NFDA has received numerous reports from members who have been contacted by scam artists in recent weeks. These scams run the gamut from people pretending they want to purchase cremation jewelry to individuals claiming a relative has died in another country and they need repatriation assistance. Scammers contact funeral homes in a variety of ways (fax, email, relay operators, etc.), and the inquiries can originate from anywhere in the world.
In previous scam alerts, NFDA has cautioned funeral homes to reduce the risk of fraud by taking the following precautions:
Make sure that all employees at your firm, as well as your firm's answering service, are aware of the potential for scams by sharing these guidelines with them.
Here is another link: http://www.scamvictimsunited.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2626
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If you supervise provisional licensees, a law also goes into effect that clarifies that provisional period. The law used to read that a provisional licensee could not work more than 17 hours per week or 73 hours per month. It also read that they could not work less than 17 hours per week or 73 hours per month. This language was changed to reflect the provisional period of no less than 12 months and no more than 24 months without a weekly or monthly minimum/maximum number of hours. A rule will be passed at the September 13 Commission meeting to reflect this change.
Also going into effect September 1 is a bill that effects whether the funeral director in charge (FDIC) is charged with a violation if the violation was the responsibility of a licensed employee. All three of the above items were included in one bill. To read the entire text go to http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Text.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=SB864.
Also passed and going into effect on September 2, 2011 is a metal recycling bill. Metal recyclers are required to hold items that appear to be cemetery related for 8 -days before destroying them. This new hold takes effect Sept. 2 with some exceptions that extend the date to March 1, 2012. If you notice missing cemetery items, get the word out to the metal recyclers right away -- you may find them before they are destroyed.
The bill requiring TER to spell out the month on death certificates took effect June 17, 2011. However TDSHS has been given a 12-18 month extension to get this programming change done.
Go to the Legislative Page of the website for more information.
]]>At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice has charged funeral homes in Chicago and Washington, D.C. with violating an FTC consumer protection rule designed to ensure that people have the information they need to compare prices and buy only the funeral services and goods they want. The FTC’s complaints are based on inspections by FTC staff posing as consumers seeking to make funeral arrangements. The FTC conducts undercover inspections every year to ensure that funeral homes are complying with the Funeral Rule. All funeral homes found with significant violations are offered a chance to enter a three-year training program designed to increase compliance, as an alternative to possible legal action that could otherwise lead to a court order and civil penalties of up to $16,000 per violation.
The FTC seeks civil penalties against the two funeral homes being sued, Carter Funeral Chapels, Ltd. and B.K. Henry Funeral Chapel, Inc., because they allegedly violated the FTC’s Funeral Rule by failing to provide consumers with itemized price lists. Among other things, the Rule requires funeral homes to provide consumers with an itemized price list at the start of an in-person discussion of funeral arrangements, as well as a casket price list before consumers view any caskets. The Rule also prohibits funeral homes from requiring consumers to buy any item, such as a casket, as a condition of obtaining any other funeral good or service.
The FTC alleges that Harry J. Carter III, doing business as Carter Funeral Chapels, Ltd., of Chicago, provided neither a general price list nor a casket price list during two inspections, as required by the Rule. The complaint against B.K. Henry Funeral Chapel of Washington, D.C., and its owners, Brian and Lisa Henry, alleges that they failed to provide a casket price list during two inspections. The cases are part of the FTC’s longstanding efforts to make sure consumers are treated fairly when going through the difficult process of arranging a funeral.
In 2010, undercover inspections of funeral homes in eight states found significant violations in 35 of the 126 homes inspected:
These funeral homes will participate in the training program known as the Funeral Rule Offenders Program (FROP). The FROP program is run by the National Funeral Directors Association and provides participants with a legal review of the price disclosures required by the Funeral Rule, and ongoing training, testing and monitoring of their compliance. Funeral homes that participate in the FROP program must make a voluntary payment to the U.S. Treasury in place of a civil penalty, and pay annual administrative fees to the Association.
Since the FROP program began in 1996, the FTC has inspected more than 2,400 funeral homes and found that 396 were significantly out of compliance with the Rule. In conducting its annual enforcement sweeps, the agency has received assistance from several state attorneys general. This year, the FTC wishes to thank Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway and his staff for their invaluable assistance.
