Business Tips

Industry Highlight: 5 Tips To Keep Your Restaurant Safe

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restaurant safety tips

Owning a restaurant is a dream for many people, but it’s a dream that comes along with seriously hard work and a great deal of responsibility. As a restaurant owner, it’s critical that you protect your dream by securing your property and assets. Restaurants provide unique security challenges that need to be addressed proactively. Here are five great tips for keeping your restaurant secure and safe.

Screen Your Staff Carefully

According to statistics, 85% of all restaurant robberies are committed by employees. Your staff has access to your money and inventory- hire people you trust! Taking time during the hiring process to carefully screen applicants, including running criminal background checks and calling references, can pay off in increased security. Just as importantly, hold on to good, trusted employees by treating them with respect and care.

Have a High Quality Alarm System Installed

An alarm system is a necessity for any restaurant. It will not only help deter potential criminals, but it will also connect to local authorities should someone attempt to break in. At Fluent Solution, we know that each restaurant is unique and so are its security needs. Contact a Fluent representative today to discuss the best options for a modern, high quality, alarm and video monitoring system.

Avoid Having Employees Open or Close Alone

Employees opening or closing the restaurant alone are significantly more vulnerable to would-be criminals than employees working in pairs or teams. You may have to pay a bit more upfront by paying two employees per shift instead of one, but it’s well worth it since you will be protecting your employees’ safety as well as helping to protect your restaurant from being robbed.

Be Smart About Bank Deposits

Bank deposits should be made often and safely. Frequently depositing cash means that you’re not risking large amounts of money being stolen in a break-in. Aim to be discrete and inconspicuous when making bank deposits. Don’t make your deposits at the same time every day, and avoid calling attention to yourself when heading to the bank. Keep the deposit bags inside a purse or other bag in order to be less obvious.

Keep a Close Eye on Your Inventory

Just because your registers haven’t been robbed, doesn’t mean your restaurant hasn’t been the target of crime. Both inside and outside thieves are known to go for alcohol and other inventory, since they can sell these items for cash or use them themselves, and since this type of theft often goes undetected. Implement a system for keeping regular track of inventory, and be sure to only put trustworthy employees in charge of this task.

Owning a restaurant shouldn’t be a security risk. Follow these tips and you will rest easy knowing that your restaurant is protected and secure.

10 Essential Personal Security Tips

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security tips

Personal security is easy to ignore, until the unthinkable happens and you become a victim of a crime or other violation. Instead of risking a breach of your personal security, be proactive and stay safe with these ten easy personal security tips.

  1. Change Passwords Frequently

It’s easy to get lazy about passwords, but the truth is that the longer you use the same passwords, and the more simple they are, the higher your risk for having your email or other accounts hacked. Passwords should be changed often, and should ideally be comprised of a random mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.

  1. Be Careful with Keys

You should always know exactly where all copies of your house keys are. Be careful about who you give extra keys to, and never hide keys under doormats or in other places outdoors that potential burglars are likely to check.

  1. Get to Know Your Neighbors

Being isolated from your neighbors makes you more vulnerable to crime. Getting to know your neighbors means that you can all look out for each other, and alert each other to any suspicious activity in the neighborhood.

  1. Make Sure Someone Knows Your Whereabouts

When you live or travel alone, it’s important to have someone you check in with from time to time to let them know where you are. Should you get into an emergency, it’s important that someone in your life knows where you are, or where you were supposed to be.

  1. Update Your Antivirus Software

Instead of ignoring update reminders, go ahead and update your antivirus software and remember to run a virus scan on a regular basis.

  1. Get a Shredder and Use It

Never throw away old bills, bank statements, or other documents that include sensitive information. Identity thieves have been known to rifle through the trash looking for such things. Instead, buy a shredder and use it regularly to shred documents and paperwork you no longer need to hold onto.

