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3 Critical Cyber Security Measures

by | Jan 8, 2019 | Risk Management | 0 comments

3 Critical Cyber Security Measures

“Cyber Security? Only mega corporations like Target and Home Depot have to worry about that. I’m just a small tree service. I don’t have anything that hackers would want.”

Be honest, have you ever found yourself saying that? Chances are you have and, naturally, this article will tell you why you need to pay attention to what is going on in the cyber security world. Last year, I attended a Cyber Risk Seminar and learned that 69% of data breaches occur from a negligent insider (or former insider). That means someone inside your company either clicked a bad link, emailed a virus or unknowingly allowed a hacker into your computer system.

Before discussing the ways to minimize your cyber liability, I want to highlight a few areas of exposure that every tree service has. As with any exposure to loss, there are internal and external risks that a business faces.

External Cyber Risks

1. Transmitting a Virus to a Customer/Vendor – Tree care companies rely on email to communicate with their customers and vendors. Email is the most efficient method of communication and also presents the easiest way for your company to be liable for a cyber breach. If one of your employees sends an email that contains a virus to a customer or, worse, your entire customer database, you could be facing a huge unexpected expense. It costs anywhere between $100 – $350 to remove a virus from an infected computer and that cost does not include if any personal data was compromised or any business shutdown occurred because of it.
2. Customer’s Personal Data – Every tree service has some personal information from their customers. Names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and credit card numbers are all considered Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and is therefore information that must be protected from a data breach. If a hacker gets into your computer system and gains access to this basic customer information, you will be responsible for notifying the customer of the breach and providing credit monitoring for one year.
In 2016 the average cost for a data breach was $158 per record – How much would a breach cost your business at that price point?

Internal Cyber Risks

1. Employee’s Personal Data – When hiring someone onto your team, there is a lot of personal information that you gather – Social Security numbers, birthdays and driver’s license numbers, to name a few. Do you have a direct deposit payroll system set up? If so, your employee’s bank information is in your system. As the business owner, you clearly have a responsibility to protect your employee’s data. What would happen to your employee loyalty if you failed at keeping their information safe?
2. Business’ Computer System – Interruptions seem to happen fairly often when using technology for your business. Sometimes the internet goes out due to a cut wire down the street. Your phone system may suffer a break in service due to something on the provider’s end. Those are out of your control, however, what you can do something about is your internal business system. Is your computer network backed up in the cloud or off-site? What would happen if your system got hacked and held for ransom from a cyber-attack?

Now that you know the common cyber exposures that all tree services face, here are three areas to focus on to reduce the chance of a cyber liability event. Implementing these changes can reduce your chances of a breach by almost 70%!

1. Inbox Security – Studies have shown that 93% of all computer hacks begins with email phishing. Email phishing is a tactic that hackers use to get the email user to click an infected link embedded in an email to gain access to their system. These can be specific to an individual and look VERY similar to an email that you would get. I’m sure you have received these before but may not have even realized it – an email from UPS about a package delivery or that your Amazon order needs more information. They look very real and ask you to take action by clicking the link included in the email to resolve the issue. Once you click the link, your system is compromised. Working with a proactive IT company will help you get the proper email controls in place to limit the phishing attempts on your employees.
2. Browser Security – The next part of cyber security is enabling the proper security features on your internet browsers. This can again be controlled by your IT firm and will help you restrict access to potentially damaging websites. We’ve all heard stories of how one employee used a work computer to search for something that wasn’t work related and the shady website that was viewed infected the computer and it spread to the other networked computers. Tighten up what sites can be opened and this exposure disappears.
3. Employee Behavior – Training employees on what to look for from a phishing attack or questionable website is the best way to limit the accidental “oops, I shouldn’t have opened that email.” In our agency, we signed our employees up for a six part training on email phishing. As the owner of my company, I need to do whatever I can to make sure my team understands how these schemes work so we don’t cause a data breach.

The world of cyber security can be overwhelming, however, if you focus on these three simple areas, you will drastically limit your exposure to a crippling data breach.

For more information on how to properly protect your business against a cyber event, contact our agency.

Written by: Eric Petersen

Is Your Safety Program Working?

by | Dec 5, 2018 | Risk Management | 0 comments

Is Your Safety Program Working?

As a risk manager for the tree care industry, I am often asked, “how does a tree service make sure their safety program is working?” Because of this common question, I want to share three simple ways that you can internally audit your safety program to ensure you are doing all you can to get every employee home safe at night.

Are your employees able to explain what to do?

An effective safety program will teach your team members exactly what to do in case of an injury. Simply ask employees from all departments to describe the steps to take. They should know who to call, which clinic they need to go to depending on location, and what forms to fill out as soon as the injury happens. Of course, if they cannot explain what to do during a non-emergency situation, they won’t know during a panic-filled time of injury. Make this the topic at your next safety meeting to train everyone on the procedure for an injury. Have your procedure written down, and kept at all locations and in each vehicle for an emergency.

Can you prove your program is being implemented?