In addition to the significant violations turned up in this year’s inspections, the FTC identified several funeral homes with minor compliance problems. In this situation, the FTC requires funeral homes to prove that they have corrected the problems.
The FTC educates consumers in English and Spanish about their rights under the Funeral Rule, and provides guidance to businesses in how to comply. During 2010, more than 140,000 consumers and businesses ordered copies of these publications – Paying Final Respects: Your Rights When Buying Funeral Goods & Services, Funerals: A Consumer Guide, andComplying with the Funeral Rule – or viewed them at www.ftc.gov.
The Department of Justice filed the two complaints on behalf of the Commission in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the District of Columbia, respectively. The defendants in these cases are not participating in the FROP program. The Commission votes to refer the complaints to the DOJ for filing was 5-0.
NOTE: The Commission refers a complaint to the DOJ for filing when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaints are not a finding or ruling that the defendant has actually violated the law. The cases will be decided by the court.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s website provides free information on a variety of consumer topics. Like the FTC on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Frank Dorman
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2674
STAFF CONTACT:
Craig Tregillus
Bureau of Consumer Protection
202-326-2970
Regards,
Pat
Patricia Dreckmann
National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)
13625 Bishop's Drive
Brookfield, WI 53005-6607
800-228-6332
Direct: 262-814-1559
Fax: 262-782-7092 or 262-789-6977
]]>
UNCLASSIFIED//
THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN SENT BY THE PENTAGON TELECOMMUNICATIONS CENTER ON
BEHALF OF DA WASHINGTON DC//DAPE-HRI//
SUBJECT: SERVICE DRESS TROPICAL (CLASS "B" W/RIBBONS) UNIFORM
1. THE PURPOSE OF THIS MESSAGE IS TO INTRODUCE AND CATEGORIZE THE ARMY'S
SERVICE DRESS TROPICAL UNIFORM (CLASS "B" W/RIBBONS) AS A CLASS "A"
EQUIVALENT UNIFORM FOR HOT WEATHER WEAR. IT WILL SERVE AS APPROPRIATE WEAR
FOR PARADES, CEREMONIES, REVIEWS WHEN SPECIAL HONORS ARE BEING PAID, AND
OFFICIAL VISITS OF US OR FOREIGN DIGNITARIES. THE UNIFORM IS INTENDED FOR
SEASONAL HOT WEATHER WEAR ONLY AND IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR WEAR OUTSIDE OF
HOT WEATHER CLIMATES. LOCAL COMMANDER'S WILL DETERMINE THE PERIOD OF WEAR
FOR THIS UNIFORM.
2. THE SERVICE DRESS TROPICAL UNIFORM (CLASS "B" W/RIBBONS) CONSISTS OF THE
FOLLOWING ITEMS:
- WHITE SHORT SLEEVE SHIRT (STANDARD ISSUE OR LAYFLAT COLLAR) WITH
ACCOUTREMENTS AS WORN ON THE ASU JACKET; W/O NECKTIE OR NECKTAB
- ASU TROUSERS, LOW WAIST WITH BELT LOOPS (MALE SOLDIERS)
- ASU SLACKS, LOW WAIST (FEMALE SOLDIERS)
- ASU SKIRT (FEMALE SOLDIERS)
3. IN LIEU OF WEARING ALL AUTHORIZED RIBBONS, SOLDIERS HAVE THE OPTION OF
WEARING THREE AUTHORIZED RIBBONS ON THE SERVICE DRESS TROPICAL UNIFORM ONLY.
SELECTED RIBBONS MUST BE WORN IN ORDER OF PRECEDENCE (AS AN EXAMPLE: SILVER
STAR, BRONZE STAR MEDAL, PURPLE HEART).
4. THE BADGES AND INSIGNIAS CURRENTLY AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR ON THE ASU ARE
AUTHORIZED TO BE WORN ON THE SERVICE DRESS TROPICAL UNIFORM.
5. THOSE BADGES AND INSIGNIAS AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR ON THE ASU ARE OUTLINED IN
ALARACT MESSAGE 202-2008 LOCATED AT (WWW.ARMY.MIL/ASU).
