Providing Royal Treatment for Your Customers

No matter who your customers are, you should always strive to make sure they feel welcome. After all, a happy customer is your greatest asset as a business. So, work on giving everyone who walks through your door the royal treatment, and you’re sure to be set in your business for many years.

Remember that happy customers are also buying customers. Whether it’s goods or services you offer as a company, your customer is there because of how you make them feel. And, good referrals happen when your customers are satisfied with those feelings. Here are some tips for keeping your customers happy and giving them the royal treatment.

giving your customer the royal treatment

Customers; without them, your business is nothing.

Whether you’re just starting a business or have been running a company for several years, you should understand that it is your customers who keep you in business. And getting to know each customer will help your business grow.

Four Products to Guarantee Your Customers’ Royal Treatment

Name Tags

color logo name tags

By providing identification of your employees, you allow your customers to become familiar with those who can help them. Name tags are one of the best tools you can use to make sure your customers are happy with your business. They provide a friendly and quick “hello” for everyone who walks through your door. And they also act sort of like a permission slip to people who see your name tag that you are open to talking. This allows immediate engagement between your business and your customers.

Signs

Provide a quality experience for everyone who enters your business with custom made signs. These signs can display your working hours or vital information that keeps everyone in your company safe.

Plaques

Custom plaques add a classy feel to the average sign and let the customer know that you care about your company’s value because of how upscale they are.

Lanyards


Cord Badge Lanyards

Meet your security and identification needs for all of your employees with custom lanyards. They are a key tool for any business. And, there are so many ways to use them. Lanyards are perfect for identifying visitors or keeping security cards handy for employees. No matter what you need custom lanyards for, they have so many uses that everyone needs them.

Six Professional Tips to Create the Best Customer Experience

At the end of the day, successful companies don’t just deliver better customer service at one point in time; they constantly change their businesses in response to evolving consumer behavior. If you can understand your customers well enough to anticipate their needs and empower your teams to deliver A-level service, you’ll differentiate yourself from the crowd and go a long way toward creating enduring success for your company.

1. Set Goals

Find ways that your business benefits your customers, and then make them known. Whether that is through a sale or getting the word out about your product, your customer should know what you’re all about.

2. Be Friendly

It is customer SERVICE, after all. Make sure your customers know that you are there for them, no matter what.

3. Provide Value

No matter what your product or service is, make sure it’s valuable to your clientele.

4. Make Improvements

Always be on the lookout for ways to improve your relationship with your customers. Up your game with new products or services that will still benefit your customers.

5. Find Consistency

Once you have your product line and value, keep it going. Try not to discontinue something that your customer has come to expect.

6. Always Say Thank You

Providing a quality experience is your job as a business owner. Remember that it’s your customers who keep you in business. So, no matter what you do, always thank your customers for sticking around and keeping you open.

remember to say thank you to your customer to give them the royal treatment

A Teacher’s Guide to Student Engagement

You may think having students who want to be at school and learn from their teachers sounds to good to be true. But that’s what schools that focus on increasing student engagement are seeing. More than coming to class and turning in homework, engaged students are enthusiastic about their education and have a desire to excel in their classes. If you want to see your students succeed, you must figure out how to engage them in the learning process.

A custom sign with classroom rules and a plaque with an inspirational quote, each designed to increase student engagement.

What is student engagement?

In education, student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education.

How does student engagement affect learning?

Multiple research studies have found that students who arrive on time, pay attention in class and complete assignments are more likely to get higher grades and graduate on time. On the flip side, studies have found that students who do not pay attention or participate in classwork have lower grades and are less likely to graduate on time. Because student engagement directly impacts student performance, it is essential for teachers to recognize when students are engaged and increase that level of engagement.

How can you tell when students are engaged?

There are three types of student engagement: behavioral, cognitive and emotional.

Behavioral Engagement is when students actively participate in the learning process. They show up on time, turn in their homework and bring the materials they need for class. They also participate in class discussions, do what their teacher says and consistently try their best.

Cognitive Engagement is when students try to learn as much as they can. Not only do they pay attention in class, but they also ask thought provoking questions and go beyond what you ask them to do.

Emotional Engagement is when students have a positive outlook on their educational experience. You can tell students are emotionally engaged when they treat you and their classmates with respect and approach schoolwork with optimism.

