Who’s Talking about Your Company Online?

Companies like Beachbody are using new reputation monitoring tools to scour the Internet for customer complaints.

"Unethical behavior by Beachbody…watch out!" wrote one customer on PissedConsumer.com, an online forum, in June. The customer railed against the Santa Monica, California — based maker of fitness videos, claiming that it charged for something the customer didn’t intend to order online. In the comment box, Tiana, a customer service representative from Beachbody, wrote, "I’m so sorry to hear that you had a bad experience." She left her contact information and added, "I would be glad to assist you and help to restore your faith in our company."

Facebook, Twitter, and Yelp have become essential components of many companies’ online marketing strategies, but there are countless other sites on which customers rant and rave about their experiences. A question or complaint left unanswered on any of them has the potential to tarnish a company’s brand and scare away prospective customers. That’s why companies like Beachbody are using new tools to monitor what’s been said about them online.

The most basic services, like Google Alerts, allow users to select keywords to track and to receive e-mail updates whenever they appear on the Web. Others, like Social Mention and HootSuite, specifically scour profiles on social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace for relevant comments. Nate Bagley, a social media expert at Mindshare Technologies, a Salt Lake City company that makes software that helps companies keep track of customer feedback, uses Google Alerts and Social Mention to keep track of references to his company, as well as news on its clients, competitors, and the industry at large. "It’s a good way to gather business intelligence," he says.

Companies with several brands may require more sophisticated tools. "Eighty percent of companies do fine with Google Alerts," says Andy Beal, founder of Trackur, an online monitoring software company. "But once you have 30 different keywords to monitor, you’ll outgrow it very quickly." Companies such as Trackur, Radian6, and Viralheat offer Web-based dashboards specifically designed to monitor multiple brands. Though the most expensive of these can cost more than $6,000 a year to use, many services offer less expensive packages for small businesses. Most of them provide detailed analytics that track the popularity of online remarks and identify the most influential commenters. Some of these services, including Radian6 and Viralheat, detect whether a post is positive, negative, or neutral, so businesses can easily determine which mentions require the most attention.

Those features have allowed companies to maintain greater control of their brands. For instance, Case Design/Remodeling, a home remodeling franchiser based in Bethesda, Maryland, uses Trackur to search for discussions pertaining to each of its 22 franchises. If Joaquin Erazo, the company’s senior vice president of marketing, finds a complaint about a particular franchise, he will alert a representative at that location to contact that customer. "You can be created or destroyed by the click of a mouse," says Erazo.

Such tools, in fact, are able to do far more than just ferret out snarky comments. At Beachbody, Radian6’s software has helped the company combat piracy. By tracking mentions of its brands, such as P90X and Hip Hop Abs, it can identify fraudulent sites more quickly and warn customers on blogs and online forums not to shop on those sites.

In addition to helping companies defend themselves, keeping track of online mentions can create new marketing opportunities. Hope Neiman, Beachbody’s vice president of online and e-commerce, learned that many active discussions on health and fitness originated from faith-focused sites, which were previously well off the company’s radar. Reaching out to religious bloggers proved an especially good fit for Beachbody’s latest product, Body Gospel, a series of workouts set to gospel and contemporary Christian music. "Health and fitness is an active area on the Web, generally, but this was surprising," Neiman says. "For us, it’s an exciting presence to have."

Since Beachbody began tracking online conversations last winter, the company has seen its number of Facebook fans, Twitter followers, and YouTube views more than double. The increased activity has provided valuable feedback for developing extensions of Beachbody’s most popular product lines, Neiman says. "Before, it was very hit or miss," she says. "Now, we’re beginning to see some real engagement."

Posted September 27th, 2010 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Other | | 0 Comments

Not Just Cheaper

Courtesy of entrepreneur.com

From processing payroll to integrating IT, outsourcing certain functions can mean better talent at lower costs.

Despite the stigma often associated with it, outsourcing is widely used for a variety of business functions–and it’s not always about finding the cheapest solution. The smartest small businesses farm out the functions that aren’t their core expertise, which adds value and saves money.

"What they keep in-house is the competitive differentiator," says Jagdish Dalal, managing director of thought leadership for the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals and president of JDalal Associates, an IT and business process outsourcing company in Hartford, Conn. "Amazon immediately thought about using UPS for distribution. Dell kept its marketing and design in-house and the rest was outsourced."

Here’s a look at functions that any small business should consider outsourcing at various points in their evolution.