6. THE ARMY ENCOURAGES SOLDIERS AND LEADERS TO BEGIN WEARING THE SERVICE
DRESS TROPICAL UNIFORM IMMEDIATELY IN HOT WEATHER CLIMATES.
7. THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED BY THE ARMY G-1.
8. HQDA POC FOR UNIFORM WEAR POLICY IS SGM KATRINA EASLEY,
KATRINA.EASLEY@CONUS.ARMY.MIL, DSN 664-0620, (703) 604-0620.
9. EXPIRATION DATE CANNOT BE DETERMINED.
]]>Washington - The government on Friday added formaldehyde, a substance found in plastics and other commonly used products, to a list of known carcinogens and warned that the chemical styrene might cause cancer.
In a report prepared for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), scientists warned that people with higher exposure to formaldehyde were more at risk for nasopharyngeal cancer, myeloid leukemia and other cancers.
“There is now sufficient evidence from studies in humans to show that individuals with higher measures of exposure to formaldehyde are at increased risk for certain types of rare cancers …,” the Report on Carcinogens said.
Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical widely used to make resins for household items, such as composite wood products, paper product coatings, plastics, synthetic fibers, and textile finishes.
It is also commonly used as a preservative in medical laboratories, mortuaries, and some consumer products, including hair straightening products.
The report, produced by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), also added styrene to the list of substances that were reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens. Styrene is a synthetic chemical used in the manufacture of products such as rubber, plastic, insulation, fiberglass, pipes, automobile parts, food containers, and carpet backing.
The greatest exposure to styrene in the general population is through cigarette smoking, the report said.
The American Chemistry Council (ACC), an industry group, lashed out at the report, saying it was concerned that politics may have hijacked the scientific process.
“Today’s report by HHS made unfounded classifications of both formaldehyde and styrene and will unnecessarily alarm consumers,” Cal Dooley, president and CEO of the ACC, said in a statement.
Jennifer Sass of the National Resources Defense Council, a U.S. environmental group, praised the government for publishing the report in the face of what she described as pressure by chemical companies to prevent its release.
“The chemical industry fought the truth, the science, and the public — but, in the end our government experts came through for us, giving the public accurate information about the health risks from chemicals that are commonly found in our homes, schools, and workplaces,” Sass wrote in a blog.
The report also listed aristolochic acids, found in some plants, as a known carcinogen and added the fungicide captafol, some inhalable glass wool fibers, cobalt-tungsten carbide, riddelliine and o-Nitrotoluene to the list of substances reasonably anticipated to be carcinogens.
It, however, said listing the substances did not in itself mean they would cause cancer. Amount and duration of exposure, and susceptibility to a substance were among the many factors that affected whether a person developed cancer, it said.
The report is available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/go/roc12
]]>A family is contacted by an individual claiming to work for the funeral home and rudely informs them that they have a balance due on their loved one’s funeral. They are asked to pay immediately by credit or debit card.
Our guess is that they get the funeral home information from the obituary and the phone number from the telephone or internet phone directories because the funeral home would not release this information.
Please warn your families, when you are making arrangements, not to be taken in by this scam. The family who reported this had paid in full, but someone who did have a balance might actually pay. Not only do they get taken, but the funeral home gets a bad reputation. This has started in West Texas, but we know that once a scam takes hold, it travels across the state.
Here is a link to a companion article on FSN Funeral Homes website. They have added some tips for consumers and funeral homes. http://www.fsnfuneralhomes.com/articles/scam-grieving-families/
]]>"We will be attending budget hearings," said Robbins, "because of the challenges all Texans are facing...and we are expecting cuts, as are all other state agencies."
Robbins said he, TFSC's accountant and other staff members had previously met with staff from the Texas Legislative Budget Board. "They heard our concerns and came out with recommendations which were submitted to the legislature. That's a starting point," Robbins explained. "The board recommended we be reduced from a staff of 13 to a staff of 12 and that our funding be reduced from $700,000 to $695,000. But, it is important to remember that since March of 2010, we've given up over 10% of our funding, which is in the neighborhood of $80,000."
The Texas Legislative Budget Board, a major agency of our state government, makes recommendations for all state agencies, including Health and Human Services, Medicaid and many others. Robbins said the agency's responsibility for state spending is a huge one and the agency holds significant importance in the operation of the state.
