Merry Christmas from Our Desk To Yours!

coller industries incorporated annual employee christmas party with fun prizes and a jugglerColler Industries enjoys spoiling their employees! And we all love accepting it, especially at the annual Christmas party!

Now, don’t get us wrong. We care about our customers too. And part of that caring means that we are always giving back to our clients and our local community. But, it also means that we are regularly returning benefits to our employees and trying to make work as fun (and productive) as possible.

So, every year Coller Industries invites all the staff and their families to an annual Christmas party. This event includes lunch, games, presents and wonderful conversations! And this year, we had a special treat of local juggler Marcus Wilson.

 

Marcus, Funny Man Who Does Trickscoller industries incorporated annual employee christmas party with fun prizes and a juggler
(Marcus found out long ago) that as long as he was on stage people seemed to enjoy his obnoxious antics. In high school, while working at a restaurant, he learned to juggle with rolls and oranges and fell in love with useless tricks and odd skills. At the age of 22, armed with a handful of these tricks and a desire to entertain, he began doing shows. About five years later, he began performing in comedy clubs. Since then, he has been making his living performing.

As per tradition, the Red Lion Hotel in Salt Lake City hosted the Christmas party. This has been a favorite venue for our annual party for many years. The hotel had an excellent buffet of food for lunch including prime rib and salmon for the adults and macaroni and cheese with chicken fingers for the youngsters. And don’t forget the desserts: cheesecake, chocolate cake and pumpkin pie were all there!

coller industries incorporated annual employee christmas party with fun prizes and holiday mugs and name tagsEach year Coller Industries also provides an employee Christmas gift that always manages to contain a name tag! Because, well, we just love name tags! This year all the adults received mugs with our logo on them and a name tag in the shape of either a bell or a tree ornament. Each mug had a handful of candy included. And all the kids who were there received a present chosen just for them.

 

As employees, we would like to give a special thank you to Coller Industries.

And especially the Coller family and our office manager, Eboni, for providing such an enjoyable activity for their employees. And here’s how we say that thank you!

coller industries incorporated annual employee christmas party with fun prizes and a juggler
coller industries incorporated annual employee christmas party with fun prizes and a juggler

Danielle (Customer Service): “I’ve never worked for a company that has had a party before. So, this year was great, and I really enjoyed it!”

Ivan (Machine Operator): “I got to spend the time with co-worker and family. It was one of the best parties I’ve ever been to.”

Kylie (Shipping Clerk): “It was different from previous years, and I really liked that we didn’t do the same thing as before.”

Ramona (Marketing Manager): “The people we work with are such a great group, and it was fun to spend time together outside of work.”

Happy Halloween from Coller Industries!

Trick-Or-Treat and Happy Halloween from Coller Industries!

happy halloween from coller industries

Not only do we make and sell the best Halloween name tags, signs and ribbons, but we also know how to celebrate! Every year our company looks forward to our annual employee costume contest and potluck. And each year the costumes and food get better!

In past years employees have dressed as werewolves, cartoon characters and more. This year no two costumes were alike. And we had outstanding participation! From a gnome to a banana and even our own resident Forest Gump, the costumes were well chosen and planned out. Some of the costumes were incorporated to fit exactly to the person. Our social media manager came as a social butterfly and an employee named Rainbow came as Rainbow Brite! And, as always, we love to share our festivities with our customers. So, here are all of the costumes!

happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries
happy halloween from coller industries

 

Thank you to those who participated, and congratulations to the winners!

happy halloween from coller industries
1st place – Rainbow
happy halloween from coller industries
2nd place – Crystal
happy halloween from coller industries
3rd place – Eboni

Every employee cast their vote for their favorite costume. And, each winner received a stock place award ribbon for their efforts. The first place winner also received a gift card in celebration of their hard work!

The company potluck this year was a build-your-own taco bar. Employees participated by bringing taco toppings such as lettuce, cheese, olives, tomatoes and even jalapenos. We all had a choice of taco shells, tortillas and even taco bowls for a salad. Of course, there were sides such as healthy black beans, chocolate covered marshmallows that looked like Frankenstein’s Monster, homemade peanut butter cheesecake, and a wonderful red drink concoction that bubbled and fizzed. No one went hungry!

We also had a reverse trick-or-treat from our marketing department to all our employees. Treats were passed out to everyone, even a couple of visitors. Coller Industries had no shortage of fun and sweets this year!

Low Error Rate Produces Happy Customers

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

Coller IndustriesHere at Coller Industries Incorporated, we pride ourselves in our customer service expertise. Not only do we have a great team of Customer Service Agents, 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 agents take with each order.

    COLLER INDUSTRIES’ ORDER REVIEW PROCESS:

  1. Orders are received by a Customer Service Agent 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 agents 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 Agent.

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: Personalized Ribbons 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!”

Awareness Ribbons, Colors and Symbols

Custom Ribbon rolls cut to symbolize the colors red orange yellow green blue purple for awareness

Different colors and patterns are associated with various issues. Many advocacy groups have adopted ribbons as symbols of support or awareness. Awareness ribbons date back to 1917 when the yellow awareness ribbon showed up to support the US military while serving abroad. Since then, ribbon colors have been used for various causes and symbolize various concerns depending on the color and pattern.

Awareness ribbons are meant to show support or raise consciousness for a cause.

While these ribbons are used year round, some of the most prominent reasons for wearing awareness ribbons happen in October. Many schools acknowledge Red Ribbon Week during the last week of October. Others include breast cancer awareness, literacy awareness and cultural diversity awareness. For a complete list of awareness ribbon colors and months, a simple reference website is https://fundraisingforacause.com/pages/ribbon-color-meanings.

Creating Awareness

Yellow ribbon for support our troops awareness

Here is a simple tutorial on creating any color awareness ribbon you might need.

Step 1: Begin the ribbon by cutting a section of personalized ribbon that includes the entire text. It is key to make sure that when ordering personalized awareness ribbons, you appropriately space the text. In this example, they cut between Support and Troops. At this point, consider the finish of the ribbon. If the awareness ribbons need a slanted end, cut the section of the personalized ribbon at an angle.

Step 2: Form a small loop in the ribbon, leaving each end hanging down so you can see the text on the ends without covering it with the crossover. Attach this crossover, or intersection, using either a small piece of tape or hot glue. This will secure the shape of the awareness ribbon. Hot glue is the best option if you need to keep the awareness ribbon for long-term use.

Step 3: At this point, choose a fastener for the awareness ribbon. Pins are available at https://www.nametag.com/name-tags/fasteners.php. Keep in mind when ordering fasteners to go with the awareness ribbons to make sure they will match the thickness and design of the personalized ribbon. There are many options for fasteners. If they do not come with adhesive, use hot glue to affix them properly.

orange ribbon for cultural diversity
pink ribbon for breast cancer
green ribbon for literacy
red ribbon for drug and substance abuse