The Business Brief
May 2019
Shortening a Long Road
How We’re Able to Give Back Through the Idaho Military Legal Alliance
At Generations Law Group, our roots run deep. We care about our community and those that came before us. From the postman to the business leaders that make our country what it is, we believe that every person deserves to have their voice heard and to have an equal opportunity to make something spectacular out of their life, especially those who have given it all for our country. As a veteran of the New Jersey National Guard, it’s one of my life’s great passions to do whatever I can to give back to our military population, which is why I am proud to be a chair of the Idaho Military Legal Alliance (IMLA). Since 2013, IMLA has worked to increase access to pro bono legal services for Idaho’s military population. IMLA's objectives include: coordinating services of IMLA partners, providing continuing legal education on military legal issues, supporting military legal clinics in all parts of Idaho, and recruiting pro bono attorneys to help Idaho’s military population. My short time in the military had an immeasurable impact on my life, and I’ll never lose the bond I shared with my fellow servicemen. I always felt a certain degree of guilt that I wasn’t deployed into combat during my time
in the National Guard. Though I was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, I have the utmost respect for those who found themselves in a faraway land with only their brothers and sisters in arms to rely on. That takes courage, and sometimes it can take even more courage to come back home and try to put those times behind you. That’s why I fight today as a lawyer, and that’s why I choose to donate my time and energy to this cause. Members of our military population sometimes have unique legal problems that only former military members will understand. That’s why I was proud to join the IMLA board. Although IMLA is still a relatively young organization, we’ve been able to make a significant difference for our military population. We use our unique roles to provide free will writing clinics at the Boise VA, offer walk-in clinics, and generally try to assist veterans with any legal questions they may have. Even so, we won’t remain content in our services. There is so much more we can offer down the line, and we certainly plan to. In the future, we hope to open up a veteran’s small- business clinic where we can guide them through the legal processes necessary to get their venture up and running. We are also working to
expand our reach into northern and eastern Idaho.
Our group of volunteers may be small, but we plan on letting our clients dream big by giving them the legal aid they need to succeed. It is our job as business owners and former soldiers to give back. To learn more about the Idaho Military Legal Alliance, visit our website at IdahoMilitaryLegalAlliance.org .
–Matt Wolfe
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THE GOOD KIND OF GOSSIP How to Cultivate Valuable Customer Reviews
No matter how much someone loves their job, at the end of the day, most people come to work to get a paycheck. But providing steady income to your employees doesn’t mean they will automatically feel appreciated and stick around, and it shouldn’t! If you’re struggling with employee churn and an unhappy workplace, it’s time to look at how you can create a culture of gratitude. If you want to cultivate a culture of gratitude, you need to lead the charge. This doesn’t have to be a big production; a quick, genuine “thank you” when you’re passing through the break room can go a long way. A study from the University of Pennsylvania found that when leaders expressed gratitude to their employees, those employees were 50 percent more successful. Plus, employees that feel appreciated tend to have a higher degree of job satisfaction, which is crucial for longevity. Offering good benefits shows employees you’re invested in their overall health and futures. If you find yourself losing good employees to your competition, it might be time to look at what they offer that you don’t. Are you paying employees a fair wage for their work — or better? Do the benefits go beyond the legally required minimum? Are they the kinds of benefits your employees actually want and need? Having a reputation for offering the best benefits in your area will attract quality employees and make your current employees feel valued, keeping them from seeking greener pastures. Why You’re Experiencing Churn Instead of Gratitude THE CURSE OF THE UNGRATEFUL EMPLOYEE BE A LEADER KEEP COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS CURRENT Respect is one of the top three things employees look for in the workplace. In fact, a 2012 survey of social workers found that a lack of respect is a large contributing factor of voluntary turnover. Paul Marciano, organizational psychologist and author of “Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work,” outlines a few critical ways managers can show respect. • Equip employees with the tools they need to be successful. • Set clear expectations and hold employees accountable. • Practice thoughtfulness, empathy, and kindness. • Trust in your employees’ abilities — don’t micromanage. Employee happiness doesn't have to come at the cost of company profit — just look at Salesforce! This global CRM leader was voted the No. 1 spot on Forbes “100 Best Companies to Work For” list in 2018. More often than not, happiness translates to overall success. Look around and see how you can start building a culture of gratitude and happiness at your own company. PRIORITIZE RESPECT
When you’re thinking about buying a new product or service, what’s the first step you take? If you turn to the World Wide Web in search of reviews, then you’re in good company. According to a survey conducted by BrightLocal, 85 percent of consumers regard the customer review to be the single most credible and trustworthy source of advertising. That same survey found that 68 percent of customers surveyed were willing to provide feedback for a company. So, how do you get your customers to write the glowing reviews that help close deals? Don’t rely on customers to go to your website to leave reviews. There are numerous websites you can utilize that make leaving feedback more convenient for your clients. What’s more is that these other platforms are highly trafficked. BrightLocal found that Facebook and Yelp were consumers’ most trusted sources of user reviews in the U.S., but you can also use Google My Business or the Better Business Bureau. Most importantly, be sure you are active on all the platforms you use. DIVERSIFY YOUR PLATFORMS
OFFER INCENTIVES
Give your clients a reason to write reviews. Consider offering incentives like a discount or coupon code, coffee gift card, or an entry to win a contest for an even bigger prize.
ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
Think of the review process as a conversation rather than a request to be met, and use open-ended questions to start. Before you even request a review, you can ask customers questions like “How was your recent experience with us?” or “How are you liking your product?” That way, you can gauge their satisfaction before they leave any feedback.
RESPOND, RESPOND, RESPOND
The last thing you want to see is a scathing one-star review. But no matter how hard you work, they are still bound to happen. When you receive one, take the time to respond thoughtfully — without being defensive — and try to come up with a possible solution to the complaint. And be sure to respond to your positive reviews as well. When you show that you engage with all of your customers, prospective ones will be more likely to give you a shot.
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Monday–Thursday
Are 4-Day Workweeks the Secret to Productivity?
Could you get more done with one less day in the week?
a problem in the United States, providing employees with a better work-life balance may be the secret to a happier, more productive workplace. After the successful trial, Perpetual Guardian opted to stick with the four-day workweek permanently. They provide several tips for implementing a four-day workweek at your company. • Do your own web and local research. • Speak to your staff and be clear about your objectives. • Ensure policy is well-supported and resourced. • Create a policy that can flex depending on workloads, projects, or customer requirements. • Let your customers know what’s going on and assure them there will be no drop in service. • Ensure the new employment structure doesn’t cut across legal requirements. • Be clear that the aim of the initiative is to benefit the company as well as the employees. • Recognize that flexible working initiatives aren’t magic bullets. If you’re interested in learning more about Perpetual Guardian’s four-day work week, check out the white paper written by The University of Auckland researchers at 4DayWeek.co.nz/four-day-week-trial.
HAVE A Laugh After the trial, employees at Perpetual Guardian also reported feeling 7 percent less stressed and a 24 percent improvement in work-life balance. Considering the fact that burnout — and the sick days that come with it — is such Of course not! Most of us need more time in the week, not less. At least, that’s the assumption. But a New Zealand company recently proved that when it comes to company productivity, less may mean more. In March of 2018, Perpetual Guardian, a finance management company in New Zealand, began testing a four-day workweek for its 240 employees. Researchers from the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology studied the firm before, during, and after the trial. Perpetual Guardian isn’t the first company to test-drive a four-day workweek, but during the trial period, they did something unusual: They didn’t reduce employees’ salaries. Paying employees for five days of work while only requiring four days sounds like a surefire way to bankrupt a company, but researchers found the change had the opposite effect. By trimming the hours down and maintaining pay, Perpetual Guardian saw a 20 percent increase in productivity. The shorter workweek motivated employees to get their work done quicker by cutting down meeting times, becoming more self-motivated, and telling their colleagues when they were being distracting.
PUZZLE
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
412 E. Parkcenter Blvd. Suite 210 Boise, ID 83706 (208) 401-9300 www.genlawgroup.com
Inside This Edition
1.
Giving Legal Aid to Our Armed Forces
2.
How to Cultivate a Culture of Gratitude The Value of User Reviews and How to Cultivate Them Is Your Company Ready for the 4-Day Workweek?
3.
Have a Laugh
4.
Using Chatbots in Small Business
‘How Can I Help You?’ How to Incorporate Chatbots Into Your Business People have long been curious about what robots could do for humans. Historians have even traced robotic inventions all the way back to 400 B.C.! Since then, the field of robotics has come a long way and brought modern society inventions that change how people live, learn, and even run their businesses. One such robotic innovation that has increased in popularity in recent years is the chatbot. According to Entrepreneur.com, Facebook found that over 2 billion conversations were held between customers and the 100,000 chatbots on its messenger platform in 2017. But though chatbots have only become mainstream in the last few years, they’ve been around for decades. Chatbots go all the way back to 1966, when Joseph Weizenbaum’s ELIZA terrified and mystified the masses. ELIZA was the first chatbot to master short, human-like conversations until various improvements were made in the following decades, including ALICE in 1995. ALICE’s capabilities were so profound that she paved the way for today’s widely used artificial intelligence inventions. Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, IBM’s Watson, and the Google Home are all forms of AI chatbots that utilize human-like linguistics, but according to Murray Newlands, CEO of chatbot company Chatty People, bots can also take on scripted forms. These bots are ideal for answering common, simple questions from customers. Today, implementing a chatbot for your
business is more convenient than ever. According to Newlands, you can even create your own bot on Facebook Messenger without having to design a code. To dip your toes into the chatbot world, start by establishing a part-time bot during a busy season, or use one to ease the number of common and simple questions your employees have to answer. This delegation of inquiries will allow your employees to focus on more pressing tasks. Additionally, your chatbots can bridge language barriers and assist clients who struggle with verbal communication. While chatbot technology has various benefits, it also has various limits. Before you dive right in, make sure you’re aware of how much your chatbot can do for your customer before a human customer service representative has to step in. Many inquiries require human interaction, so monitor your chatbot’s responses, program your chatbot to direct customers to you or your team, and let customers know your bots are only designed for certain tasks. Your bot has to be easy to understand, or no one will use it. A lot has changed since 400 B.C. Technology is advancing fast, and when businesses don’t keep up with the times, they fail. If you use it effectively, chatbot customer service is a phenomenon that will surely keep your business a bot above the rest.
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