To know how invested your students are in their education, look for all three types of engagement. If you only concentrate on behavioral engagement, you may overlook students who feel left out or need to be intellectually challenged.

What makes student engagement challenging?

Custom ribbons with a school mascot and logo attached to an apple, used to increase student engagement.

Keeping students engaged is hard, both in a classroom setting and an online learning program. In a classroom, you have to teach all of your students at once. This makes it hard for you to determine how quickly you should go through a lesson. If you go too fast, some students will get frustrated as they fall behind. If you go too slow, other students will lose interest as they wait for the next activity

The difficult part about teaching students online is that they can get easily distracted. Not only can they get lost in browsing the internet or playing video games, but they can also get disrupted by other people who do not realize they are in class.

Online learning also makes it hard for students to connect with the class emotionally. If students feel that they don’t have a relationship with you or their classmates, then they are less motivated to participate in discussions or do their homework.

Student Engagement Strategies

Now it is time to plan how you will increase student engagement. To help you get started, here are some ideas that apply to almost every grade level. And they work for classroom and online teaching.

Behavioral Engagement Strategies

Students will know how to behave when you give them class rules to follow. List your class rules on a custom sign or plaque, and hang it where students can see it. Make sure to include a rule about students treating each other (and you) with respect so that everyone has a positive experience.

Get more students to participate in class discussions by putting each student’s name on a name tag. When you have a question for the class, draw a name tag out of a box and ask that student to answer it. This strategy prevents the same students from answering all of the questions. It also motivates your students to stay alert because they never know when their name is going to be chosen.

Another way to get students to stay alert is to use blank ribbons as attention signals. Hold up one color ribbon to say when it is time to listen and another color when it is time to discuss. Using these visual cues helps your students know what to do and stay engaged throughout the lesson.

Cognitive Engagement Strategies

Motivate your students to do their best by coming up with learning objectives for your class. Learning objectives show your students what they can achieve if they pay attention and complete assignments. Once they understand how your class benefits them, they will take it seriously. To keep these learning objectives on the forefront of their minds, add them to a custom sign or plaque for all your students to see.

Keep your students focused on their schoolwork by making educational bookmarks for them. Use Custom Top Ribbons to make full-color bookmarks that teach grammar rules or math formulas that will help students with their homework. Your students are sure to appreciate these learning tools and use them for textbooks and other class materials.

Part of keeping your students engaged mentally is giving them a chance to unwind. To make this easy, customize name tags with a wide variety of mental breaks (e.g., sing a song or play rock, paper, scissors) and put them in a jar. When it is time for a mental break, take a tag out of the jar and have your students do that activity.

Emotional Engagement Strategies

Get your students excited to learn by decorating your classroom with ribbons, plaques and more. Even if you teach online, decorating the room you are in with bright colors and custom designs will stimulate your students’ imaginations. Hang a ribbon chandelier from the ceiling or drape a ribbon garland along a wall. Give your whiteboard a little flair by lining the edges with a brightly colored ribbon. To decorate your desk, customize an acrylic plaque or desk wedge with an inspirational quote and graphic.

Emotionally engage your students by helping them get to know you and their classmates better. Customize badge ribbons with a wide assortment of positive characteristics, such as Life of the Party or Proud Computer Geek. Have each student wear these ribbons during class by attaching them to their shirt. (Don’t forget to wear ribbons that describe you.) By using these descriptive ribbons, your students will emotionally connect to you and their classmates as they see (literally) how much you all have in common.

Students will have a positive attitude toward learning when you make it fun. Use paper inserts to play trivia and other games with your students. While you are at it, why not throw in some friendly competition with spelling bees and other contests. Don’t forget to pass out Prize Ribbons so your students will always remember the fun they had in your class.

What engagement strategies have worked for you? Share them in a comment so other educators can benefit from your expertise.

Improve Performance Through Student Engagement

No matter if you are teaching online or in person, keeping your students engaged in the learning process will improve their school performance. They will earn better grades, score higher on tests and graduate on time. So what are you waiting for? Put custom name tags, ribbons, plaques and signs to work for you so your students will reach their potential.

Q&A: Your Name Tag Investment

For our third and final installment of this question and answer blog series (the links to the first two are at the bottom), we wanted to focus on how you can get the most out of your name tag investment. While the questions here may not be as common as some of the others we have answered in the past couple of weeks, we feel that they are just as important.