C-level talent: As your business grows and you need more assistance with marketing and financial services, consider contracting with a for-hire chief marketing officer or an accounting team that can act as your off-site CFO. Doing so can help you get high-priced strategies without the high price.

Human resources: Healthcare packages and employee benefits are constantly changing. A benefits firm can help you find the best and most affordable packages for your situation. "You need to find someone flexible enough to adapt to you and have the products and services for you as you become a larger organization," says Mark Perlberg, president and CEO of Oasis Outsourcing, which provides outsourced HR services nationwide.

Legal: Small businesses should outsource this function. Law firms are adept at circumventing local, state and federal laws and will save you from excessive legal headaches.

IT: Much of the offshore outsourcing industry caters to IT services–but because of increasing costs and concerns with quality control, many companies are bringing the function back onshore. "Rates onshore have dropped because of offshore outsourcing," says Bill Hayduk, president of professional services firm RTTS in New York, which provides off-site software services. "Over the last 10 years, there have also been infrastructure problems offshore with power outages, quality of skill sets, finite resources and sometimes software quality."

Website strategy: The most effective way to create a well-designed, easy-to-navigate website–complete with the most appropriate search engine optimization tools and other marketing functions–is by leaving it to the experts. Check out local web design compa
nies that will work with you to custom develop your site.

Posted July 6th, 2010 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Other | | 0 Comments

Policies for Telecommuting

 The Benefits and Drawbacks of Telecommuting

Telecommuting has quickly become a hot trend in the business world today.  It cuts costs and makes our virtual world seem more connected. Some businesses are solely virtual and do not even have an actual office. If this is something new to you and a tactic you might want to try, having the  proper HR practices put into place is vital to its effectiveness.

According to Keith Regan of the Dayton Business Journal " A good telecommuting policy covers everything from hours that an employee working remotely is expected to be available ( and when those hours will take place) to details on how technological connections will be made-whether workers will have company computers or supply their own and how they will access company data- and even details on the work spaces employees are expected to maintain at home. "

Prudential Financial Inc. ran a pilot program for their telecommuting system. Now 60% of their employees practice telecommuting successfully.

If a company can successfully implement this type of work environment it can have many benefits. These include a good retention and recruitment tool and keeping productivity going in case of emergencies or pandemics. One of the drawback that has been reported is social interactions between employees in the office are limited and at times non existent. To avoid this a company could offer part time telecommuting. There are risks associated with isolated employees.

If you decide to go through with implementing this vastly popular work tool, make sure  the program has clear guideline so can avoid problems. For tips on how to adjust and amend your HR policies to accommodate telecommuting or any other HR concerns call CBR at 602 200 8500.

Posted May 24th, 2010 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Other | | 0 Comments

How social media is affecting your business!

With the rise of social media in the workplace, your human resource personnel should take a closer look at their company policies.

Posted October 28th, 2009 by Jessica Spinks - Posted in Human Resources, Other | | 2 Comments

Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?!

We do it all the time – Communicate.  But… it doesn’t mean we are good at it…

In talking to a co-worker today, I realized once again the importance of awareness in communication.  Sure you might have delivered the message in a way that made sense, in a logical pattern of thought, and in the right setting – but is your job in the communication done?

In my opinion – NO!  Delivering the message is only half the battle.  Making sure the other party actually got it is crucial.  Don’t be afraid to ask… but be careful it does not come across as you being condescending… (see title)

Oh that’s right… then there is that whole thing about listening - I heard that is important too

Posted April 29th, 2008 by Harry Glazer - Posted in Customer Service, Human Resources, Other | | 0 Comments

Please, Stay Away if You’re Sick

If you are sick, should you go to work anyways?  This is a great debate among many.  Staying home to watch tv and lounge on the cough is an easy suggestion, right?  To some it may be, but to others a day staying home from work is just creating more work to go back to, or some feel they are indespensible and can’t miss a day, while others just don’t have the time to take work off.  Whatever the reason is, is it really a good idea to go in to work when you are under the weather? 

An article from Business Week that I ran into goes into great detail of the downfalls of having a sick co-worker show up on the job.  “Illnesses like the cold and flu can be spread by physical contact. When we're sick, the people with whom we come into physical contact have a significantly increased risk of coming down with the illness, according to virologists, epidemiologists, and other experts. There is a causal relationship between being sick with a cold or the flu and making others sick by touching them directly or handling an object that they soon touch themselves.”

