Name Tag: The Inside Story

At some point in everyone’s life, they end up wearing a name tag.

Most of the time people wear a name tag for employment or during a convention or conference. However, most people never take into consideration what is put into making personal identification.

An excerpt from a Coller Industries employee:

name tag inc personal identification satisfaction guaranteedGoing on six years at Coller Industries, I have learned so much. The very first thing that was probably learned is how much goes into making personal identification products. From the starting point in customer service, right down to the last step of shipping the product out to the customers, I never realized the attention and detail that has to go into making a quality name tag. So much dedication and work has to go into each product. While many things and processes have changed over the years, the end result has always been the same: quality products at a fair price.

Starting with the training in customer service, it takes months to learn all of the things that a representative needs to know. With all the different products that Coller Industries manufactures and sells, there is not easy path to learn what is needed. Even though it has been six years, I still don’t know everything and have to ask questions frequently. The customer service team all leans on each other to get answers; if someone doesn’t know, someone else probably will.

logo name tag personal identification
badge ribbons name badges name tag personal identification

Then there is design. All of the artwork, name lists and other specs have to go through the design team. They have to place the logo and the names on the tags precisely, so that nothing will go wrong during production. They have to have any answers customer service may need, when they want to know if something is or is not possible.

After design comes production, oh yeah! This is where it all comes together. No matter what process is used for a name tag or ribbon, the production team is always working hard to get all orders out in a timely manner. It is high pressure work, but they pull through every time. They strive to make the best quality name tag available.

After they come out of production, our shipping department works just as hard to get the products shipped out on time. They check for flaws and make sure that all name tags match the provided name list, assemble the product with the appropriate fasteners, package them and finally invoice them. They then go through a quality check one final time and then the package is sealed and shipped out.

We have a great team company wide, and together, we all make that happen. I am proud to be a part of it. Bigger and better things await this company. No matter what department anyone is working in, we all strive to do the best job we know how to do. The thing that will always remain the same is the never ending aim to improve on the things that we are doing, no matter what those things might be.

Customer Donations: Women Against Abuse

Providing customer donations is part of who we are.

From name tags to ribbons, Coller Industries is your go-to specialist for personal identification needs. While we do pride ourselves on our service and professionalism in producing these fantastic products, our main focus is to help you, our customers! And part of this is to donate what we can, whenever we can. These donations are truly something that helps us stand out from our competition.

This month we were able to help out a wonderful cause.

customer donations - women against abuse

customer donations women against abuse

 

Founded in 1976, Women Against Abuse, Inc. is the leading domestic violence service provider in Philadelphia. Women Against Abuse serves over 15,000 people each year through emergency safe haven, transitional housing, community-based supportive services, behavioral health therapy, legal services, hot line counseling, and community education, advocacy and technical assistance. Its mission is to provide quality, compassionate and nonjudgmental services in a manner that fosters self-respect and independence in persons experiencing intimate partner violence and to lead the struggle to end domestic violence through advocacy and community education.

iPledge is Women Against Abuse’s social awareness campaign, founded in 2008 to raise awareness to domestic violence, a public health epidemic that impacts 1 in 3 women. It is the premier Philadelphia campaign that engages the community in taking a stand against domestic violence.

“The donation Women Against Abuse received makes it possible for us to have enough name tags for guests at the 2016 Dish It Up on April 7th, Women Against Abuse’s annual fund raising event and Philadelphia’s only female chef competition!” exclaimed Christine Nieves, Director of Funds Development for Women Against Abuse.

Nieves goes on to explain, “This year also marks Women Against Abuse’s 40th anniversary. (We have been involved for) 40 years of progress in the struggle to end domestic violence and providing lifesaving services for women, children and men affected by this public health (partner violence) epidemic.”mighty badge medium plus women against abuse customer donations

Women Against Abuse received 180 Medium Plus Mighty Badges. Mighty Badges are a great way to use a reusable name tag. The metal plates can be ordered plain or with a printed logo and names are quick and easy to add with the printable inserts. The Mighty Badge system is easy to use, as the three parts simply snap together to give you a professional looking, yet reusable, name badge.

“Throughout the years, we found that these name tags truly are the best in terms of quality. We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in the the donation program with Coller Industries,” says Nieves.

Low Error Rate Produces Happy Customers

Customers are our top priority and we show this by keeping our error rate low.

Here at Coller Industries Incorporated, we pride ourselves in our customer service expertise. Not only do we have a great team of Customer Service Representatives, but our team members from Production and Shipping are also here to provide quality and accuracy with all of our products. Part of what makes us so great is our ability to keep our error rate so low.

 

    Here’s a quick review of our current year-to-date statistics:

  • Our overall error rate is 0.265%. This means that 1 in about every 400 orders may contain an error; great news for our customers!
  • Since January 1, 2016 we have had a total of 20 errors coming from 7551 orders total. And, to top that, 8 out of those 12 weeks have had 1 or fewer errors; more great news for our customers!
  • If we have 3 or fewer errors as a company during a one week period the company provides a “Free Lunch Friday.” If we have less than 8 errors in any 4 week period Coller Industries treats the entire company to lunch out at a local restaurant.

Not only are these benefits for the employees here at Coller Industries, but with these incentives to keep us going, our customers get to enjoy the satisfaction of doing business with an outstanding company. Having a low error rate increases sales and increased sales translate into happy customers. And with happy customers, Coller Industries remains in business to continue to serve everyone and their personal identification needs!

“Throughout each step of any and every project there is a double checking process that takes place. Everything hinges on getting the order checked completely and thoroughly before it gets out of customer service and into production,” says Aimee, our Customer Service Manager.

