BBB eNewsletter October 2022

Congratulations 2022 Ethics Winners!

Wright Health InsuranceAgency

Small Business Category Winner

Since

Howard

Benefit

ACCREDITED BUSINESS LISTS

Callers ask us for the names of honest companies every day. While we can’t recommend a specific company, we can provide lists of ourAccredited Businesses in your business category.Your very next customer might find you that way.

BBB DYNAMIC SEAL

If you have a website, you need a BBB Dynamic Seal! It assures your customers that your company meets strict BBB standards, and that yours is a site they can trust!Apply for a Dynamic Seal by contactingTish at tish@ccie.bbb.org.

BBB GET-A-QUOTE

Is a lead generating program consumers may access through our website to request price estimates for products and services. We send the actual proposal to Accredited Businesses that could fulfill the request for an opportunity to gain a new customer.

BETTER BUSINESS TOOLBOX

The Business Management Platform for Out-Call Service Providers.Toolbox applications drive success for service providers through functionality, simplicity, and price.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS

Take full advantage of BBB Customer Reviews.Ask your customers to post their review for you! We review the submissions to make sure they are truly your customer before they are posted.

MEDIATION SERVICES PROVIDED BYBBB

This service is offered when disputes between two parties cannot be resolved. Informal proceedings are held before the mediator, and both parties work to reach an agreement.The program can save Accredited Businesses court costs, time and money in settling complaints.This service is available to all employees of the Accredited Business.

BBB in the Community

Your local BBB had a great time at Fresno State’s 30th Annual Community Service Opportunities Fair! It was a great opportunity to talk to students about BBB’s Mission and to educate them on current scams and how they can be avoided. Thanks for having us

Our BBB representatives Cindy Dudley and David Smitherman met Fuego, the mascot for the Coachella Valley Firebirds Hockey Team at the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce's Annual Business Expo & Taste of Palm Springs on September 21st!

Your BBB had a great time at the 21st Annual Visalia Home Expo on September 24th & 25th. A special thank you to our sponsor, Bonadelle Neighborhoods for helping make our attendance there possible!

BBB representative Liliya Rudan, along with Glenna Gates, franchise owner of Spherion Fresno California and current BBB Board Chair, presented during the NSF iCorps Intern Training at UC Merced.

As part of our Smarter Living Program, our BBB representative Liliya Rudan presented to the students of Kerman High School. We would like to thank our sponsor, Central Valley Community Bank, who followed our presentation with their own on financial literacy for high schoolers.

Bonadelle Neighborhoods

Building Value for Generations

As the Central Valley's premier local home builder, Bonadelle Neighborhoods has made luxury the standard in the Central Valley for more than 75 years.

The tradition began when a young John Bonadelle, Sr. built his first Fresno neighborhood near Manchester Center for first-time home buyers—many of whom were soldiers returning from World War II.Today, with many relatives of the original staff still working with the company and happy homeowners who have lived in Bonadelle Neighborhoods’homes for decades, they have created homes and relationships that will last a lifetime.

By building homes with luxurious features, superb craftsmanship and an exceptional attention to detail, Lisa and John Bonadelle and their children continue the family tradition of not just building homes, but building value for generations.

4easy ways to keep turnover low and employees happy!

Exercise for small business owners: Imagine your employees as the headliners of a concert tour. Night after night, they’re playing to adoring fans, thrilling the crowds, and consistently delivering out-of-body experiences. In short, they put on quite a show. But what if one day they weren’t feeling up to it?

As one of your business's most important assets, it’s only natural to think of your team as rockstars.Assuming that’s the case, it’s important to keep them happy and productive, motivated and inspired.You want them to feel stress-free, working in an environment that allows them to be at their best.The good news?They can still feel like rockstars without you needing to organize a multi-city arena tour. Here are four easy ways to keep your turnover low and ensure your employees are happy for the long haul.

1. Communicate your expectations

Employees aren’t likely to be motivated without a clear understanding of their duties. Even if there’s already a job description in place, revisit the details. Outline the essential tasks and attach deadlines. This allows employees to effectively complete tasks knowing what they have to do and when.You can also set the proper example for your employees by:

● Creating a calendar for goals: Identify 30-day, 90-day and yearly benchmarks to shoot for.

● Modeling good work ethic: Set the tone by exemplifying the behaviors and diligence you seek.

● Providing sound direction in real time: Don’t sit on feedback; provide constructive criticism on how to best accomplish tasks.

Spelling out rules, regulations, policies and procedures could have a big impact on your productivity.The key? Keep it positive. Employees are more likely to be motivated when they feel valued and respected in a positive environment where expectations are clearly defined.

2. Praise your employees

An employee who feels valued has a stronger desire to do great work. Therefore, it’s good practice to offer praise to employees when it's appropriate.Asimple thank you can be just the thing to both motivate and boost the spirits of your employees.