ROI: Return on Investment

Return on Investment for your name tags

Let’s first answer this, what is ROI? Return on Investment (ROI) is a performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. ROI tries to directly measure the amount of return on a particular investment, relative to the investment’s cost.

Now, what does that have to do with your name tags? Well, shouldn’t you be getting a good return on your name tag investment? We think so, and that is precisely why we only offer the highest quality of products. Let us explain what we mean!

Question: Why should I use a name tag?

Answer: Because they are COOL! That and the fact that name tags can improve your business in so many ways.

From employee and visitor identification to showing off your company logo and branding, name tags will make your business complete. By utilizing name tags in your company’s culture, customers will relate better to your employees. Name badges eliminate any barrier between the customer and employees. Even name plates provide identification to offices and retail establishments. So, try adding these to your business today. 

Question: Do I want a logo or the name as the focus on my name tags?

Answer: To determine that, you will want to consider what you will be the primary use of the tag.

Two engraved logo name tags

For example, in a retail setting, your customer will already know which store they have come to. When wearing a name tag there, the name and title should be the main focus. You can even consider different color selections to distinguish different job roles. Use one for managers, one for trainees and another color for permanent staff to identify those roles quickly.

On the other hand, if you are using these name badges for a trade show or outside sales, your logo should be the tag’s focal point. Make sure to select the proper printing process to make your logo stand out to draw people in. After all, you want to make people remember who you are.

Q: If I don’t know how to design my name tag, can you design it for me?

Answer: We have several options available to aid you in your product design.

If you don’t know exactly how you want your name tags to look, we have a design team here to assist you. We also have many products with available templates to help you get the look you need for your business. We always send a digital proof on all of our custom products for you to approve before your name tags are put into production. 

Don’t worry about making sure that your name tag looks great; we do that for you! That way, you can focus on other things that make your business retain your professionalism. 

Question: How are my custom products made?

Answer: We make each product you order from a carefully designed proof approved by you before production starts.

A variety of name tags to show how adding a logo can improve your investment

All of our custom products are made only from the highest of quality materials. You can see the type of material you will be getting on every order page. From our plastics and metals to even our ribbon types, we make everything with our customers in mind. If you’re unsure of what you want, or the quality, simply order a product example before making your purchase.

Do you have a question that wasn’t answered here?

There are three ways to get your answer!

  1. Visit our Facebook page TOMORROW on July 22, 2020, at 11:30 a.m. (Mountain time) for our first ever Live Video Event.
  2. Leave a comment here, and someone will get back within one business day (Monday through Friday).
  3. Contact customer service at 1-801-931-5000 (our office hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

Other Question and Answer Blogs:

Week One: How to Use Identification

Week Two: Perfect Your Networking Strategy With Custom Ribbons

Question & Answer: How to Use Identification

We often receive the same questions from multiple customers. Sometimes, these questions are easy to answer, but sometimes they require a bit more clarification. Have you ever had a question about name tags or other identification products? We are taking some time to answer some frequently asked questions that our customer service team repeatedly gets. And we will expand on each question so that you, too, will understand our processes. 

Find any answer to any question about name tags, personalized ribbons and more.

Question: Which name tag size should I order?

Answer: The size of your name tags depends on how much information you want on them.

For a simple 1 or 2 line tag with only text (name and professional title), we typically recommend a 1 x 3 inch tag. However, if you are working with visually impaired people, you may want something much larger, so the text size can be increased.

If you are ordering tags with your company or brand logo, you will want to consider where you want the logo on your tag, and if it will fit there. For example, if you have a horizontally long logo, we don’t recommend putting it to the left of the tag because there won’t be as much room for your text. The best option would be to center it above the text and go with a taller tag, such as a 1.5 x 3 inches. If you have a more circular or square logo, they typically look best to the left of the text, and you wouldn’t need as tall of a tag.

Question: Most of your products require a list of names. How do I submit this list?

Answer: We have two options for submitting a name list for your customized order.

The first would be to upload them while you are on the order page. You can type them right into the provided form or upload an existing file. Our system will ask you to review everything to ensure that you entered the correct spelling and punctuation. You do want to make sure you submit the list in the case you would like on the product (upper and lower; e.g., Jane O’Connor).