  1. Memorize a Few Important Phone Numbers

These days it’s less common to have the phone numbers of friends or family members memorized, because we have all the numbers we used saved in our cell phones. If you’re ever in an emergency situation without access to your cell phone, however, having the numbers of a couple trusted people may be critical.

  1. Install an Alarm System

Unless your home and business have a modern alarm system, you are opening yourself up to potential break-ins. Alarm systems allow you to keep an eye on things even when you’re not home, scare off potential criminals, and alert the local authorities of break-ins or other emergencies.

  1. Lock Down Social Media

When posting on social media, try to keep in mind that not everyone who sees your posts necessarily has good intentions. Try to avoid posting personal information or updates that can tip others off to your physical location. To be extra safe, set strict privacy settings and only befriend those you know in real life.

  1. Be Cautious on Free WiFi

When using free public wifi, you should assume that strangers may have access to your information. In particular, avoid logging into financial accounts or making online purchases until you are on a secured internet connection.

By following these ten tips, you will gain the peace of mind of knowing you and your assets are secure and safe.

Revamp Your Business’s Security for the New Year

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Business security

The start of a new year is a great time to closely examine your business and look for potential areas of improvement. One area that you can’t afford to neglect is your business’s security. Increasing security helps protect you financially while also helping your customers to feel more comfortable using your services.

Let 2015 be the year your business became truly secure. Here are four ways to revamp your business’s security in the new year:

Upgrade Your Alarm System

A fully-functioning, modern alarm system is a necessity for any business these days. Your alarm system should include motion sensors, local emergency services connectivity, and smart technology, include remote monitoring. Call Fluent Solutions today to get an accurate assessment of your alarm system needs.

Consider Hiring Security

If your business involves large amounts of cash, high value goods, or is otherwise a target for would-be criminals, it may be worth adding a security professional to your payroll. A trained security guard will keep your business and customers safe, while also scaring off potential thieves.

Install Cameras

Cameras should be an integral part of ant brick-and-mortar business’s security approach. With Fluent Solutions, cameras can be installed along with your alarm system. Thanks to modern smart technology, you will be able to check in and keep an eye on the camera feeds even when you aren’t physically present at your business, since the cameras can be accessed by your smartphone or computer.

Clean up Your Premises

No matter how solid your internal security, if your business looks dirty and unkempt, it will signal to criminals that you don’t really care about your business. An uncared for business is typically more vulnerable to crime, since criminals assume you won’t be as vigilant. Cleaning the inside and outside of your business, removing clutter and trash, and adding bright, fresh lighting, will make a huge difference.

By upgrading your security for 2015, you and your customers will gain peace of mind that will likely translate to financial success.

Better Security Equals Improved Customer Loyalty

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better security

As a business owner, you want to provide the best possible products and services for your clients. But even with the best products and services imaginable, you won’t be able to earn and maintain customer loyalty unless your customers also feel safe and secure. Here are a few ways businesses can improve security, and earn customer loyalty in return:

Install a Security System

By installing a security system, ideally with both cameras and a monitored alarm, you will be able to help deter break-ins and provide improved security for both your merchandise and your customers. Just seeing that you have an alarm system, especially if your business is open at night, will give your customers increased peace of mind. A Fluent Solution security system will even allow you to monitor your store remotely, from your smart phone or computer.

Create a Safe-feeling Environment

Even if your business is safe, if it looks and feels like it might be unsafe, you will lose business and have a hard time securing customer loyalty. If you have a brick-and-mortar business, make sure that your building is well-lit, both inside and out. Keep things well-maintained and avoid letting trash or debris accumulate, as this can give the impression of neglect and lack of security.

If your business is online, avoid pop-up ads and too many flashing graphics, as these can give the impression of being a less than legitimate website.

Better Online Security

If you accept online payments from your customers, or your business is entirely online, you need to make your website and payment portal as secure as possible. SSL services, from companies like Verisign or Norton, help ensure that your customers’ personal and payment info is securely encrypted. These services allow you to place a badge or seal right on your website, letting your customers know their information is safe with you.