Documentation is a key component of an effective safety program. Whether it is for OSHA or to obtain a lower insurance rates, being able to prove that that your safety program actually exists is the goal. You should have employees sign that they acknowledge and understand the safety program and employee handbook, as well as attendance sheets for the weekly or bi-weekly safety meetings. Be sure to note the topics on the attendance sheets as well. This also helps you recognize if an employee is not being properly trained on a piece of equipment or operational service that you provide.

Numbers Talk!

Have a safety committee member be in charge of monitoring your data. A simple Excel document is a great way to track important statistics like; number of incidents, number of different employees injured, number of missed work days, etc. These numbers should be reviewed monthly or quarterly at the very least. Make note to monitor both positive and negative trends as you’ll want to reward a strong safety environment while addressing any obvious issues.

Remember, even TCIA Accredited companies have serious injuries and fatalities that could have been prevented. Don’t let your safety culture get stale and ineffective. Use these three ideas to monitor the strength of your program so you know when and how to improve it.

Written by: Malcolm Jeffris, CTSP

Make it Your Best Year Yet

by | Nov 28, 2018 | Business Strategy | 0 comments

Make It Your Best Year Yet

Raise your hand if you dread creating an annual business plan! Well you’re not alone.
We’ve all heard the famous quote from Benjamin Franklin, “failing to plan is planning to fail”, yet how often do you hear people say “I don’t have time to do an annual business plan”.

Taking time to do an annual plan saves time and increases productivity. This article is designed to give you a simple framework of how to perform an annual business planning session. The key is to set aside uninterrupted time for it, preferably on a couple different days so you can have some time to think about it in between sessions.

1. Start With Why – The Cheshire Cat of Alice in Wonderland said it simply, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.” If you have not clearly defined the why you do what you do, now is the time to do so. Your Why is your Mission Statement and serves as the north star for your business. Your annual business plan defines how and what you need to do to advance the company and its mission. In addition, review your vision statement, the what you do, and your core values, how you do it. Combined, these three elements create a culture for your business.

2. SWOT Analysis – Next have a clear understanding of where your business is today. Review the goals and your performance from the prior year. Where did you do well and be brutally honest about where you did not meet your goals. The SWOT Analysis is one of the most common ways to start planning for your company. List out all of your current company’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Gather input from team members in all areas of your business so your plan can be as robust as possible. Compare these findings with your successes and failures from the prior year. Tony Robbins sums it up like this: “Success leaves clues. Go figure out what someone who was successful did and model it. Improve it, but learn their steps. They have knowledge” It is pretty remarkable what happens when you include your team in this part of the annual planning. We do this in our agency using Survey Monkey so each team member has a chance to respond anonymously.

3. Big Picture Goals – In my opinion, it is best for companies to have no more than 3 big picture goals for the year. When setting goals use the acronym S.M.A.R.T. to help guide you. S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time. Each goal must be specific enough that your team members can understand what the desired outcome is. That means the goal must have something measurable assigned to it. Whether that is a total amount of new customers, an increase of the number of five star reviews on Google or a decrease in the number of injuries for the year, make sure you can track it. The goal also should be attainable and realistic given the current state of your organization. Stretch goals are great if they are accomplished, however, stating a large stretch goal can have a negative consequence on employee morale if the year does not go as planned. Lastly, each goal needs to have a time element to it. When do you want the goal to be achieved? A goal without an end date is not a goal that your team members can rally behind. Give your organization a chance at accomplishing the goals you set by making them S.M.A.R.T.

4. Objectives for Each Goal – When you have your three big picture goals written down, take a look at each one of them and break them up into smaller objectives. Assign these objectives or tasks to individuals who have the ability and responsibility to accomplish them. Make sure each team a member understands their role and is willing to do what it takes to complete their part. Go back to the SWOT analysis and align objectives with the people on your team with the strengths in the area needed to accomplish the objectives. If there is an area of weakness, incorporate training needs to bolster your team’s resources and effectiveness.

5. Check-in and Make Adjustments – Because each goal has an end date, create a timeline of when to check-in on the progress of the goal. Paying attention to the status of the goal throughout the year will allow you and your team an opportunity to make any adjustments necessary to achieve the goal. In addition to setting up a series of small check-in points, schedule a semi-annual review. Here is an article devoted specifically to your mid-year review.

To learn more about how strategic planning can enhance your organization, take a look at our Thrive Risk Management Strategic Planning Package. In just 4 short weeks we can help you identify who you are as a company, what you want to become, and what strategic milestones will be needed to achieve your goals.

Written by: Jim Skiera

Top Tree Holidays to Market Your Business Around

by | Nov 21, 2018 | Marketing | 0 comments

Top Tree Holidays to Market Your Business Around

In today’s social media driven universe, there is a day for everything: National Coffee Day, National Dog Day, National Ice Cube Tray Day. (Okay, that last one I made up, but you get the point.) While the world is full of superfluous holidays, there are some that hold significant meaning for the tree care industry! Here are a few of the great holidays centered around trees that you can use in your marketing.

