Influencing Identity - Page 6 of 54 - by Coller Industries Incorporated

Seasonal Employees: Figuring out the Holiday Rush

For many businesses, seasonal help is necessary to handle holiday demands. Not only are seasonal employees cost effective, but they also help your business remain flexible in adjusting the size of your workforce. During peak holiday times, these temporary employees are often necessary to have around to help keep full time operational coverage. Without these crucial employees, you couldn’t keep your business running the way your customers and clients are used to.

Adding seasonal and temporary employees to your staff has huge benefits for your company. It makes it easier for full time staff to enjoy the holidays while they maintain work/life balance, and you can keep your business steady. You will also have enough people to cover any increase in hours or demand for products and services.

So, have you already started the process of hiring your seasonal employees? If not, now is the time. Of course, you will need to make sure you train them thoroughly before your holiday rush hits! With that being said, as a business owner, you should also be concerned with how well your new help will be able to work with your customers.

Hiring Holiday and Seasonal Employees business tips

Here are several ways to get your seasonal employees geared up for the holiday rush.

Badge Ribbons for Seasonal Employees

One of the best ways to help both your new employees and your customers is with badge ribbons. Attach these custom tools to any name tag or badge holder to help each other understand the new position. In addition, add titles or instructions that will help your employees and customers.

From “I’m New” to “Employee of the Month,” every title will look great on these colorful ribbons. You can even customize them with logos and graphics to make them stand out. Give one to each of your seasonal employees to help your customers know who they are.

PRO TIP: Badge ribbons are also a great way to advertise for upcoming sales and promotions.

Lanyards for Seasonal Employees

In training lanyards for temporary or seasonal employees.

With custom text and maybe a logo, these lanyards are perfect for identifying your staff. They are especially useful when you are training new people to handle your holiday rush. Not only can you use the lanyard attachment to display a photo ID or badge holder, but you can customize them with any message you need to get across.

Lanyards are incredibly versatile due to their custom nature. Add text, logos, graphics and so much more to promote any business. The text can be a phrase, a date or your business’ name. In addition, wearing a lanyard makes ID or credentials more accessible to show to others or for security proof that you can be in a building or any other typically private place.

No matter the role, everyone can use this practical tool. From adding your branding (think company logo) to providing security, lanyards are the perfect answer for all of your business needs. Lanyards provide quick identification and can also hold essential things (like pens, ID badges, etc.). It doesn’t matter what your industry is, we guarantee to have a lanyard to fit your needs. Yes, even your business can use lanyards!

Reusable Name Badges

Gold Speedy Badges are the perfect reusable name tag for seasonal employees.

Name tags are a must in this world, especially for new seasonal employees! The best part about using a reusable name badge is that you can outfit your entire crew for an affordable price and still have the option of reusing each badge multiple times. And, with printable inserts, quickly change tags, such as Speedy Badges, whenever you need new ones.

For a temporary option, reuse these badges with the easy-to-use printable inserts or added labels. You can design your badges to meet any need and then change them with ease when the time comes for a new look or new employees. They are also ideal for temporary and seasonal employees.

Classroom Prep: Custom Signs for Teachers

Using something as simple as custom signs will help any teacher with their classroom prep. From decorating to giving instructions, use these tools to help your classroom run smoothly. These signs can also help keep your students on track and provide them with help where/when they need it.

A Teacher’s Guide to Student Engagement (Using Custom Signs) - The Learning Center By Coller Industries

Using Custom Signs for Your Classroom

Get students excited about their education with classroom signs. Use them to encourage participation with motivational quotes and classroom rules. By hanging these custom signs behind your desk, you’ll have no trouble keeping students engaged throughout the school year.

Whether teaching in person or online, classroom signs will look great behind your desk, or anywhere they are easily visible. Customize each sign with text and graphics that remind your students why their education is essential. As they see these signs every day, they will stay motivated to pay attention and participate in class.

Keeping Students Engaged with Classroom Signs

Here are some unique ways to engage your students by using custom text and graphic signs. Remember, you can create nearly any design you want so that you can share what you need with your classroom.

Custom engraved sign for a teacher to present school rules for student engagement.