You can also email your list after you place your order to nametag@nametag.com. Once your order has been placed, you will receive an order number that needs to be referenced in your email’s subject line. This email goes to the customer service representative who is in charge of your order, and they will make sure that it is usable. If there are any issues, they will contact you.

Question: What is the best way to print names for reusable name tags such as Mighty Badges?

Answer: We have multiple ways you can format your printable inserts for your reusable name badges.

The recommended way would be to use the NamePrint Graphics software. This software lets you add text and graphics to inserts using your printer.

The other option we have for your printed inserts is a small collection of predetermined templates. We do not have these for every reusable product, so check the bottom of the product order pages for available templates. 

Question: How can I order more of the same name tags I already have?

Answer: We have an online reorder program to make ordering more name tags easier.

The first thing you need to understand is what is a reorder? A reorder is when you need to order more of the same product you already have in use, but require different names. Lucky for you, our reordering system is easy to use and quick to understand.

All of your design info is kept on file under your customer number. Once you place your first order with Coller Industries, you receive a customer number. This number allows us (and you) to quickly and easily locate your information and previous orders. To place a reorder for your name tags, visit https://www.nametag.com/reorders/ or go to our home page (www.nametag.com) and select the “Reorder” link at the top of the page. Once there, you need to enter your customer number and select the layout you need to order. After making that selection, you only need to submit the new name list (text) for the new order.

Do you have a question that wasn’t answered here?

There are three ways to get your answer!

1. Visit our Facebook page on July 22, 2020, at 11:30 a.m. (Mountain time) for our first ever Live Video Event.

2. Leave a comment here, and someone will get back within one business day (Monday through Friday).

3. Contact customer service at 1-801-931-5000 (our office hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

Other Question and Answer Blogs:

Week Two: Perfect Your Networking Strategy With Custom Ribbons

Week Three: Q&A: Your Name Tag Investment

Better Your Brand with Community Service

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 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 also make our brand better.

We recently had the opportunity to give back to an organization that understands the importance of community service: the Red Barn Academy.

The Red Barn Academy staff wearing metal name tags from Coller Industries

What is Red Barn Academy?

Our mission here is to help reinvent broken lives from addiction and crime by teaching hard work, discipline and integrity in a farm setting.

Red Barn Academy is a therapeutic community for substance abusers and behavioral change. A therapeutic community is based on the concept of mutual self-help. The motto at Red Barn Academy is “each one, teach one.” Everyone in our community has gifts and knowledge to share; we can learn and improve together. A therapeutic community is a residential treatment model with increased responsibility and independence. Red Barn Academy is a highly structured organization run by staff and current students (“Peers”).

The Haws family had a desire to give something back to the community – the original plan [back in 1976] was to construct a working community farm, within the master planned development, to help keep the feeling of the farm in Farmington. After development of the farm, The Haws family experienced their own personal tragedy related to addiction. This life-altering family loss set in motion their desire to help other families and individuals struggling with addiction a place to turn for help.

Why name tags?

The Red Barn Academy received metal name tags with engraved names from Coller Industries to help them in their cause. Each name tag features a first and last name engraved in gold on a mirror red name tag. Rounded corners and a magnetic fastener complete the professional look for each name tag.

Justice Tiedermann has first-hand knowledge about how Red Barn Academy works. “I am a student here at Red Barn Academy. I’m a recovering meth addict, and I’ve been here for two years now. Before coming to Red Barn Academy, I was a liar and manipulator who could hardly stand the sight of myself, let alone hear my own name. However, being here at Red Barn and just practicing doing the next right thing and working hard, literally working for either our moving company, our construction, and our property management, and pushing through those hard days of either blistering heat or bitter cold, I have developed a sense of confidence to where I can look in the mirror and be proud of who I see, and wear my name on my chest with pride.”

Tiedermann, a Senior Student on the Corporate Development team, said, “This [name tag donation] will help us provide a sense of professionalism and confidence within our students.”

Better Your Brand with Professional Identification

better your brand with metal engraved classic name tags from Coller Industries

Like the Red Barn Academy, we believe that name tags help with professionalism and confidence. Developing a positive reputation requires consistency. The Red Barn Academy understands this should include wearing matching name tags. Wearing a name tag featuring your brand also helps your customers know that you have their best interest in mind. (P.S. We think they look great!).