 15 employees:

$11 on Jan. 1, 2020

$11.60 on Jan. 1, 2021

$12.20 on Jan. 1, 2022

$12.80 on Jan. 1, 2023

$13.40 on Jan. 1, 2024

$14.00 on Jan. 1, 2025

$14.60 on Jan. 1, 2026

$15 on July 1, 2026 

At least 15 employees:

$11 on Jan. 1, 2020

$11.75 on Jan. 1, 2021

$12.50 on Jan. 1, 2022

$13.25 on Jan. 1, 2023

$14 on Jan. 1, 2024

$15 on Jan. 1, 2025

• A Child Care Tax credit was expanded to parents making less than $143,000 (Up from $50,000)
• Health insurance- Those without health insurance will be able to check a box on their tax return allowing the state’s health exchange to determine if they are eligible for free insurance
• Marijuana edibles such as brownies, gummies, etc. can be sold for medical purposes
• The age of smoking was raised to 21
• Maryland will become the first state to ban Styrofoam containers such as cups and food containers.
• The decision of whether to start school before/after Labor Day was returned to local school boards. The Governor vetoed the bill but was overrode.
• Handgun Permit Review Board was eliminated. Now, appeals to the Maryland State Police decision for handgun permits will be heard by an administrative judge.

Public safety bills that failed were background checks on the private (citizen to citizen) sales of shotguns and rifles and a bill to prevent 3D printed guns.

The old becomes new again

California based company Robomart is hoping to begin an on-demand grocery service. The service would be provided through an app and delivered by a remotely controlled truck. The buyer would meet the truck street side, open a door with the app, and retrieve their purchase. This may sound futuristic or a new angle on grocery delivery. But is it? Of course, remote-controlled trucks roaming the streets and ordering through your phone are, but not grocery delivery service. Ask your parents or grandparents. Depending on the reader maybe you already guess what I mean. 

MIlkmen

Dairy delivery by “milkmen” began to fade in the U.S. in the 1970s. Driven by stay at home moms who didn’t have access to transportation or grocery stores during business hours, the milkman was a necessity. Fresh milk, butter, and eggs delivered on a predetermined schedule. But as women joined the workforce in greater numbers and began driving their own vehicles the need for home delivery faded. In some areas of the country, milkmen have again begun roaming the streets. Once again built on necessity, some are finding it more convenient to have dairy products delivered.

In cities like Baltimore, Arabbers, up until recently, would walk horse-drawn carts through the streets selling produce. Pronounced Ay-rabber, from the 19^thcentury defining the homeless who wandered the streets selling small objects. People knew the Arabbers schedule and made their daily purchase of fresh items. In cities and rural locales, street merchants would go street-to-street selling merchandise or offering services such as cobbling, repairs, and knife sharpening, People could stay at home and have food delivered to their door. What a concept, huh? Over time, as grocery and department stores began to emerge in neighborhoods and people became more mobile the street vendors began to disappear. 

What a concept

The street vendor or home delivery of groceries is not a new concept. How the merchandise is delivered is the new twist. In addition to drone delivery of packages, Amazon is also working on its own robotic delivery service. Robomart doesn’t call their delivery trucks robots or autonomous, because they are operated by humans in real time remotely. Amazon's small cooler sized robots are being tested to navigate neighborhood streets using sidewalks. They will be deployed from nearby distribution centers and carry packages to homes. FedEx is close behind Amazon in robotic delivery of packages. In February 2019 FedEx unveiled an autonomous robot that will handle “last mile deliveries. The robot is designed to handle any terrain and climb stairs. Delivering your package to the front door. Currently, FedEx has partnered with Walmart and Pizza Hut to test the robot.

While technology is thrusting us into the future the new is being applied to the old. While our grandparents may not understand all the newfangled gadgetry, they would recognize milk being delivered to their door.

No Facebook?

On March 13, 2019, Facebook went down for over eight hours. Believe it or not, the world carried on. E-commerce didn’t crash and human social interaction continued. Facebook itself, however, could lose over 80 million dollars in lost revenue.