She goes on to explain the process that our customer service representatives take with each order.

    COLLER INDUSTRIES’ ORDER REVIEW PROCESS:

  1. Orders are received by a Customer Service Representative and our Design Team makes a proof of the product.
  2. The order is sent to Quality Control for confirmation (meaning that the proof matches the invoice).
  3. The order is received into Production and is confirmed using an internal check sheet form.
  4. The order is then sent from Production to Assembly and is again compared using the same check list.
  5. The order is sent to Shipping and once more checked for accuracy before being sealed and shipped.

Once an order is received and goes into our internal system, it is checked on a consistent basis so that it remains correct and matches the original order placed. This means checking the invoice against the production page and finally against the actual, finished product. This process is followed for all orders received here at Coller Industries.

If anything changes, or an error occurs, during this checking process, the whole order is re-evaluated. We are also in continual contact with each of our customers throughout the entire order process to make sure that we are meeting exactly what they ordered and what they are expecting.

“I’ve tried to instill the mantra that each order is wrong until you prove it right,” explains Pat, our Production and Shipping Manager. “We are constantly, consistently and objectively checking each order,” he states. No assumptions are made that the order is correct, and as each order has 10 to 15 variables to it, meticulous checking is a must. “The people working here are a big part of the reason why this system works so well,” Pat says proudly.

keeping our error rate low to ensure happy and satisfied customers
keeping our error rate low to ensure happy and satisfied customers
keeping our error rate low to ensure happy and satisfied customers

From our customer service representatives and our design team to our production and shipping team, the review process of each order is extensive and takes extreme concentration. We, as company, put all available resources we have into each and every order. And we always keep our customers involved in all processes and steps of every order so as to maintain our low error rate.

In the event that something does go wrong (we admit that we’re human and not perfect), there is always something that can be done to fix the problem, and most of these are typically corrected by the next business day.

“No matter the error, we always work with each customer in getting out a replacement as quickly as possible,” explains Slim, our Quality Control Supervisor. “We will always accommodate each order in whatever way we can,” Slim says.

Our Reorder Program

A key point to maintaining such a low error rate is our reorder program.

Once an initial order is received from a customer, our customer management system (we call it MOM for short) holds onto the design information to reduce the risk of errors. All layout information is saved so that we can recreate an original order exactly. Once in the reorder program, a customer can actually see a visual proof of any original design from the orders they have previously placed with Coller Industries so that they know exactly what they are getting when they place their reorder. This program eliminates any guess work on the customer’s end, and on our end, as to what the customer really wants.

Rod, one of our programmers, explains, “The customer does not have to guess which layout they want as they can see a picture and know for sure which item they are selecting. We have made entering or uploading a list about as easy as it gets; the count of items for the order is taken from the list thus making the quote we provide fairly accurate. All of this adds up to a reorder that can be entered in a manner of minutes with little to no hassle.”

“Before the new system, there was a lot of back and forth with customers to be sure the correct layout was used. Now (with the new program) the customer sees a picture of the product they are ordering from the start,” states Traci, Quality Control and Customer Service Representative.

With the automation of this reorder system, errors are kept at an all time low. “This has greatly reduced the order and list issues we have seen in the past,” says Traci.

Gary Coller, President of Coller Industries, states, “Efforts have been made to prevent many, if not all, errors from occurring. We also take the time to figure out why an error has actually happened when they do occur.” Gary credits the low error rate to our 5 Stage Checking and to the employee incentive program.

“Most importantly, we always take responsibility for our mistakes and no matter
what happens, we will make it right,” says Gary.

All in all, Coller Industries strives in every way possible to get each order not only out the door quickly and efficiently, but correctly! And our low error rate only proves this, not only to us but to our current and potential customers.

Giving Back: Name Tag Edition

Giving back is what it’s all about!

From giving time and money to those in need, each year Coller Industries strives to give back to our local community. And, each year, we like to show the appreciation we receive for these generous gifts. It’s like a thank you for a thank you!

Annual Donation: Granite Education Foundation (from Name Tag Experience 12/15/15)

Every year Coller Industries makes an effort to recognize its employees during the holiday season. Part of this recognition tends to extend into the surrounding community. And, in turn, this translates to donations to various parts of our community. For the past six years, Clyde and Gary Coller, the CEO and President, respectively, of Coller Industries Incorporated have generously donated monetary benefits to The Granite Education Foundation.

“It makes us more responsible in the community,” said Gary Coller. “Hopefully our customers appreciate when they see that we give back to our own community.”

Coller Industries Incorporated started donating to the GEF in 2009 and to day has donated over $37,000. We are happy to continue our annual support of this wonderful foundation. And as employees here at Coller Industries, it is a pleasure knowing that our employer is so generous with their time and money.

The Granite Education Foundation provides educational opportunities for Granite School District students. They educate students, teachers and members of our community on positive ways to impact the community.

The Granite Education Foundation has kindly supported our business by giving us these wonderful notes and thank yous. And now here they are for you, as our reader, to enjoy!

valentines from the granite education foundation giving back to our community valentines from the granite education foundation giving back to our community

 

Included with thank yous from students and parents was a wonderful letter from the Foundation:

“This year, Granite Education Foundation and students from throughout Granite School District wanted to express our heart-felt thanks for your continued generosity and support. Enclosed you will find hand-made Valentine’s Day cards that our students created with YOU in mind.

In our opinion, YOU’RE AWESOME SAUCE, Valentine! Thanks for believing in our mission and for the extra boost you give students. We couldn’t accomplish what we do without YOU. You are O-‘FISH’-ally our favorite!”