 

Arbor Day: Seems like a no brainer, right? A holiday dedicated solely to planting trees is DEFINITELY a holiday that your business should be promoting. Pro Tip: Bump up your marketing game on this holiday by holding a tree planting event in partnership with a local park or elementary school. Not only do you get to plant a tree, you have the ability to promote Certified Arborists and gain exposure for your business to potential customers at the same time.

 

Earth Day: A clean Earth is a happy Earth! Earth Day Every Day. A good planet is hard to find. These are just a couple of examples of the many slogans available for you to utilize on Earth Day. A day entirely dedicated to the preservation of our planet is absolutely a day that you should be using to promote proper tree care. What on Earth will you be doing for Earth Day this year? (See what I did there?)

 

National Tree Day: Did you even know this day existed? Full disclosure: I had no idea this day existed until I started researching holidays for this article. If I didn’t know this day existed, and maybe some of you didn’t either, how many of your customers are aware of this day? This is a perfect opportunity to promote the care of trees while also introducing potential customers to a new holiday. Take this chance to develop a fun challenge for customers on this day, such as having them identify different types of trees, or promote your business by offering discounts on tree work for this day only. While Arbor Day is a little more established, this is your opportunity to be creative and make this day unique to your business.

 

NeighborWoods Month: #MayTheForestBeWithYou NeighborWoods Month is an annual campaign begun by the Arbor Day Foundation. For the month of October, the Foundation promotes the planting and care of trees within communities. This is a great month to host giveaways, sponsor a community tree planting event, promote plant healthcare, and connect with customers on what your company can offer them. Plus, this month-long event gives you a reason to continually engage with customers and them a reason to frequently check back in and see what you have going on.

 

Christmas: Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree! Promote the care of trees around Christmas by providing tips for nourishment for evergreens. Have your employees take photos of their Christmas trees and promote them on social media by having clients select which tree belongs to which employee – and award the winner with a prize! Spoiler Alert: Holiday Ads drive results. According to Social Media Today, 88% of marketers that ran a holiday ad campaign last year marked it as successful. #TistheSeason

 

Written by: Katie Petersen

The Power of Walking Away

by | Nov 14, 2018 | Business Strategy | 0 comments

The Power of Walking Away

Written by Eric Petersen, CIC

How many times have you either worked on project you knew you were going to lose money on or continued to chase a job that didn’t really fit in with your target services? Chances are, you’ve done this more than you want to mention. We all have. Especially in today’s market with so many tree services popping up everywhere, I’m sure there are times you feel pressured to work on an undesirable job. Unfortunately, this begins a cycle of chasing jobs just to pay the bills and almost always ends in burnout for you and your team members.

Of course, we all want more sales, but sometimes your best move to is to say “No” and walk away from a potential job. There are many scenarios that create a walk away situation, let’s look at a few:

1. They Really Don’t Have the Budget

Not every customer can afford your services. Running a professional tree care company takes a lot of overhead and expense that must be reflected in the rates that you charge for your service. Unfortunately, some people will just not be able to pay for your expertise. Recognizing that a prospective customer is on a tight budget is a crucial skill that your salesforce must be proficient at. Believe in your company’s value of professional safe service so that you do not underbid a job just to get it.

2. Too Much Competition

Competing with too many other tree services only does one thing; lowers the cost of the job. If during your sales meeting you uncover that they are getting estimates from three other companies, ask them what the basis for their decision will be on. Most likely, they will say price, so tell them to put price aside; what is the next most important aspect of a tree service that they are looking for. If they cannot come up with something, then it makes your decision easy…walk away! If they give you an answer like, I want the job to be done as quickly as possible, then ask them to quantify that. If you can accommodate whatever their second deciding factor is, you have a chance at earning the job at a fair price.

3. They Believe all Tree Services are the Same

Look, the majority of the general public does not really understand the differences between a TCIA Accredited company and a weekend warrior. Make the goal of each sales meeting to explain your value and why your services cost a little more than other companies. If they still believe that your value is not worth the price that you need to charge, then it is time to move onto a prospect that better aligns with your company.

4. The Services are Not Your Specialty

Your company is not going to be great with every type of service that a tree care company can provide. Know your strengths and stick with them when selling jobs. When companies stretch themselves out of their comfort zone, it opens up a lot of unnecessary risk to your business. This job will most likely take longer to complete and probably will be done for a lower price than what the job deserved as well as increasing the chances of a mistake or accident happening because it is new to your team.

 

Your willingness to walk away from any of these situations demonstrates your commitment to your company’s excellence and ensures the projects that you work on get your full attention. Remember, not all jobs are good jobs. Be proud of what you do and walk away if a potential customer does not fit with your company.

Click here to obtain a copy of the Sales Sweet Spot worksheet to help you understand which services you offer fit best with your ideal customer.

How can you begin to say “No” more? Start with identifying your ideal customer and the services that you specialize in. Click here to learn more about our New Heights Package and how it can help you identify your ideal customer and services and grow your business!