5 Ways to Improve Your Company Image Right Now

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Making a small business successful comes with a variety of challenges. Without a good bit a trial and error, you will find it hard to define what course needs to be taken by your business. One of the main things you need to think about when trying to achieve success is the image your business has. Finding ways to increase the positive perception of your business is vital. The following are some of the things you can do to improve the image of your company right now.

 

Uniforms are Essential

Having a sense of organization and structure is important for a small business. Getting branded uniforms is a great way to increase the image your business has. You want to make sure that the uniforms you get are classy and that they heavily feature your logo. Putting your logo on the uniforms is a great way to make your brand instantly recognizable over time.

 

Brand Your Workspace

There are a number of ways you can increase the level of branding in your workspace. Getting personalized floor mats that feature your logo is a great way to reinforce your brand. You need to also think about getting some of the most visible doors and windows in your office space personalized with your logo as well. You want to make sure that when visitors come to your workspace they pick up on the sense of community you have created.

 

Cleanliness is Important

Another important thing you need to do when trying to improve the image your business has is keeping your office space clean. The last thing any prospective customer wants to see if a dirty and disorganized workspace. Even if you have to hire a cleaning crew to come in a few times a week, it will be worth it. Having a cleaner office can also help to improve your productivity levels.

 

Reaching Out on Social Media

Connecting with existing and prospective customers is essential when trying to grow a business. Taking advantage of the power of social media is a great way to connect with your audience. Staying fresh in the minds of your followers will require you to post something on a daily basis. Make sure the posts you make are publishing are informative and representative of your company culture.

 

A Functional and User-Friendly Website

If you are looking increase the web presence of your company, then a website is a great tool to use. Hiring professionals who are familiar with web design and blogging is essential when achieving success with a new website. Professionals will be able to create a site that is easy to navigate and packed with information about your business.

 

If you are in the market for quality uniforms, floor mats or air fresheners for your business, look no further than the team at Service Uniform. Their Blue Chip System® utilizes RFID technology to keep track of the uniforms you send in for cleaning. This means you will not have to worry about mix ups or mistakes.

Service Linen Top Brand in Uniform Rentals

What Does it Mean to be First?

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As a business owner, you will want to find ways to set yourself apart from your competition. Finding new products and services to offer is an important part of remaining relevant in any given industry. Being the first to market with a product or service comes with both a lot of responsibility and advantages. The team at Service Uniform know all about innovation since they were the first company to ever use the Blue Chip System®. This system uses RFID chips to keep track of the various uniforms a company has. Below are some of the advantages that Service Uniform gained and your company can take advantage of when being the first to market a product or service.

Building a Brand

Think about the biggest brands out there and what they all have in common. Do most people ask for a tissue or Kleenex? Do they ask for a soda or a Coke? Being first to market allows a business to create a brand that is synonymous with the industry they are a part of.

The Blue Chip System® has been often copied by competitors. However, one thing these competitors cannot copy is the brand recognition and the quality of the Blue Chip System®. Any time a customer sees this type of RFID chip tracking system being used, they will commonly refer to it as a Blue Chip System®. When a business owner is asked, how do you keep up with the uniforms you send in for cleaning? Their answer is usually the Blue Chip System®. This type of brand recognition allows Service Uniform to stay at the top of their industry due to the innovator status they have.

Avoid Competition For a While

Being an innovator in your industry is also a great way to avoid competition for a while. If you are the first to introduce a particular product or service, you will have a bit of breathing room due to the time it will take your competitors to catch up. During this window of time, you will have to do everything you can to gain traction. The harder you work on putting distance between yourself and your competitors, the easier you will find it is to stay on top.

While there are imitators out there using things like the Blue Chip System®, Service Uniform is recognized as the original creator of this system. The team at Service Uniform is always looking for ways to improve their Blue Chip System®. The passion Service Uniform has for this product is what sets them apart from their competition.