In exploring the possibilities regarding what might come out of Sen. Ogden's committee, Robbins believes that every agency in the state will continue to tighten their belts. "I believe, however, that we can make it at the Commission, barring any other unexpected issues," he said. "We know it won't be easy and there'll be nothing left over. There will be no merit increases for staff, but will all be able to keep our jobs.
"If they take more than we are currently expecting, it will be more difficult," he continued. "I'm hoping the legislature will accept the OBB's recommendation as it is without requiring furloughs, further staff cuts and further funding cuts. There are a lot of options out there, but we just don't know at this point.
"If it is left like it is now with the OBB's suggestions on the table, we will be able to maintain. We won't receive any moneys for upgrading our computer systems or other capital expenditures, but the TFSC will still function if the legislature goes along with the OBB's recommendation. We're prepared to take up the slack where necessary. We've figured it out," Robbins said.
The Commission will not know, for sure, until the Legislature adjourns in June, exactly what the budget will be. Robbins said he would probably have some idea of the final budget in mid-May, however.
"Our money comes from the legislature," the TFSC executive director pointed out. "We're appropriated this funding. That being said, the monies from licensing and disciplinary actions goes into the state's general revenue fund. It is not kept by the Commission. To assist the TFSC in remaining within its budgetary limits, Robbins encouraged all Texas funeral directors to renew their licenses on time and to obey the law so that the Commission will not have to use resources in these areas. "If everyone complies with the rules and laws of the commission, we won't have complaints and we can save money," Robbins said.
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Among the charges levied against Randall Sutton, Sharon Province, Doug Cassity, Brent Cassity, Howard Wittner and David Wulf were wire, bank, mail and insurance fraud; money laundering; and multiple conspiracy charges involving the sale of prepaid funeral services.
Meantime, funeral homes in 19 states that contracted through NPS left make up the shortfall for the contract holder died.
William Stalter, an Overland Park, Kansas attorney whose key areas of practice include death care law and treaty compliance, said that despite overwhelming evidence of in NPS misconduct, he expects the case against Doug Cassity to go to trial.
"The Cassity legal team will challenge the federal prosecutors on the interpretation of key sections of Missouri's pre-need law," Stalter said. "One such section of the prior law provided exculpation of the pre-need fiduciary. That law enabled the preneed seller to appoint an investment advisor when the trust assets exceeded $250,000. Under those circumstances, the fiduciary was then relieved of all liability regarding investment decisions. While the parties will brief the issue of whether the investment advisor must be independent of the premium seller, the issue could come down to whether the exculpation of the pre-need fiduciary violates public policy and is void."
According to Stalter, the circumstances surrounding the Missouri attorney general's 1992 lawsuit against NPS and the subsequent actions of the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors will play out in pleadings and trial testimony.
"The Missouri law in effect during those years was rife with ambiguities and limited the Atty. Gen.'s authority to bring actions against preneed sellers," Stalter explained. "The state board would have to refer matters to the attorney general for prosecution.
"In PS understood the loss weaknesses and exploited the company actively sought the appointment of funeral home clients to the state board," he added. "I anticipate that the evidence may show that NPS received the state board members. However, evidence regarding special financial arrangements may prove embarrassing to some."
Added Stalter, "the defense may have few options but to play the card that was purchased with political contributions and to threaten a very public and messy trial but too much is at stake for prosecutors, regulators and the funeral industry."
The upcoming trial in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division, could determine the fate of those firms that were heavily invested in NPS. According to Dan Isard, president of The Foresight Company, funeral homes holding contracts with NPS are getting paid 80% of the original base amount of the contract, "and that only because the state of Missouri claimed that this was an insurance company failure and not fraud," Isard said. "The issue is if the NPS trial takes place tomorrow and if the defendants are convicted, the question becomes whether the State of Missouri would at that point tell the insurers or co-insurers that are making the default repayments that this is not about insurance fraud but outright theft and therefore they will not underwrite that. This is a huge to-be-determined."
The way Isard sees it, if the average funeral home had 1 to 2 years of its average revenue in preneed and now is not going to get paid on it, that would account for 15-20 percent of its total revenue in the course of the year for an entire generation. "If that is the case, and its profit margin is 5% to 10% to begin with, we will see funeral homes going out of business," Isard said.