Some other points brought up in the article for staying away from the office were, if we can actually perfrom to the best of our abilities while not feeling well, getting other co-workers sick, getting co-worker’s families sick, and the last one here that caught my attention, “going to work sick is unfair to your employer. According to a report published in The New York Times in 2006, researchers at Cornell University found that ill workers on the job could account for up to 60% of corporate health costs. The recently coined phrase "presenteeism" speaks to the financial downside of overly motivated workers who bring their upper respiratory illnesses to work with them.

All in all, is it fair to yourself to work when you are not feeling well?  I guess that is up to you.

Posted February 29th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Benefits, Health, Human Resources, Other, Productivity | | 0 Comments

Get Blogging or Get Out of Business

Has your company tried out social networking or blogging?  Better jump on board before your company is left behind.In a article I just read from Business Week, it goes into fine detail on the ins and outs of where businesses are looking to make an advertising splash.  Yes, that’s right, social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are and have been the hot topics around companies.  Also, another craze has caught on called blogging.  "Go ahead and bellyache about blogs. But you cannot afford to close your eyes to them, because they’re simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself."  I find it fascinating that blogging has become such a phenomenon.  Who would have thought that hearing other amateur people’s opinions on a particular topic would be something of interest to the masses of people that surf the internet?  Its the new generation that you always heard when you were a kid from your grandmother.  "Back when I was younger…", you know what I mean. 

Some numbers from the article that really caught my attention were, " There are some 9 million blogs out there, Yes, there were 9 million, but how many of them were active? Probably only a fraction. In early 2008, says Technorati Chairman David Sifry, the search company indexes 112 million blogs, with 120,000 new ones popping up each day. But only 11% of these blogs, he says, have posted within the past two months. That means the active universe is closer to 13 million blogs. Kevin Burton, CEO of FeedBlog, argues that the number should be lower, from 2 million to 4 million blogs. with 40,000 new ones popping up each day."

Posted February 22nd, 2008 by admin - Posted in Advertising, Human Resources, Other, Recruiting | | 0 Comments

Is Your Place to Work, Great?

Having open communication is a key to avoiding organizational or interpersonal problems at work.  What can you do shen there is silence among some employees?  Are your employees just not speaking up or is it just in thier personality not to?

Here are a few ways to create a work environment with a commitment to open communication and how to break the silence. (Creating a Great Place to Work from Business Week)

Spend the day out of the office:   Meet with employees in their own departments.  Actually take the time to see your workers in their element rather than yours.  

Have an employee orientation:  New employees should have an extensive training and "getting to know you" period.  Have a strict plan in place to make them feel welcomed.

Company wide meetings:  This way everyone is in the same place hearing the same thing.  Everyone is then on the same page.

Keep open lines of varying communication:  Have multiple ways for your employees to communicate to their managers and bosses.  Some personality types like face to face conversations while others express themselves better in writing. 

Posted February 15th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Customer Service, Human Resources, Other, Performance Reviews, Productivity, Recruiting | | 0 Comments

Sanctions Law Clearing Out Illegals in Arizona

If apartments are starting to sit vacant, this must mean that the new Arizona Immigration Sanctions Law is starting to take its toll on the illegal immigrants here in Arizona.  What will this mean for your company?   

“The sanctions law is pushing immigrants to leave the state. The law is aimed at clamping down on illegal immigration in Arizona, which has the highest share of illegal immigrants of any state, by threatening to yank the business licenses of employers caught knowingly employing such workers.

As a result, many immigrants are leaving, either to other states where they think it will be easier to get jobs, or back to Mexico, where the majority of illegal immigrants in Arizona are from.” 

So far, the law has done what it was intended to do.  How has this law affected your company?  Businesses that catered to the illegal population have seen drastic sales hits, apartments have seen a large wave of vacancies, what will be next?

Posted January 31st, 2008 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Immigration, Other, Recruiting | | 0 Comments

Watercooler Ethics

There are a few issues that shouldn’t be brought up at work.

• Sex
• Money
• Religion
• Politics

When we all gather around the water cooler in the afternoon or the coffee pot in the morning, there are a few topics that should always remain off limits.  The more controversial the topic, the stronger the reasoning is to not bring it up.  More specific topics that you might want to leave out, such as…   

• Should abortion continue to be legal?
• Should same-sex marriage be legalized?
• How relevant to holding public office is a person's religion?
• How much should the wealthy be taxed?
• To what extent should the federal government be involved in social programs?

Keeping the workplace free from controversy will help keep the employees productivity levels up.  Maybe this is something to look into for your company. 

Posted January 18th, 2008 by admin - Posted in Human Resources, Other, Productivity | | 0 Comments