Perfecting Your Innovation

Another benefit that comes with being the first to market with a product or service is time to innovate. By the time your competition comes out with a product or service similar to yours, you should have your original product or service perfected. Having time to market test a product or service first will give you insight into any changes that need to be made. The Blue Chip System® went through many incarnations before becoming the well-oiled machine it is today. Using your time wisely when it comes to an innovation that you are first to market can give you the momentum you need to grow and expand with ease.

One of the main things you need to remember as a business owner is that hard work pays off. When you release a product or service, there is no guarantee it will be successful. The professionals at Service Uniform have learned from their mistakes and are a better company as a result of them. The hard work that went into developing the Blue Chip System has garnered Service Uniform the customer base and industry recognition they were after.

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5 Signs Your Brand is Here to Stay

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How many brands can you name off the top of your head? As a business that has thrived in its industry for almost 47 years, Service Uniform has worked hard to develop a strong, lasting brand. We strive to maintain a positive brand image by offering a quality product with exceptional value and unmatched service. But how can a company make sure their brand will last over the years?

  1. Understand the Industry: Whether you’re in the process an image revamp or just starting out, it is imperative that your brand reflects the values of the industry. With this being said, staying up to date on advances and making sure your brand holds up is a must. When first designing or determining your brand identity, try to think ahead for change and plan an adaptable design that will transfer across different mediums.
  1. Researching the Industry: In order to fully understand an industry, you must first conduct research. If after doing your research, you come to the conclusion that your brand doesn’t necessarily fit what you found in your industry, it’s time for a change. Before making any major changes, be sure you’ve evaluated why changes need to be made in the first place and how your company can best make them. Any changes made to your brand must be logically thought out and properly introduced. Every level of your customer base should be able to comprehend your reasoning behind making these changes.
  1. Create a Story: Many top name brands and products have an underlying story that infuses a deeper sense of meaning and reliability in the company. Whether it’s a part of your brand identity or your marketing materials, a story is a great way for your audience to remember your company and what it stands for. It is important that the story behind your brand is told in a clear, concise manner so that people can easily recall and remember the story.
  1. Stay Consistent: While we encourage exploring new advances in your industry, it’s important to keep your brand and messaging consistent. Customers like to know that they can rely on a company to always deliver the same quality product and service every time. This, in turn, develops customer trust- an invaluable trait.
  1. Track Your Goals: When building your brand identity, set goals and keep track of your progress. Whether you want to create a personality through social media or you want customers to associate certain emotions or words with your brand, setting goals is an imperative component of success. Set aside time to write down your goals and where your brand started. You should also plan for periodic progress reports to determine if your goals have been met and evaluate what needs to be done to accomplish them.

A lasting brand is the key to creating a successful company. At Service Uniform, we’re extremely proud of how much our brand has grown since 1969. Consistency and professionalism can largely impact your brand. Let us help you build your brand by enhancing your image with our customized uniform service.

10 Ways to Clean up Your Business

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A messy office leaves your business disorganized and with a poor public image. It is important to keep clean for you and your employees.