Facebook entered the scene in 2004. Since that time it has grown to be a company worth upwards of $500 billion with approximately 2.3 billion users worldwide. Along the way, it has either defeated or bought out rivals. Even the mighty Google is packing in its social media platform Google+. Even though Facebook has dominated the social media market something has to come along that’s better? Right? How long can one company continue to dominate the market?

Losing interest?

Interest in Facebook may be waning. Nearly 3 million users were loss in 2018, many using SnapChat, YouTube, or Instagram (Which is owned by FB). This is due in part to privacy issues that have been uncovered over the past several years. Early users of the platform were young adults. Facebook weathered a loss of users several years ago when “parents” starting using Facebook for personal reasons and to keep tabs on their kids. But over the years users returned or were replaced by new, younger users.

Tech investor Jason Calacanis launched a contest in 2018 called the Openbook Challenge. Calacanis is offering teams $100,000 to build a billion-user social network that would replace Facebook. You can get updates on the project here Open Book Challenge 

Will companies find another way?

Once Facebook exploded businesses realized they had to get in on the social media game. There are 80 million small and medium business pages on Facebook in addition to large corporations. Companies use Facebook like individual users, keeping followers up to date on the latest happenings. Once Facebook allowed advertising businesses could reach an even larger audience. When Facebook experiences outages, in addition to user dissatisfaction, it also causes revenue loss. Continued privacy issues and major outages will likely push personal and business users elsewhere.

Google and the other search engines offer myriad ways to highlight and advertise your business. If not taking advantage of these options now, companies would certainly gravitate in that direction. Whatever eventually does replace Facebook probably would allow advertising and business pages. Unless that replacement is truly a social media platform that disallows corporate infringement.

When Facebook does tank the world will continue. We’ve made it through when companies and media outlets that have been providing services for over a hundred years have packed it in. We’ll get through without Facebook.

The statistics used were found through general Internet searches and featured in the blog post 41 Facebook Stats That Matter to Marketers in 2019.

Please share. See the blog archive for more small business topics.

Ban the box update

NOTE: This post was originally published in August 2016 and has been updated with more recent data.

The Ban the Box movement was initially reviewed in this blog in the 2013 post, Should the box be banned? The movement continues to grow and this blog has updated the progress.
Since the last update in September 2018 there hasn’t been much in the way of new legislation. However, some states are refining their Ban the Box laws. Massachusetts passed a Ban the Box law in 2010, which included private employers when most states have laws only covering State job applications. 

In October 2018, a Massachusetts criminal justice reform bill went into effect that included further Ban the Box regulation. The new regulations include disclosure of misdemeanor convictions for three years instead of five. Employers cannot inquire about expunged records. Applicants that have had records expunged may legally answer “no record”.

While past private employer Ban the Box bills have failed in Colorado (Law already cover State employers), the 2019 legislature may be amenable to idea.

What is “Ban the Box”?

For the last several years there has been a movement to remove from employment applications the “box” that asks the question, “Have you ever been convicted of a crime” or any inquiry about criminal history. What has become known as  “ban the box”, the campaign feels that one’s criminal history should not be a consideration of employment at the time an application is submitted, rather, at a later time during the interview process. It is felt that asking this question on the application reduces the chances of those with criminal records to be employed. Employers should meet applicants first, get to know them, give a chance to explain themselves and then get to the criminal history. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has updated its policies, issuing guidelines in 2012 suggesting that employers wait until after a personal interview before making inquiries about criminal history.

In January 2014, there were fifty-six cities that had “banned the box”. As of September 2018, that list included over 150 cities and counties, and 32 States (Eleven of which have laws that include private employers)

CURRENT STATE LIST

Arizona

California*

Colorado 

Connecticut *

Delaware 

Georgia 

Hawaii*

Illinois*

Indiana

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana 

Maryland 

Massachusetts*

Minnesota*

Missouri 

Nebraska 

Nevada

New Jersey*

New Mexico 

New York 

Ohio 

Oklahoma 

Oregon*

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island* 

Tennessee 

Utah

Vermont*

Virginia 

Washington*

Wisconsin

*States with laws that also cover private employers

The Society for Human Resource Management posted a good article that breaks down laws State by State, which can be viewed at Ban the Box Laws by State and Municipality .