And, if an employee makes a mistake, don’t punish or belittle a team member. Rather, use the opportunity to touch base one-on-one to explore what went wrong. Offer encouragement and confidence in their quality of work and reassure them that they can always reach out whenever they need.

3. Create a productive atmosphere

Eight hours or more at work is a significant amount of time. Whether your workers are onsite or remote, it’s important to foster environments that allow employees to be productive.Here are some ideas on how you can help your employees enjoy their work environment:

● Add greenery to the office/work area.

● Make sure equipment, such as desks and chairs, are ergonomic.

● Allow fresh air to enter the work area, either by air purifiers or by opening windows.

● Use natural light when possible.

● Install full spectrum or plant light bulbs in all areas when natural light is not possible.

● Offer healthy food and drink choices in the cafeteria/breakroom.

● Allow employees to personalize their workspace.

● Cultivate a family-friendly environment by creating a plan that allows employees to take time off to care for ill children or to attend school events without using sick or vacation time.

● Explore the possibility of offering childcare near the workplace or even on-site.

● Prioritize maternity/paternity leave options for expecting parents in your workforce.

● Provide elder care resources and referral services and have dependent care assistance plans in place.

● For remote teams, see if the budget allows you to add a stipend for employees to upgrade their home office setting.

4. Keep your employees involved

So, back to the rockstar analogy – are you letting your employees step into the spotlight?The magic happens when everyone’s involved, so let them take centerstage by encouraging them to have a say in workplace matters.

Perhaps, you’re developing a company manual that outlines company procedures for situations that may arise, such as how to handle family emergencies.Ask your employees for their input.This ensures they feel a sense of inclusion with the company.You can also hold regular meetings to allow employees to voice their concerns.

The benefit of this is that it can also provide you with valuable insight into addressing concerns and shaping the company culture.Tackling issues and working to be better will always have a direct impact on the company's public persona, its people, and even its bottom line.

When employees feel they’re part of a team, it creates a dynamic that motivates them to be productive and excel at what they do. Ideally, they’ll want to go the extra mile for the company, customers and co-workers.To cultivate this attitude, always openly praise your employees for a job well done, set appropriate goals and take your employees' needs seriously.

Your team can make or break your business. But when they view you as patient and respectful, you’re nourishing a loyal workforce, one that allows your business to survive and succeed.

The new report, Start With Trust® Online: BBB Online Scams Report, analyzes the changes in how scams are being perpetrated, including new information about impersonation and online purchase scams.This research paper is based on two sets of data: 1)An analysis of more than 300,000 reports submitted to BBB ScamTrackerSM between 2015 and 2022, and 2) survey research conducted in July 2022.

For more highlights from the 2021 BBB ScamTracker Risk Report, visit BBBMarketplaceTrust.org/OnlineScams.

Banking Industry Report

Q: It’s been on my mind for a while, but how exactly can we trust customer reviews? Whenever I’m reading through them, a lot of them seem fake or generic, like they’ve been made by a robot. I’ve also heard about shady businesses that will just create positive reviews for products or businesses in exchange for cash. So with all that in mind, how much stock can we honestly put into online reviews?

A: Hello, and thank you for the great question, which I’m sure many others have wondered as well. If you’re curious, yes, the platforms and online retailers where you see these suspicious reviews are well aware of the issue. It may not always seem like it, but nowadays these companies try to take better care of their review process in order to make sure their users are receiving the best and most honest reviews. Of course, this includes Better Business Bureau’s website (BBB.org) as well. While it’s impossible to catch all the fake reviews, BBB does make an effort to catch fake reviews before they are posted. In order to curb fake or dishonest reviews on BBB.org, BBB’s review process includes extra steps in order to help ensure that each and every review being submitted is legitimate:

● BBB validates the email address or phone number of reviewers.

● Allowing the business to respond to a customer review and share their side of the story before it is published.

● Allowing the reviewer also to submit comments on the customer review. Comments from third parties are not allowed.

● Not allowing anonymous reviews or reviews  where the consumer got compensated.

● Customer reviews are posted  to the company’s BBB Business Profile.

As of early 2022, BBB has received more than 4 million reviews from customers, but the amount actually published is only 62% of them.This just goes to show how many fake reviews are being submitted on a regular basis. So, my advice to you when figuring out whether or not you can trust an online review would be to look into what that platform or company does to curb their fake reviews–assuming that they do at all.The other advice I have is, like you said, to read through the reviews and see whether or not they are fake.Another great way to read through any and all negative reviews. While sometimes people can… embellish a bit, negative reviews might have an overall pattern to them, which might point out a reason you might not want to purchase that product/service. Lastly, while reviews can be a great way to learn about the experiences of past customers, it’s not the only way to check the reliability of a company. It’s always best to check out the company using BBB.org, where you can check a company’s licensing and other certifications, as well as the background and history of the company. Get the information first before you decide who will get your hard earned money.

A Weekly Column in the Fresno Bee where CEO & President, Blair Looney answers questions written in by consumers looking for advice.