Stalter acknowledges that the same issue of continued coverage by the insurance guarantee Association is crucial to Missouri's NPS providers and the industry at large. "However, Missouri's regulators asserted from the outset that in PES has committed fraud," Stalter said. "Those regulators are keenly aware of what the impact on Missouri funeral homes would be if the guaranty coverage were terminated. But the regulators main concern has to be for the welfare of the consumer, not the funeral homes' profit margin. The reality is that if there is no payment on NPS contracts, some funeral homes will go out of business and others will stop honoring their NPS contracts. Consumers will complain to their legislators, and Missouri will be looking for new answers."
The 108 page indictment states that after taking into account insurance and trust assets expected to be available to pay for future funeral services and merchandise under prearranged funeral contracts sold by NPS, the loss to purchasers, funeral homes and state insurance guarantee associations will range from $450 million to $600 million.
If convicted, the maximum penalties for each of these charges range from 5 to 30 years in prison and/or from $250,000 to $1 million.
Two of the six were previously indicted. Sutton, former chief financial officer, president and director of NPS, and Province, office manager, assistant secretary and president of NPS Inc., who also held vice president positions at other companies owned by Cassity, were charged a year ago on nine felony counts, including mail fraud and money laundering.
Source: NFDA's "The Director" - January 2011 issue
]]>Let us know how your funeral home celebrated Texas Funeral Directors Week. We will be happy to include information (with photos preferably) in our magazine.
]]>Right now, the visionaries among us are engaged in a dual strategy. On the one hand, they're looking inward to shore up their businesses internally. On the other, they're looking outward, pouncing on opportunities created by the economic downturn. If you're not doing so already, here are some key steps you should take.
Make Internal Improvements
1. Monitor cash flow. Cash is king, now more than ever. Make sure your lines of credit are adequate, and pay extra attention to cash-flow projections. If you run short of working capital, manage by cash (not profit and loss statements). Monitor your numbers closely, and be ready to act.
2. Review your strengths and weaknesses. Know thyself. If you are aware of flaws in any areas of your business, remedy them now. They make you vulnerable. Similarly, find new ways to capitalize on your strengths. You need them more than ever.
3. Rethink your sales strategy. Identify your most profitable products or services, and focus your sales efforts accordingly. Use gross profit as a measure, or better yet, your gross margin return on investment.
4. Categorize your customers. Determine who's profitable, and who's not. If some customers are a drain on resources, either raise their prices or "fire" them. You can't afford to carry unprofitable customers along; you need to work lean and mean right now.
5. Improve work processes. If there are excess costs in your workflow, squeeze them out, so your business runs as efficiently as possible. Perhaps you can benefit from an assessment program such as Total Quality Management.
6. Increase throughput. During soft markets, customers often purchase in smaller quantities. Instead of turning small accounts away, find ways to accommodate them. If you can shorten lead and set-up times without compromising work flow, do so. It will add up.
7. Ramp up marketing efforts. What's the first thing many firms do to tighten their belts? The exact worst thing: cut back on marketing. Research proves that companies that maintain (or better yet, accelerate) marketing activity during soft economies reap greater benefits later. Besides, marketing firms are hungry for business now, so you can negotiate better deals.
8. Review your compensation. You need to get the most from your work force now. If you haven't already, put performance measurements in place and link compensation to performance. Think creatively: Can you lower base salaries while increasing results-driven bonuses? Remember, salaries are the single largest expense for most small businesses.
Seek External Opportunities
9. Create strategic alliances. Forming simple partnerships can save you money. Consider buying pools, rent sharing and equipment sharing as ways to reduce expenses. Another idea: Can manufacturers' reps and export agents give sales a boost?
10. Renegotiate with vendors to reduce expenses. Take your rent, for example. If your lease will expire in the next few years, suggest a longer-term lease in return for cost concessions. Or, if you are in a position to pay suppliers promptly, use it to obtain price discounts and promotional allowances.
11. Target your competitors' customers. If one of your competitors is struggling, reach out to its known customers. If those customers sense a decline in quality or fear a service disruption, they may be receptive to your pitch.
12. Even better, acquire your competitors. If you're in a position to buy out floundering competitors, consider it, but only if it will further your own strategic goals.