Class Rules: Help your students remember classroom rules with beautifully engraved signs. Add steps to complete projects or basic rules to remember to each sign. No matter what you choose to add to your signs, remember these are fully customizable, and you can add nearly every instruction you will need for your classroom.

Inspirational Quotes: Motivate your students to do their best every day by sharing quotes from famous scholars or inspiring leaders. From Dr. Seuss to William Ward, add your favorite learning quote or message to any sign. Choose from our fonts or provide a fancy one, and don’t forget the graphics to go with your quote!

Learning Objectives: Help students stay focused on their education by giving them specific goals to work toward during class. Then, add these goals to a new sign that you can display at the front of the classroom to help remind your students that they are striving for bigger and better.

PRO TIP: The above list is only a few things that our custom signs can be used for, so let your imagination flow and design anything you need for your classroom!

Designing Custom Signs

Custom engraved, plastic signs used in a classroom for helping students stay focused.

SIZE: While we offer standard sizes, don’t be afraid to venture into the custom area. We can do any size sign between 20 and 144 sq inches!

TEXT: Choose one of our stock fonts or provide your own and add nearly any text you need to get your message across.

GRAPHICS: While we are limited to details due to our engraving machines, don’t feel like you can’t ask for something spectacular. After all, look what we did a while back!

DESIGN: If you don’t know how you want your sign to look, we have a design team waiting to help you. Submit any idea, and we will work with you to get it from concept to finished product.

Need more classroom ideas? Here’s some help to get you started!

Going Back to School with Ribbons

While we don’t have pens and notebooks, we do have something you need! Check out all of these different ribbons. And, find out why they are essential to have in your classroom and available for your students.

Creating a Culture of Respect in the Workplace

Whether your business is a restaurant or retail store or even an office, there needs to be an established culture of respect. So, what does respect mean to your business culture (regardless of the type of business you run)?

What is culture? It is the customs, arts, social institutions and achievements of a particular nation, people or other social groups. And, what is respect? It is a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities or achievements. Now that we have those, let’s put them together.

What is a culture of respect, especially when it comes to your business? A culture of respect is when your business or organization feels admiration for the achievements of someone such as an employee, a volunteer or any member of your team.

“When people respect you as a person, they admire you. When they respect you as a friend, they love you. When they respect you as a leader, they follow you.”
― John C. Maxwell, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You

Creating a culture of respect for your business well keep customers coming back.

Creating Respect

Without respect, businesses wouldn’t get anywhere. There are many examples in the world where people go to companies and have a terrible experience because they didn’t get the quality of service they wanted. This happens in restaurants because servers are having a bad day and don’t give the attention that a customer should deserve. It can occur as a customer service rep in a retail establishment for the same reason.

Name Tags and a Culture of Respect

So, how does a culture of respect pertain to name tags? How do name tags help you respect someone who does well at their job? Is it because you know their name, or is it because the idea of a uniform has influenced us?

No matter your view on name tags, certain informational aspects answer these questions. We’ve all been influenced by the idea of a uniform; it keeps us connected with employees of a business. Part of this uniform can sometimes be a name tag. Name tags help keep both the customer and the employee respectful toward each other. Let’s take one element at a time.

First, the logo or company name.

People associate the company logo and employees with the organization when employees wear logo name tags at conventions and trade shows. Another benefit to having a logo is that employees tend to keep their name tags on when they go on their lunch break or commute to and from work. By doing so, they advertise the company to the public and make the brand more memorable.

Second, the person’s name.

We all want to be recognized as individuals, and wearing a name tag helps with that goal. Whether the tag is for a business venture or a personal one, your name should be the thing that catches someone’s eye. And, by having your name visible to others, especially those who might not know you, you become more approachable, and in turn, more trustworthy.

People who respect each other help each other. They support each other as employees and as people. Not only does this mean that employees will have richer, more positive relationships at work but also when there is a culture of support, employees won’t be afraid to ask for help. This ultimately makes everyone more comfortable and effective in his or her job.

Third, the person’s title.