  1. Throw Away Trash – Keeping your office space open and free can be as simple as throwing away unnecessary clutter. If you have trouble getting rid of certain items try to separate every single item in your office into these four categories: keep in office, hideaway, potential trash, and throw away. Once you have narrowed it down, you are left with the items you must absolutely throw away and the items you may potentially throw away. For the items you still possibly want to keep, place a number on each item based on its importance and throw away the items that have a low number.
  2. Separate Your Office Into Zones – When you begin to separate your office space into work zones you will completely understand your goals. For example, having a zone specifically for computer usage, library research, and a spot for specific tasks such as (brainstorming, employee meet space, etc) will better organize your work day.
  3. Sticky Notes – This seems like an overused cliché tactic, but in reality, it works! Your office can get pretty dirty and at times it is hard to keep yourself updated on a specific task. Having a wall where you can place sticky notes for you to remember what you need to do is extremely helpful. Dedicating most of the notes to having a cleaning segment to give you a quick reminder to clean the desk or remove dust on the computer screen will ensure your office space is at it’s prime for your optimal work experience.
  4. Food – It is easy to get caught up in the chaos of the day and decide to eat lunch at your desk; let’s not forget the countless snacks. A great rule of thumb is: if you aren’t at your desk, it should look that way. The smell and dirtiness it leaves not only builds a messy workspace, but probably grosses out your office mates. Make sure to throw away anything you haven’t touched or thought about in the last 5 minutes. Plates, bowls and silverware are just building layers of bacteria. Staying on top of your food mess will also help you limit your snacking by tracking the amount of trash!
  5. Disinfect – After you have cleaned the food and paper clutter and random accessories you have collected throughout the year, it is important to take the next step. Disinfect. Keep disinfectant wipes close by for a quick and easy way to clean off your desk, computer, keyboard, phone and chair arms.
  6. Conquer the Internal Mess – Start with your computer desktop and move everything into properly labeled folders. After you can sense some direction in your organizing it is time to go deeper. That’s right, open up that e-mail inbox and begin to sort things into folders. You can either sort by subject or possibly folders of importance. Remember that all the unimportant items are deleted they go into a trash bin that needs to be cleaned out, also.
  7. Make Time – It is no doubt that if you make the time to clean all of these components of your work life that your days will run smoothly. Schedule the time in your work calendar so that everyone in the office knows not to cause interruptions. Creating a to-do-list is key when the piles of mess are overwhelming. Most importantly, have a positive attitude!
  8. Maintain – Once the initial cleaning is done, the future tidy will not take you nearly as long. Here are some simple steps to maintaining that pristine workspace you just made for yourself:
  • On a day to day basis, make sure to leave your desk de-cluttered. Allow yourself 5 minutes before leaving for the day to make sure everything is put in a designated place.
  • At the end of every week make sure to check supplies and wipe down your desk. Everyone knows there is nothing worse than coming in on Monday to a messy desk.
  • Every month go through the random paperwork that slipped through the cracks and find them a forever home in your filing cabinet.

Remember that all this hard work pays off in the end! You will now have extra time to make that extra cup of coffee around the afternoon lull, or possibly take a quick 10 minute walk outside during your break! At Service Uniform, maintaining a clean workplace for your services is important to us.

A History of the The Transportation Uniform

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The transportation and trucking industries have been prominent in America since the creation of the automobile and use some of the most recognized uniforms out there…UPS anyone? Let’s take a look back on how this industry has evolved over the years.

1920’s – As new roads were being built, truck and trailer-sized automobiles became standardized to maintain the quality of these new ways of transportation. Power assisted steering and brakes were enforced, making the trucks much easier to operate. As the “Roaring Twenties” thrived, the trucking industry was largely driven by economic and technological advances. Trucking uniforms, at the time, were not distinguishable amongst a crowd of factory, manufacturing, and labor unions.

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1930’s – The trucking industry took a hit after the Great Depression but still managed to make progress. The governmental reforms of the decade helped truckers get back on their feet and continue to help truckers today.

1940’s – In 1935, The Motor Carrier Act was passed. As a result, the trucking industry was regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission. This organization pushed for regulations regarding the working hours of truck drivers, which were often too long and strenuous during the 1930’s. The cultural changes that took place in response to World War II were monumental for truck drivers, even though the Interstate Commerce Commission is no longer in effect today. Uniforms evolved to a more casual and optimal performance outlook.

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1950’s – 1960’s – Construction of the interstate highway system began in the 1950’s and continued into the 1960’s. Trucking, and the lives of truckers, became a popular topic of discussion during this era. To help raise awareness about this industry and its importance, regulations concerning trucks were also refined during the 1960’s.

1970’s and on – Technological changes in trucks up to this time helped popularize the truck driving experience further. Air conditioning, rear suspension, individual front suspension and power steering helped make trucks safer and more comfortable to drive. These improvements increased interest in trucks and trucking, causing more people to go into the profession. By the year 1970, there were over 18 million trucks operating in the United States.

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Today, the trucking industry is successful and pursued by hardworking, ambitious workers. With continuously improving trucks and roadway systems, it is no doubt uniforms will be continuous to be upgraded for optimal performance and appearance. At Service Uniform, we understand the importance of your time when you are not on the road and want to take care of the quality and cleanliness of your trucking uniform.