Give wisely with the BBB

Submitted by Nathaniel Smith

You know what feels good? Giving to charity. Nothing can give you the warm fuzzies faster than donating to a worthwhile cause. But with all the scams and fake charities out there siphoning off money from real ones? Well, have no fear, the BBB has you covered!

 I know, when you hear about the Better Business Bureau, charities typically don’t spring to mind, but your local BBB has a Charity Review Service, where we provide you with information on specific charities and wise giving practices to promote donations to our local charities. This service also aims to advise charities on meeting and maintaining high ethical standards of operation. 

Any charity that meets the Standards for Charity Accountability has a report created for it, which includes a summary of the charity’s mission statement, governance, key financial information, and activities. These are updated every two years, but we do offer charities the opportunity to review and comment on draft reports and update their report in between those two years. 

Basically, we also do for charities what we do for our businesses; we offer a chance to connect donors with charities and give donors a chance to check out charities before donating. Everyone wants to make sure they’re making a real difference and helping others, and with our help, everyone wins!

There are a lot of people out there that need help a lot of real organizations trying to help them. Donors: make sure your money is actually going to the cause you want to help with by checking with the BBB’s Charity Review. Charities: raise awareness for your organization and cause by accrediting your charity. If you’re a donor and want to know more or can’t find the charity you’re looking for on our site, call us at 502-588-0033. That same number works if you belong to a charity that would like to be recognized by the BBB. 

Are you all hungry for more information on our Charity review? Then this is a good place to start. You find whatever you want to know about the Charity Review, whether you’re a donor or charity. Did I miss something or do you have a question left unanswered? Don’t be shy, leave a comment! Hey, you can leave a comment even if you don’t have a question, all are welcome!

Customer Service is the #1 Key to Business Longevity

Nowadays, you hear a lot about what is the key to a successful business. Many will talk about fulfilling a need, offering a quality product, or effective marketing. These are all good points, and definitely necessary for a business to grow, but they overlook a crucial component: customer service. Admittedly, I have seen people mention that it is one of several keys and it gets a small blurb in an article (like here, here, here, and there), but I feel they fail to grasp how important it truly is.

Think about it, would you do business with someone with poor customer service? Would you want to hire someone that puts you on the back burner? That treats you like an inconvenience? I don’t care how good someone’s product or service is, I don’t want to work with a company that has or is known to have poor customer service. I’m sure many of you would agree (consumers in the audience, please feel free to chime in with your thoughts in the comments). Whether you’re B2B or catering to the general public, how you treat your customers or clients is going to play a huge role in how long you stay in business.

Customer service is more than treating customers well when they have a complaint, though that is an important part. Good customer service begins from the first interaction; it means ensuring your customer or client’s needs are met. It means listening first, asking questions as needed, and finding how you can best serve them. Above all, treat the customer like a person, not your next paycheck. They know and appreciate the difference; that’s the easiest way to make your company stand out from your competition!

I wouldn’t dare say that you don’t need to worry about marketing or advertising (you do), or that offering a good product or service isn’t necessary (because, of course it is!), but attracting new customers alone won’t keep you afloat forever. It’s completely, absolutely, 100% percent necessary to retain existing customers. And hey, if they help advertise and endorse you, that’s even better!

Did I overlook anything? Do you have a differing opinion or want to expand upon what I posted? Please feel free to comment and let us know what’s on your mind. You can learn more about the Better Business Bureau or find the kind of businesses you want to hire at bbb.org.