January, 2014 | BizSieve.com

Does Your Business Have an Active Shooter Protocol?

Unfortunately, 2013 proved that no school or business is completely safe from random shooting incidents and potential terrorist activity. Because of this, it is imperative for every company to develop an active shooter protocol so that they can keep their employees as safe as possible if a situation develops. Additionally, this is something that you need to keep in mind if you are in the process of opening a new business. After all, nobody is immune to the threat of having someone simply walk into their business with a gun, and this can lead to disastrous consequences if you are not prepared.

Tips for Developing an Active Shooter Protocol

There are professional security companies such as MSA Security, which can help train your staff to deal with an active shooter situation. You can also implement safety measures such as a security checkpoint at the entrance to help minimize the risk of dealing with this type of issue. However, it will still be necessary to give your staff members some training about the steps that they should take if they become aware that there is an active shooter on-site.

According to experienced security companies, there are certain things that every civilian should do during active shooter situation, including stay calm, turn off the lights, remain silent, lock or barricade all windows and doors, hide or flee depending on the situation, call 911 if possible and play dead or hide if a shooter is in the same room. It is also necessary for all of your staff members to understand that they will need to make their hands visible when the police arrive and avoid making any sudden moves until they are told that is okay to do so.

Working with Your Insurance Company

Some insurance providers will offer you literature that can help you develop an active shooter protocol. Additionally, it is possible that you could receive a discount on your insurance if you put an approved plan in place. After all, this will help minimize your insurance provider’s risk, so it is always a good idea to inquire about this possibility. Either way, you should still be committed to developing a protocol that will help your employees avoid serious injury or death if an active shooter makes the decision to target your business.

Should I Invest in a Security Company?

It can be difficult for small business owners to contemplate utilizing part of their budget for a security company, especially if they do not operate in a high-profile industry. Therefore, you need to carefully consider your company’s specific needs and risks to help you determine the appropriate steps to take. Fortunately, many security companies are willing to do a one-time assessment that will include helping you develop your active shooter protocol without needing to pay for their services on a continual basis.

As you can see, it is necessary for every business owner to be cognizant of the fact that an active shooter could enter their building at any time. Due to this, you need to develop a proven method for assisting your employees during this stressful situation. Putting an active shooter protocol in place and ensuring that each of your employees understands exactly what to do can make the difference between a controllable situation and a bloodbath.

Why Giving Back Is A Good Business Investment

If you are looking for a new way to promote teamwork and attract new local customers, you should carefully consider looking into volunteering opportunities for your company. After all, many consumers prefer to support businesses that place a focus on giving back to their community. Therefore, it is always a good idea for companies of all sizes to be charitable, and volunteering your time often has a bigger impact than making a cash donation.

Top Reasons to Volunteer as a Company

1. To Instill Goodwill in the Community – Every company needs to be concerned about their reputation, and volunteering will help cast your business in a much better light. This can become crucial if there are ever any controversies that impact your company, and it can also make a big difference if your business ends up teetering on the edge of needing to file for bankruptcy. After all, members of the local community are much more likely to rally around your company and offer support if you have given back in the past. It’s always good to look for Local volunteer opportunities within the community.

2. To Boost Company Morale – It has been proven by psychologists that volunteering has several emotional benefits that make it good for everyone to be involved in giving back. Due to this, many companies decide to volunteer as a team because it can have a direct impact on company morale. Additionally, getting people out of the office and letting them work with each other on a good cause can help smooth out interoffice difficulties.

3. To Reap the Marketing Benefits – Your company could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing without receiving the same positive boost that often accompanies being included in a press release or news story due to your team’s volunteering efforts. It is also important to note that you will gain the right to mention your volunteer and charitable work in your marketing materials, and this can definitely capture the attention of a much wider audience.

4. Community Service Opportunity – Regardless of whether you simply work in the local area or also live there, it is always a good idea to take advantage of a community service opportunity because this will make the entire area more desirable to consumers. After all, volunteering as a team to clean up a stretch of highway or rebuild a local park will boost your community’s profile by making it more aesthetically pleasing. Ultimately, this could lead to an influx of new residents who are likely to become customers of local businesses such as yours.

Volunteering and participating in other charitable ways will also provide you with a tax deduction, and this makes it a win-win situation for everyone involved. Therefore, every business owner should strongly consider encouraging their entire team to volunteer on a regular basis.

In fact, when you consider all of the perks that are associated with volunteering, it is surprising that there are so many companies that fail to take advantage of this mutually beneficial method for giving back to their local community. If you are unsure how to get started, you can easily utilize a local volunteering organization to provide you with some direction.

Why A Virtual Call Center Makes Sense for Your Business

Many business owners erroneously believe that they can provide a higher level of service to their customers by having a live receptionist available during working hours. Although there definitely are some benefits to providing people with the opportunity to connect to a live switchboard operator, this is no longer a necessity due to the virtual call center option. In fact, making the switch to a virtual call center can actually help you greatly increase your customer satisfaction.

How Does a Virtual Call Center Work?

In the standard business environment, a customer’s call will be answered by a receptionist who than determines which office number to connect them with. Unfortunately, there are many drawbacks to this approach, including the fact that calls can be missed when the receptionist is already speaking to someone else. Additionally, it is important to note that even a highly professional receptionist can still have a bad day, and this could end up reflecting poorly on your business.

Due to this, it is becoming increasingly common for companies to switch to a virtual call center company like Avoxi. This option provides callers with a recorded message that politely thanks them for calling and expedites the process of appropriately transferring their call. As an added bonus, you will have many quality control options that you can utilize via an online dashboard such as the option to review the time and length of each call and even listen to them if you have the recording feature turned on.

Additional Perks of a Virtual Call Center

Every company from home-based businesses to large brick-and-mortar locations can save a lot of time, money and customer frustration by switching to a virtual call center. After all, you will never need to worry about someone taking a break, being tied up on another line or treating your customers poorly because they are having a bad day. It is important to note that a virtual call center is less expensive than paying a receptionist’s salary, and it will never need sick or vacation leave. Your customers are also certain to love the fact that they will be able to connect with the appropriate voicemail 24/7 because you have a virtual call center in place.

Effective Call Screening

Many high-profile businesses need to screen their callers to ensure that they do not spend a lot of time discussing irrelevant matters such as whether or not they want to change their long-distance provider. A virtual call center will make it easier to connect salespeople with a specific voicemail that is monitored for any legitimate calls that need to be returned. Alternatively, if you have a live receptionist in place, they are much more likely to get worn down by the persistence of salespeople, and this could cause them to connect high-level employees with undesirable callers.

As you can see, having a virtual call center will provide you with several notable perks. Due to this, it is no wonder that so many leading businesses have already made the switch. You can improve your customer service and reduce your expenses by signing up for a virtual call center and moving away from a traditional receptionist environment.