Fourth of July: How to Celebrate the Holiday at Your Office if You’ve Got to Stay Open

Image source: JacobEnos

Everyone loves celebrating the Fourth of July and that’s completely understandable – the holiday is full of tasty food, relaxing picnics and amazing outdoor activities. Oh, and did I forget to mention explosives? Lots and lots of explosives.

While we all acknowledge the Fourth of July is a grand holiday that doesn’t always mean you – or your fellow employees – can always have the day off.

You’re a delivery company for goodness sakes, and just because many companies take a day off doesn’t mean you can afford to – especially if you’re a small, local delivery business.

Still on the fence about staying open or closed? We’ve come up with a few examples for each case:

Why you should stay closed:

Your employees would appreciate a few days of rest and relaxation. Also: many people don’t expect delivery companies to be open on the holiday. So, even if you do decide to stay open, you may not even get many requests for deliveries.

Why you should stay open:

If you are a niche, small delivery business and are up to deliver anything, you may have requests for party decorations, food and beverages. And if you’re a well-known local business that’s known for delivering odd stuff to locals at strange hours this may be a great day to stay open.

If you do stay open:

• Plan ahead: Take account of how many employees you need to have on staff and who you should keep “on-call” in the case of an unexpected rush.
• Have a bit of fun: If you do stay open and have a reason for keeping a lot of people who are on staff in the office, you may want to consider having a few, fun Fourth of July festivities.
• Have a picnic or cookout: Chances are you have a few grill masters on your crew. Provide the staples: burgers, brats and hot dogs. Ask employees to bring side dishes and beverages.
• Still give them a day off: Let people have an extra day of PTO for July. Let employees take the day whenever they please.
• Schedule short shifts: If you’re able to (and it makes sense for your company’s bottom line), try to schedule shorter-than-average shifts for employees. This way, everyone will still get to celebrate some part of the holiday.

Sources

Prepare Your Business for the Fourth of July

8 Affordable, Fun Ways to Celebrate the 4th of July

The Seasonal Spike: Why Fuel Prices Go Up in the Summer

Image source: Boegh

Summer is officially here and the sultry season brings many wonderful things: BBQs, pool parties and long, lazy days at the park. But summer also brings a few not-so-splendid things, too: sunburns, sweaty everything and high fuel prices.

Now, while you can easily prevent two of the previously mentioned summer bummers, you really can’t do much about high, summer fuel prices. While you may be irked about the high prices, there is a real reason why gas prices spike in the summer.

In the article “Why is summer fuel more expensive than winter fuel,” Jacob Silverman says there are four main reasons why fuel prices tend to go up after Memorial Day:

• More people travel in the summer, which increases fuel demand.
• In the spring, refineries run routine maintenance at facilities. The routine shut down typically limits fuel capacity until late May.
• Unknowns, such as natural disasters, can damage refineries and disrupt fuel transport routes.
• The fourth reason is not as well known: The summer-fuel blend is different (and more expensive to make) than the winter-fuel blend.

According to Silverman’s article:

“Depending on the time of year, gas stations switch between providing summer-grade fuel and winter-grade fuel. The switch started in 1995 as part of the Reformulated Gasoline Program (RFG), which was established through the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started the RFG program in order to reduce pollution and smog during the summer ozone season, which occurs from June 1 to Sept. 15.” – How Stuff Works

Summer-blend fuels have different fuel additives (also known as oxygenates) that help reduce pollution. The summer blends burn cleaner, produce less smog and release less toxic air pollutants, and help compensate for the limited oil supply.

According to the article, summer-grade fuel has a different Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP -- the vapor pressure of gasoline measured at 100-degrees Fahrenheit) than winter-grade fuel. A fuel blend's RVP is based on the combined RVP of the ingredients that make the blend. Some regional and local regulations have stricter standards, though. This makes the summer-fuel blend marginally more eco-friendly because fuels that have higher RVP evaporate easier than fuels with lower RVP.

