• MYSTERY SHOPPING
• EMPLOYEE INCENTIVES
• ONLINE SURVEYS
• COMMENT CARD PROGRAM
• INTEGRITY INVESTIGATIONS
• LICENSED PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
• PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING

• Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA)
• Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce
• Washington Restaurant Association
• Washington Association of Legal Investigators (WALI)

NOVEMBER 2008
 

Please don’t forget our blog at http://www.nwlpc.com/blog.asp.

DO IT YOURSELF BACKGROUNDS. A GOOD IDEA?

As mentioned in past newsletters conducting a pre-employment background on potential new hires is a must. It is called “due diligence”. If you hire someone without conducting a background you can be held liable if that employee causes harm to another employee or customer. An example I use is if you had a pizza delivered to your home and a week later your home is broken into. After an investigation the police learn that the burglar is the guy that previously delivered your pizza. Further investigation shows the pizza restaurant did not conduct a background check. If they did they would have seen the delivery driver had a criminal record. That employer can now be civilly liable to the victim for not taking precautions in pre-employment hiring.

There are many web sites that allow employers to conduct their own backgrounds but is it a good idea? If it is for pre-employment screening the answer is “no”!

Most of the online “do it yourself” data bases are old archived records that are outdated plus they are not FCRA compliant.

To do a proper background you should go through a background screening company that specializes in background checks and that are FCRA (Federal Credit Reporting Act) compliant.

So, what is FCRA Compliant?

1. You must have the potential employee sign a release form. This form MUST be separate from the application.
2. The background consists of an onsite visit to the county courthouse where the employee lives and has lived.
3. If you do not hire someone based on their background you must send them an “adverse” letter explaining why they were not hired and to give that applicant a chance to get a copy of their record (they may have been a victim of ID theft and are unaware they have a background!)
4. Instant data searches are not acceptable as a background alone.

A basic background that we do at NWLPC is:

1. County Search (on site)
2. Nationwide background
3. 7 year address history
4. Social Security verification

Along with pre-employment backgrounds we also do tenant screening. If you would like more details in setting up a screening program or for more information please call Doug at (425) 271-0312 or email doug@nwlpc.com.

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EMPLOYEE AND CUSTOMER THEFT ON THE RISE!

Large companies have their own loss prevention and programs set in place to help protect their assets but in 2007, according to the 20^th annual retail theft survey, 708,000 employees and customers were apprehended for shoplifting with recoveries of over $150 million dollars! This does not really seem to be a lot but this is based on 24 retailers who took the survey with 19,000 stores. One in 28 employees was caught stealing based on 2.3 million employees.

Consider this. According to the US Chamber of Commerce 1/3 of business bankruptcies are due to employee theft.

What is the common denominator of employee and customer theft? OPPORTUNITY!

With over 16 years in retail loss prevention NWLPC was started to consult small businesses in “proactive” loss prevention.

If you, or know someone who owns or operates a business and is interested in setting up a loss prevention program please contact me for a free ½ hour consultation.

 

 

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ID THEFT

According to VISA, about 40% of credit card thefts occur in restaurants. This is done by an employee capturing the customer’s credit card information by sliding it through a device called a “skimmer” This is a portable device that can be purchased over the internet.

When a customer presents their credit card for payment, the employee takes their card and runs it through the terminal for payment. At the same time they “skim” it through the skimmer.

The information is then sold to ID thieves. That is it in a nutshell.

In restaurants there are safeguards that can be implemented to protect customers.

1. Give the option to customers to pay at the terminal where their credit card is in sight of the customer
2. Invest in portable terminals that server’s can bring to the table to take payment

With ID thieves, once they have personal information they sometimes wait over a year to fraudulently use it, so for the victim it may be hard to trace back to where the card was compromised.

What I do when I am at a restaurant is to pay at the register, pay cash or use a preloaded Visa gift or credit card. Those can not be compromised, I will only use my credit card if I know I can pay at the register.

If you would like more information on portable credit card terminals please contact me, doug@nwlpc.com

 

 

      Skimmer

 

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REFERRALS!

NWLPC belongs to the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce as well as BNI (Business Network International).

One reason we belong are for the networking opportunities these organizations provide.

Networking and referrals is a major part of the growth of NWLPC. We, in turn, do recommend our client’s services and venues when asked.

We, at NWLPC, would be most appreciative if you keep us in mind if asked to recommend a mystery shopping company, or a company that does pre-employment screening, to anyone you know who may benefit from our services.

 

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BENEFITS OF NWLPC

• Member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA)
• Pre-Employment Screening Services
• Employee Incentive Program
• Investigation Services (licensed private investigators)
• Nationwide Services
• Loss Prevention Consulting
• Personal Service, available 7/24/352

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EMPLOYEE  INCENTIVES

 

Do you reward your employees for an exceptional mystery shop report?

 

Rewarding and recognizing employees is an important element in a mystery shopping program. It shows employees that you recognize their efforts and dedication.  It also lets other employees know that by giving excellent customer service and having a good “shop” they too will be recognized.

 

We can provide our clients’ free hotel stays to award their employees as an incentive and recognition of a good shop report. 

 

For more details on this program please contact doug@nwlpc.com or call (425) 271-0312.

 

 

 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!