This title can vary from anything such as cashier to customer service agent and even store manager. Even designer and marketing or sales titles help customers, clientele and other employees understand the type of service and answers they can get from specific people. These answers then become how these individuals can measure the respect they will receive from the business.

Respect in the Workplace

Creating this culture takes many steps, one of which is paying attention to the ladder of succession. Respect comes from the way employers treat employees. Customers can pick up on if a boss does not treat his employees with respect. If a boss doesn’t respect the employee, then that employee will not treat the customers with respect. Then, in the long run, the customers will not respect the business.

One of the biggest problems that businesses face is keeping the culture of respect open to customers. As a business, you should have a level of respect for each customer to respect your business. Other things that will help a company earn the respect of their customers and employees is having proper signage around the office or store. This can include any needed name plates and identification for everyone who works for the business, even if they are volunteers.

Respect is the glue for strong, lasting relationships. It’s an ingredient to grow self-worth and confidence in your employees. Confident employees, in turn, are pro-active and innovative, actively participating in growing the company, and therefore, also your profits. Respect is what empowers people and breed a culture of continuous improvement. And the culture of continuous improvement, promises longevity and success, something that every company aspires to.

So, how does your company define culture of respect?

Remember that this respect goes both ways. If anyone is missing respect, then the rest of them will eventually be missing this respect. Developing and maintaining a culture of respect doesn’t have to be tricky. It is merely recognizing that customers deserve respect and that you deserve respect as a business owner.

No matter what, always remember that to earn respect, you must return it. And don’t forget the name tag! Remember that they give off an air of respect by simply making them part of a uniform for your company.

Donations and Charity Work for Your Business

Whether your efforts are to encourage employees to be active in your community or your business wants to reach out to those in need, donations and charity work are a fantastic way to show you care. In every community, there are people in need. And, in these communities, businesses like yours can make a difference. Here are some reasons why YOU should be that difference.

Creating Community Understanding

Understanding the community concept teaches that you must do things to keep it healthy no matter the setting. These insights are supported and managed by people feeling that they belong somewhere. And this comes with accepting each other and the diversity of those around you. This community understanding makes us responsible for those around us. In turn, this community responsibility not only aids those in need, but it assists everyone influenced by any actions in that community.
Donations and charity work are only a couple of ways that make us more responsible in our community. And, building trust in our community is not only a requirement but also the best way to maintain any community. This is why we, as a company, are always looking to help out in our neighborhood and surrounding areas. By reaching into our community and participating in networking opportunities for organizations, we can see how much our brand resonates with others. We also find how our brand reflects in our community.

Here are a couple of examples of our recent donations!

Cranedale Designs

We sent two types of plastic, engraved name tags. One was a small name tag with either a first and last name or a company name. The other type were circle custom shapes with the amount donors had given to the project. Each name tag type was needed in four colors.

Carol King, Owner of Cranedale Designs, said, “The donor board name tags represent everyone who designed, supplied building material and helped to build the tiny houses in a settlement in my town. My son is on the board of the tiny house community. He had a fundraiser, and one of the people who work for the tiny house community said they needed a donor board to honor those who took the time to make the little community possible. I am an artist, and I said I would love to do that as a contribution to the community.”

“The inspiration, of course, was that it was a tiny house community,” King explained of the exhibit. I thought it would be fun if each donor had their own little tiny house. I struggled to find a way to put the names on the little houses. There are 208 names, and stamping them into the clay seemed like a huge amount of work. It was already a lot of work to make each little house. I (decided I) needed four distinctive colors to represent the levels of donation. (Coller Industries) had the best looking variations in color.”

Big Dog Ranch Rescue

This remarkable pet rescue also received a donation of plastic, engraved name tags. They went all out with upgrades like rounded corners and beveled edges, as well as the deluxe magnets (our most popular fastener)! These tags are worn by adopters, visitors, donors and other staff members so that they are quickly identified, and the tags create a welcoming environment.

Christopher Kraus, Chief Executive Officer of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, said, “Our organization’s mission is to save 5,000 dogs every year, to heal and place them with loving families, and to educate people about the proper care for dogs and the importance of spaying and neutering. We will end dog homelessness through education, sterilization and legislation.”