13. Upgrade personnel. There are many talented people looking for work right now. If you've been muddling along with mediocre employees, know that they're dragging your business down. If you can't bring their performance up to par, do the hard thing and make some changes.
14. Keep your eyes open. Be on the lookout for fresh ideas and opportunities. Stay abreast of news and trends. Interact with other entrepreneurs to see what they're doing. Learn from what's going on around you, and be poised to jump on opportunities when they come your way.
When the going gets tough, smart leaders get going. Be prepared, and be proactive. Your company can not only survive the recession, but also benefit from it, provided you take the lead.
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Retail organizations
• Benchmark against successful competitors and trendsetters in your industry.
• Wow your customers with the unexpected. For example, when someone orders something online and pays for standard shipping, give them expedited service and get their products there sooner.
• If you find out that someone is celebrating a special event like an anniversary, promotion, childbirth, or birthday, take 10% off their dining bill or treat them to a free dessert.
• Provide coupons for future visits to everyone who makes a purchase. This encourages their return or perhaps they will give the coupon to a friend and generate a new customer.
• Partner with complementary organizations to offer special deals. For example, if you sell cars, partner with a local carwash to give one free detailing service or a monthly carwash for a period of time.
• Send out email notices of upcoming special sales or events and offer coupons to customers who provide their email addresses.
• Give a free shampoo to all new customers in your hair salon or barbershop.
• Give a free pair of ankle socks to someone who purchases a pair of running shoes.
• Put mints on a guest's pillow in your hotel or bed and breakfast, along with a discount coupon for a local horse carriage ride or attraction that you have partnered with.
Professional practices and organizations
• Provide a free teeth whitening to new dental patients.
• Send a gift card from local businesses with whom you have partnered to customers who refer friends or relatives to your practice.
• Provide a free one hour coaching session on home buying to potential real estate clients.
• Do a free eye exam to any client who gets a friend to schedule an appointment to have their vision checked ort buys eyeglasses.
• Clean carpets in one room for every two rooms that a client schedules to have cleaned.
• Offer one free pool inspection and cleaning to anyone who signs up for a year of pool services.
• Provide a booklet of coupons good for free bottles of water, provided by a local store, with which you have partnered, to each person who signs up on a one-year gym contract.
• Launder one shirt for every two that a client brings in.
• Offer a free wash and manicure to anyone who signs up for dog walking services.
• Provide a free pc cleaning and checkup for anyone who contracts to have you design their website. If you do not offer such services, partner with someone who does and offer coupons to your customers.
Associations and non-profit organizations
• Offer one month of free membership to anyone who becomes a new member. Offer three months of free membership to any renewing members. Since keeping current members is cheaper than recruiting new ones, this makes sense.
• Provide free travel kits to members who refer someone who becomes a new member.
• Send out free baseball caps or other promotional items with the organization's logo on them to members who submit suggestions for improving service.
All organizations
• Develop a creative website that is easy to navigate, informative, provides free things (e.g. coupons, articles, and white papers) to visitors. Also, allow people to join as members or account holders in order to receive things that other visitors do not see or get (e.g. advance opportunity to buy, members only sale information, special coupons, or free gifts).
• Create and offer free webinars for people who sign up for user groups on your website.
• Have someone in the organization tasked with creating and maintaining an account on social media and bookmarking sites like Facebook.com, Twitter.com, YouTube.com, selfgrowth.com, and LinkedIn.com.
• Provide coaching services on topics on which your organization or staff specializes.
Great service is not a mystery. Simply ask your customers what they expect, provide what you can, think outside the box to identify service success strategies and demand nothing less than service that wows from your staff. To accomplish the latter, provide quality training, equipment, tools, management support, and resource materials to employees. Additionally, if you reward quality service efforts, employees will in turn typically respond with dedication, enthusiasm, and a desire to help customers and clients.
As your organization struggles to survive and possibly redefine itself in an unsure business environment, you have an inexpensive tool to help you stand out from your competition -- quality customer service. By training staff, being proactive in delivering what you promise, and ensuring that your customer's needs and wants are met to the best degree possible, you can set a level of excellence that will truly wow your customers. The result will be increased market share or placement in your industry or profession.