 

According to the Today In Energy article, “Date of switch to summer-grade gasoline approaches,” the federally mandated dates for summer-grade fuel and reformulated gasoline are May 1 to September 15 for refiners and terminals, and June 1 to September 15 for gasoline retailers (Note: “In California, switchover dates are earlier, and summer-grade gasoline must be in use for a longer period.” – Today in Energy, U.S. Energy Information Administration).

3 Unique Ways to Use Social Media at Your Delivery Company

Image credit: RosauraOchoa

Sure, you know social media is an inexpensive way to market your business to a large, diverse audience. But did you know social media also can be used for other purposes, too? Here are a few notable examples:

Use social media to control problems

The example: When a company called 1SaleADay.com started to sell a utility knife that can fold into the shape of a credit card, the company received negative feedback about the product listing from a police officer:

“As a Law Enforcement Officer, I do not appreciate you selling items that criminals can easily hide... As a result of you selling this product, I will no longer be your customer, and will be spreading the word, via word of mouth and social media, for people to stop buying from your website.”

The company decided to start a conversation with its customers on its company Facebook page. The company asked its clients to share their opinions about the product. The company posted the comment (without personal identifiers), and an organic conversation was sparked – the company got over 750 comments in 24 hours about the product. Most of the customer feedback was positive (customers were not upset by the product) and the negative feedback remained respectful and thoughtful. By addressing the situation head-on through social media, the company was able to get valuable customer feedback, while showing reasonable concern about the products the company sells.

The lesson: Using social media to communicate with customers about products, and learning how to accept positive and negative feedback on social media, can help a company stay ahead of a discussion, while remaining open and honest with its customer base.

Use social media to test new company features

The example: Almost a year ago, Burger King began testing out a new food delivery option at a few of its restaurant locations. To help gauge customers’ feelings about the campaign, the fast-food chain created various online features, including a delivery-centric Twitter page and a delivery information website customers could visit.

The lesson: Burger King’s customers responded positively to the campaign, and gave the chain a lot of feedback about the new service via the newly created, campaign-specific, social media sites.

Use social media to gain and increase customer support

The example: Sometimes social media can be used to rally support behind your brand. According to the article, “Will social media help save the Postal Service and Saturday delivery?” posted earlier this year, many post office enthusiasts gathered via various social media events and campaigns to support the mail institution.

The lesson: Your customers are more loyal than you think, and they really enjoy using social media to communicate with each other.

Here are just a few of the social media vehicles that were used:

• Supporters gathered via an online Facebook event, “Because We Love Snail Mail.” Others created various, supportive Facebook groups and pages.
• The American Housewife @WhatIDoAllDay, a Twitter user, sent out a plethora of tweets concerning the Post Office’s crisis. According to Social Media Today: “[She asked] if she might ‘single-handedly save the US Postal System’ by mailing letters to those who ask for them. She beseeched people that if they liked mail, they should provide ‘something to deliver’ by writing a love letter, a thank-you note, a postcard.”

So, have you ever used social media to help your business in the time of crisis? Or to get customer feedback, or rally support? Let us know!

How Will You Celebrate National Small Business Week?

Source: Victor 1558

Do you know it’s National Small Business Week? Well, yeah, of course you do! We know that many of our readers own or work for a small, delivery business. For those of you who didn’t know it's National Small Business Week (maybe you just started your business, or you are part of a large company), here’s a bit of information about the Week’s history:

“Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year. As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration takes the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from all 50 states and U.S. territories.  Every day, they’re working to grow small businesses, create 21st century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America’s global competitiveness.” – U.S. Small Business Administration

National Small Business Week is celebrated every year. This year’s event (June 17-21) was announced back in March and is the event’s fiftieth. Pretty impressive! This year’s week’s events will focus on topics that will help small businesses start, grow and succeed. Here’s the Week’s schedule by city:

Seattle - June 17

Dallas - June 18

St. Louis - June 19

Pittsburgh - June 20

Washington, D.C. - June 21

There will also be numerous online forums for people who can’t attend. You can watch some of the week’s events via a live stream at the SBA’s website. Click here for more information.