“Big Dog Ranch Rescue has now rescued more than 37,000 dogs and united countless families with their new forever friends. We also believe in giving back to our community through education and support. From a new Veteran Service Dog Program to visits to nursing homes, from teaching the importance of spay neutering to the next generation to helping seniors care for their pets when they are unable, Big Dog Ranch Rescue is here for our neighbors. Dog rescue is a 24/7 calling. We won’t rest until every dog has a loving family, and we end dog homelessness forever.”

Better Your Brand with Donations and Charity Work

Building a brand is something every business regularly focuses on. From excellent customer service to high-quality products, brand reputation is everything you do to retain customers. This reputation directly impacts your customer’s behavior toward your company. Making sure that you better your brand will help you stay in business. By producing high-quality interactions with clients and customers, you are building your brand reputation.
Donations and charity work are a great way to show your customers how much you care about their needs. Giving something away is about adding value to your community, no matter if it is time or money. The joy we get from giving our products to those in need helps us to better our brand by investing in our community. By building this reputation, we continue to help those around us and better our brand.

The Power of Names and Why They are Important

Why is it so important to use people’s names? According to Dale Carnegie, a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. The sound of someone using your name typically cuts through all other noise that might be going on around you. Since birth, you have been conditioned to respond to the sound of your name. Think about it this way: how would you feel if your mother referred to you by another person’s name? That is why the power of names is so important!

A person is more interested in their name than in all the other names on earth. So remember a person’s name and call it easily, and you have paid a subtle and very effective compliment. But forget it or misspell it – and you have placed yourself at a sharp disadvantage…one of the simplest, most obvious and most important ways of gaining goodwill is by remembering names and making people feel important – yet how many of us do it?

–How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie

It is important to use a person’s name when interacting with them. It is, after all, their most significant connection to their identity. When you address someone using their name, you acknowledge their importance, which is the easiest way to get their attention. But only some of us are great with names, so what happens if we are with someone and need help remembering their name?

Enter name tags!

Name tags can do more than just provide your name to those you meet, they can potentially change your life. Adapted from Scott Ginsberg, here are just a few ways name tags will improve your life.

“A name tag isn’t just a sticker; it’s a statement. It’s about friendliness, identity, culture and human nature.”

A Name Tag is a Permission Slip
“Wearing a name tag is an invitation to friendliness. It’s a way to open up to others and overcome personal walls. Their primary function is to personalize and humanize each person. Inviting encounters is what they do. And you permit this change to happen every time you put on your name tag.”

A Name Tag is an Engagement Tool
“The hardest part about conversations is getting the ball rolling. That’s why name tags are so great. They are the basic building block of conversation. The sooner you know people’s names, the sooner you feel comfortable around them.”

A Name Tag is a Service
“Sure, you feel dumb when wearing a name tag. It’s uncomfortable. But think about how many people whose lives you just made easier. Like the guy who’s been working down the hall from you for six years but didn’t know how to spell your name until now. (Or) the shy person across the room who didn’t have the courage to walk up and say hello. (How about) the new yoga teacher who had thirty new students, yet only 29 new names to memorize. Whew! How are you practicing mini-sacrifices each day to make other people’s lives (even a LITTLE) easier? What comfort are you willing to forego?”

From our blog, Change Your Life With a Name Tag

Names are essential to new relationships, as a person’s name connects to their identity and individuality. Therefore, using someone’s name and remembering it shows a greater connection to who that person is.

The Power of Names (and how to help others remember yours)!

Whenever you put on a name tag, you become the face of your business or cause, whatever that is. It can quickly help the people around you match your face with your name. We have all heard that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” So, tell that story simply and quickly with your smile and a name tag.

Build relationships by wearing a name tag, and you help others remember your name. As Mr. Ginsberg has said, your name tag becomes an invitation and permission slip for others to converse with you. They encourage engagement by inviting others to speak with you to share their stories, and you will gain additional opportunities to share yours. So, whether it’s a quality name tag or a simple sticker, keeping your name visible will help start conversations and build relationships!

Start sharing the truth about name tags at your next business meeting,
conference or networking event!

Get Your Name Tags Now!

example of reusable badges — Reusable Badges