By following these tips, you will improve security for your customers, making them more comfortable and confident about using your services.

5 Helpful Business Techniques

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business techniques

Building your business can seem like a difficult thing.  But it really doesn’t have to be.  There are many business techniques that you can use to get your business off the ground.  Here are 5 helpful business techniques that have been proven to be successful in building a business.

1. Everyone Loves a Freebie

While the purpose of business is to make money, offering something free to your clients can go a very long way.  Try to discover ways you can be a source of free information to your clients.  Help them find more efficient, and less expensive ways to accomplish things.  By offering them information that is simple, and can also save them money, they’ll be more interested in become a repeat customer of yours.

2. Add To Your Business

The more you add new things to your business, the more opportunity you’re creating for new sales to take place.  Everytime you offer new information, you are creating another opportunity for your customers to visit your website, which raises the chances of another business transaction to take place.  You might gain business from those who were initially uninterested, yet returning to read new information might bring them on as new customers.  Of course this gives the opportunity for your current clients to be repeat customers.  Having new products, and new information, allows you to put various packages together for new sales opportunities.

3. Distance yourself from the Competition

Give your customers a reason to do business with you, rather than being in the same market with similar products.  What you want to do is offer your product with better features than your competition.  Be sure to offer quicker results, easier usage, and a quality personal touch with stronger guarantees.  By showing what you offer that is better than your customers, you are creating an advantage for your business.  Be sure you share all of those advantages in any advertising you do.  You just need to give a reason to any potential customer to gain your business, so make sure they know what that reason is.

4. Be Ahead of the Curve

One of the most difficult things to predict in business is change.  You can’t just keep repeating what you’ve done in the past and hope for continued success.  It is essential to anticipate change and be prepared for when it comes.  Take action before you see a decline in your business.  If you continue to prepare your business for the changes that come, you’ll develop habits that will allow you to see the early warnings of change.

5. Results, Results, Results

Be sure to give your customers what they are looking for. They aren’t buying your product, they’re buying the results that are benefited from purchasing your product.  They are looking for the end result.  So when you have seen the end results of what your business is offering, make sure you promote what that end result is. That is how you will continue to increase business.  The more clients see that they are getting what they pay for, the more likely they’ll return, spread the word, and therefore give you the end result you’re looking for, which is making money.  Make sure your results are on your adverts, website, and any other promotions you have.  Be sure to check your business to see if you are missing any of these five techniques.  If you are missing any, implement them immediately, and you’ll see great results.

Why We Love Data (And You Should Too)

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love dataThere is story after story out there that tell us about how data can either strengthen companies, or do these companies great damage. For example, if your business draws heavily on e commerce, and your website goes out for a number of hours, your business will inevitably take a dip in business. Your customers could get upset, and it could detract them from wanting to return to the site. On the other hand, there are ways that data can empower your business. Receiving data in real time can offer you competitive advantages over other businesses.

These examples will show how data can influence the outcome of our daily business. Data has changed things in business. Receiving data supports will become your businesses business. Understanding the business infrastructure will allow a company to understand where its success is coming from.

Using security metrics can improve a company’s knowledge on what goes on within a business day at their office. Understanding this data will allow management to know how to increase productivity. Understanding when employees arrive at work, and at what time they depart will be the first way to analyze if they are staying for a full work day, and how often they’re leaving for breaks and such.

Many companies will hold onto their data because data costs have lowered over time. They also understand that the success of their company is dependant on this incoming data. This will allow them to become stronger than the competition and they can use this data to their advantage. To put it simply the more data a business has, the more powerful they are.

This is an amazing time for digital analytics in the business world. There are breakthroughs in data collection every day. Understanding trends, and how to analyze them is one of the most efficient ways to judge how business is going. Using security metrics are increasingly becoming a strong way to understand business trends, and how things function in a day to day work week.