Maryland Ban the Box

            Maryland’s law took effect October 1, 2013, and applies only to State of Maryland employment applications. State government cannot ask about criminal record or criminal history of an applicant until the applicant has been provided an opportunity for an interview. Exempt from the law are positions in the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Baltimore passed a similar law in 2014, restricting employers with 10 or more workers from asking a candidate about criminal records until after a conditional employment offer is made.

In 2017, Louisiana became the first state to enact a ban the box law for state institutions. Maryland passed a law in 2017, but the Governor vetoed it. In January 2018, the Maryland legislature overrode the Governor’s veto, reinstating the law.

As the laws regarding criminal history continue to evolve the legislative season is a good time to review your interview and questions and job application content.

Click here for other posts relating to Ban the Box.

Communication key to customer service

Keep your customers informed

Customer service is where businesses lose and maintain customers. It is also something that can be fixed.  The more information you give people and the faster you deal with issues, the more customers you’ll retain.

NewVoiceMedia’s 2018 “Serial Switcher’s” report found that businesses loss $75 billion a year due to poor customer service. Naturally, that varies by the size of the business and, of course, the state of their customer service. Small business owners rarely can afford to lose business, especially due to treating customers poorly.

Don’t be defensive

When presented with a problem human nature makes us want to defend our position. Sometimes that is accomplished in a passive manner by making excuses. Sometimes more confrontational. Instead, we should be empathetic and ask ourselves what can be done to make it better.

Lack of communication

A big issue with poor customer service is poor communication. Either before the problem arises or after it has been brought to the attention of the business. Most issues can be avoided by communicating with customers. Like in public relations, getting out in front of problems will save you headaches later. If a problem is identified from within that will lead to dissatisfied customers, let them know. The more information they have the less likely they may complain, they may even be sympathetic to your problem.

Lack of communication allows the customer to mire in the situation and build ill will towards the company even before the problem is addressed. This is why the poor customer service reps have to start with customers who are already ramped up to a 7 on the first interaction. That’s if the customer personally makes contact. Most complaints today are expressed online either through bad reviews or social media posts. Once that happens the complaint reaches a much larger public audience and is there to stay. Some businesses address these complaints by deleting bad comments or reviews. Not only does this mask the problem it also will affect their search engine rankings, which may cause poor search results.

An example comes from personal experience. We were having problems with the delivery of our newspaper. (Yes, I still read daily news printed on paper) After a week and a few automated reports of no paper being delivered the problem seemed to be corrected. The next week a representative from the paper called to ensure everything was back to normal. Seems they had a carrier quit unexpectedly which caused the delivery issues. While I appreciated the call to make sure service had been restored, wouldn’t it have been better to call when the problem occurred? Let the customers know that they are experiencing manpower issues, explain corrective measures, and that service would be restored shortly. I know I would have been more sympathetic and appreciative.

Sometimes a simple communication of thanks sends a surge of goodwill to customers. One time I received a thank you note after an online purchase. The card was handwritten with the simple message, ‘Thanks for keeping the lights on”. I’d never had any in-person interaction with this company, but receiving a handwritten thank you went a long way in my assessment of the company and definitely enticed me for future business

Communicating with customers at the earliest point of a problem is one of the best ways to avoid complaints. If you’re having an issue that will affect service or the customer experience let the customer know before it is recognized or goes public. This starts on the frontlines. Employees have to know what they are allowed to handle in their purview and what is the company position.

Lee Cockerell, former Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World Resort, explains in his podcast, Customer service is not a department but is an attitude. Employees at every level should be empowered to serve the customer.  

Please refer to the blog archive for more posts on customer service.