So, how are you going to celebrate this year's Small Business Week, and how are you plotting to make your business stronger? Here are some suggestions we’ve gleaned from a few articles:

• Add mobile options to improve your business. Manage your business using mobile management Apps, and mobile banking tools. Also: consider adding mobile payment options to increase customer convenience.
• Use free marketing tools, such as a business blog, or social media accounts to promote your business and spend little to no money.
• Use simple search engine optimization techniques (SEO) to make your website index better on search engines.
• Make sure you have all your business’ important documents (employee information locked away in a safe and secure place, tax information properly cared for) in order so you know where everything is at all times, and you can easily stay organized.
• You’re the boss, so what you say goes. But remember, making the office an extremely rigid environment can really make employees miserable. Once you hire on some help, you’ve got to work with people and listen to (reasonable) employee feedback.

Do you have any small business tips and tricks you’re willing to share? Any special plans for making the rest of 2013 profitable? Share with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or in the comment section.

How Social Media can Benefit Customer Service

Source: Jason A. Howie

I’d wager that customer service is important to your company. Heck, who are we kidding – it’s essential. And over the years, more tools have emerged that help companies make top-notch customer service an every day reality.

For example, 30 years ago, your employees likely got most feedback about your delivery service from customers via phone calls, or clients who stopped by your storefront. Now, you can easily get in contact with customers immediately via email, or social media.

Just last week, Social Media Today highlighted how FedEx has successfully used social media to help the company achieve positive client responses to its customer service. And although FedEx is a large corporation, small delivery businesses can learn from the company’s social media/customer service plan of action.

According to Social Media Today, Ginna Sauerwein, a customer service veteran, has worked for JC Penney, Delta Airlines and Miller Brewery. For the past 29 years, she’s placed her talents and efforts into FedEx. As FedEx’s managing director of customer service in the western region, Sauerwein and her team check FedEx’s social media accounts to make certain the company’s customers are happy. She and her team have been doing this since 2009.

According to Social Media Today’s post:

“Providing a variety of channels for the customers to engage through, whether it’s a phone, a chat, a blog or social networks like Facebook and Twitter, appeared to be highly beneficial. Even though FedEx does online listening, Sauerwein’s team is the one responsible for handling actionable requests that customer care follow-up to help solve the issue or answer the question. Their engagement time? Mostly in a matter of minutes, not hours or days. The team tracks online buzz and digital conversations through the internal score card that shows daily interactions with ‘authors’ (yes, FedEx team refers to their customers that create content and initiate conversations online as ‘authors’) and what types those interactions were, as well as how fast the team responded.”

Now that’s interesting.

The article continues on to explain that many of FedEx’s small business customers dig that immediate customer service. Overall, the company’s social media monitoring has allowed FedEx to:

Integrate across multiple functions: Social media use allowed various departments within FedEx to collaborate creatively, and keep an open line of communication.

Keep authenticity alive: All FedEx employees are authentic with customers. Basically, FedEx’s employees talk to customers like people, and really try to relate to each customer in a unique manner.

Treat all customers well no matter who they are: All customers (the big and small) matter. Everyone should get great treatment.

Try new things: Over the years, the company has experimented with different forms of customer communication. One example Social Media Today highlights is FedEx’s piloted video chats.

Be creative: The company always strives to try new things, and FedEx employees are encouraged to find new ways to solve problems.

Source: Social Media Today’s “The Big Brand Theory: How FedEx Achieves Social Customer Service Success”

Miss the May/June Issue? There are a Few Courier Magazine Articles Online Now

Some of the team at Bonded Transportation Solutions.

The May/June issue was made available to readers at the beginning of May. We hope all of you have really enjoyed the content! If you’ve yet to get a subscription, though, no worries – we have a few articles from the May/June issue available on our website right now.

You can read our feature story, “Keeping With the Known Shipper Program,” and Success Story, “Service That Creates a Bond.”

Happy reading!