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BBB HOT TOPICS
Better Business Bureau® Serving Metropolitan New York, Long Island, and Mid-Hudson Region
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Winter 2020 Accredited Business Newsletter |
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"Holiday Shop With Trust" Ads on Social Media:
Thousands Urged to Find Trustworthy Businesses on BBB.org and Accredited Business Buyer's Guide
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BBB Serving Metropolitan New York is running two social media campaigns encouraging shoppers to check BBB.org and find businesses they can trust, before buying. Both successful campaigns will continue to run through the end of December 2020.
Holiday Ads like this one in red are driving consumers to the BBB.org search page, where they can check on businesses while doing their holiday shopping. So far, this ad series has reached over 194,000 people on Facebook and Instagram, with over 2,700 people clicking to the search page!
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Metro NY BBB Accredited Businesses which participate in the Online Buyer's Guide are receiving additional social media exposure through Facebook and Instagram ads, which direct individuals to the Buyer's Guide to discover trustworthy businesses. This seasonal campaign has reached over 167,000 people and encouraged over 2,100 clicks to the Buyer's Guide so far! For information on how to participate in the BBB Accredited Business Buyer's Guide and other programs that boost your company's visibility, contact our Business Relations team at membership@newyork.bbb.org.
BBB Serving Metro New York will continue to target consumers with messages encouraging them to find and support trustworthy businesses like yours.
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Dear Accredited Business Leader,
I hope that you, your colleagues, families, and loved ones are well and safe as we celebrate the holiday season. This has been an incredibly challenging year for all of us in New York, with the business community being among the hardest hit. From the bottom of my heart, I deeply thank you for all the work you have done in these difficult times to continue upholding high standards of integrity, honesty, and trust. Your BBB will continue to provide as much support to you as we can - during this time, and always.
Your BBB offers many ways to maximize the value of your BBB Accreditation, which are included in your BBB benefits. We encourage you to take full advantage of these benefits and we are happy to help you do so. The New Year offers the perfect opportunity to optimize your BBB Business Profile and ensure you are using the BBB Accredited Seal everywhere.
To learn more and get help, please call the Accredited Business hotline at 212-533-8050 or contact your BBB representative: Susan Cohen (Westchester), Wendy Fade (Long Island), or Hailey Reczka (New York City).
Have a wonderful, safe, and relaxing holiday season. We look forward to serving you in the new year.
Sincerely,
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Claire Rosenzweig, CAE
President & CEO
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UPCOMING EVENTS, WEBINARS & RECORDINGS |
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Metro NY BBB Joint Regional Networking Event
Wednesday, January 27
9:30AM - 10:30AM EST
BBB Accredited Benefit
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Join your BBB and meet with fellow Accredited Business leaders across New York City, Long Island, and the Mid-Hudson Region during our first online joint regional networking event of 2021! This interactive virtual networker, provided at no additional cost, will offer the opportunity to develop brand new relationships and share your story as we continue to work through these times together.
To learn more and register, click here.
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Nonprofit Board Service: An Introduction for Business Leaders
No-Cost Webinar
Wednesday, February 3
1:30PM - 2:30PM EST
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Join Luana Lewis, Senior Vice President-Programs and Services of BBB Serving Metro NY and Barbara D. Paxton, Chief Program Officer at Governance Matters, for a free webcast about key elements of nonprofit board service, and how to be matched with nonprofit board member opportunities.
Serving a cause you care about as a nonprofit board member is rewarding. It also offers opportunities to network and build new skills. Board service is a distinctly different, serious business skill and carries with it a significant level of responsibility. In this webcast, we will discuss what it means to serve on the Board of Directors of a nonprofit organization and what you should know before you join one.
To learn more and register, click here.
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BBB Webinar Recording: Cybersecurity During Challenging Times |
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Increased social isolation, financial vulnerability and time spent online have created a perfect storm for cyber scammers – affecting both consumers and businesses such as yours. When is the last time you took an educated look at your security, privacy and data retention practices? Consider potential business ramifications of a data breach. Take steps to lower your risk level!
Brian Rauer, Esq., Executive Director, Mid-Hudson Better Business Bureau, presents a non-technical discussion on critical cyber security issues facing the small business community in today’s climate. To view the recording, click here.
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BBB Webinar Recording: Best Practices for PPP Loan Forgiveness and Use of EIDL Funds |
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Your BBB and representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration present an informational webinar on PPP and EIDL best practices. During this recording, you will learn:
- How to prepare your business to apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness.
- Ways you can use your Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds in accordance with the rules.
- There will be a presentation followed by live Q&A.
To learn more and view the recording, click here.
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BBB Webinar Recording: Diversity 2.0 & Leadership |
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Your Better Business Bureau, Gwen Webber-McLeod and the team at Gwen, Inc. (a BBB Accredited Business) present this valuable webinar on diversity and leadership.
During this webinar, the team discusses:
- Recruitment & retention strategies with a focus on hiring & retaining the Unexpected Leader®.
- The impact of implicit bias & micro-aggression in creating company cultures that support Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) initiatives.
- Methods of integrating new learning into ongoing D&I efforts in your company.
To learn more and view the recording, click here.
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New Financial Assistance Programs Launch for NYC Small Businesses |
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NYC's Department of Small Business Services has launched three new financial assistance programs available to small businesses in low- to-moderate income neighborhoods:
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The NYC LMI Storefront Loan program is an interest free loan of up to $100,000 to help storefront businesses in low-to-moderate income [LMI] areas of NY City restart or continue operations after experiencing COVID-19 challenges.
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The Interest Rate Reduction Grant program aims to help reduce the interest expense owned on an existing loan with select Community Development Financial Institutions [CDFIs].
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The Strategic Impact COVID-19 Commercial District Support Grant provides funding to community-based development organizations (CBOs) to implement local COVID-19 recovery support to small businesses.
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IRS Announces Changes to Charitable Contribution Deduction Requirements |
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The IRS has issued guidance regarding a temporary suspension of individual charitable contribution limits reported as tax deductions. The new regulation lifts the individual charitable contribution limit from 60% to 100% of a taxpayer's adjusted gross income. Learn more here.
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How To Deal With Consumer Complaints |
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BBB Accredited Businesses often ask us how to handle customer complaints. As a BBB Accredited Business, your company has made the promise to “Be Responsive.” That requires that you address marketplace disputes quickly, professionally, and in good faith.
Remember that complaints and negative online reviews happen; they are often a part of doing business. It’s how you respond and approach such complaints and concerns that can turn a negative interaction into a truly positive reflection on your business.
You should promptly respond to all complaints forwarded by BBB by resolving the complaint directly with the customer and notifying BBB, or providing BBB with a response that:
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is professional – a friendly, open, non-defensive attitude is usually the best way to approach complaints
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addresses all of the issues raised by the complainant in a fair manner – to show that you understand the complainant’s concerns
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includes evidence and documents supporting your position, when appropriate – this provides all parties with relevant information to back up your response
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explains the reasons for your company’s response, especially if the consumer’s request cannot be granted – so the customer won’t feel the complaint is being dismissed without due consideration
When a complaint is submitted by a consumer, BBB will send the details to you so that you can take the steps above. Please make sure that we’re sending the complaint details to the correct individual by logging into your BBB account here and making any changes needed.
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