Tip #121: Perform a Technology Audit

Is the technology at your company helping or hindering productivity? This week’s tip is to take some time to perform a technology audit to determine how it is working and also how it can be improved.

Not sure where to start? Unless you have a skilled IT professional on your staff, you will likely need to hire someone to help you through the process and make recommendations that best fit your company size and goals. The following points are from the SCORE website as items to be sure you consider during a technology audit:

·     Information Security

·     Training your staff so that they’re using technology as efficiently and securely as possible

·     Your future needs and what current/developing technologies will help meet them.

·     What is not working right now or what could work better?

We also found this checklist as well as this step by step guide that will help you get started.

Be sure to include your staff in the process as they are in the trenches and can provide some great insight as to what is and is not working in terms of technology and processes. While a technology audit is an investment, it has the potential to provide a large return if you take the time to do it well.

Tip #120: See If Your Company is Being Pinned

We’ve mentioned Pinterest on our blog multiple times, typically because we love to find ideas there to share with you, our faithful blog readers. Did you know that there is a way to determine if your company has images or links being pinned by others on Pinterest? This week’s tip will show you how to check that and also why it matters. 

First, why does it matter if people are pinning links and images from your website on Pinterest? Pinterest users post captions to their images. By reviewing the pins along with the captions, you may find great customer insight regarding your current products as well as ideas to adapt them or make them better.

Second, how to find if you are being pinned. You may search to see if anyone has pinned your content by typing the following into your web browser’s address bar:  http://pinterest.com/source/retailconfectioners.org (instead of “retailconfectioners.org, enter your own url). The page that shows up allows you to check out the boards that have pinned images and links from your website. Take a few minutes to review the content and the captions. In addition, it might be a good idea to do a quarterly check on this to see if popular pins and content change based on the seasons or other factors.

It’s always a good idea to track your company’s online presence. We hope this week’s tip gives you a great tool to help you do just that! 

Tip #119: Whip Your Truffle Centers

Are you looking for a new variation on the standard truffle center preparation? Or, at least you have wondered if there is another way to do it. Why not try it whipped?

A light, airy, melt-in-your-mouth texture can be obtained by this method. After preparing your truffle center with the flavors, cream and chocolate, whip your cooled truffle center in a mixer until it becomes somewhat fluffy. The color will be noticeably lighter and the final density will be approximately 0.75gm/ml. After whipping, you can scoop or gently roll the center for enrobing.

This method is used in the hands-on lab sessions at our Chocolate Boot Camp® to show an alternative truffle preparation and it has been very popular with the students. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Tip #118: Celebrate National Pretzel Day

Have you ventured into the land of chocolate covered pretzels? If so, we bet they’re a customer favorite! Saturday, April 26 is National Pretzel Day so this week’s tip is to celebrate! Below find a few fun ideas we found on Pinterest to use pretzels in confections. Do you have a unique idea for pretzels? Please share it in the comments below!

Caramel Pretzel Bites

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzels

Pretzel Turtles

Patriotic Dipped Pretzels

Cinnamon Roll Pretzels

Happy April Fool's Day!!

Tip #117: Post Photos on Facebook

Are you looking to get your customers and fans more engaged on Facebook?

According to this infographic from Kissmetrics, a blog focused on marketing analytics, photos get 53% more Likes, 104% more comments, and 84% more click-throughs than posts that include just text or links. That is a huge difference!

Ideas for posting pictures include:

·     Production– let them feel like they’re behind-the-scenes of a candy store

·     Product– remind fans how beautiful and delicious your chocolates and candies are and they may meet a temptation they just can’t resist

·     Promotions – create great images highlighting promotions and sales happening in your store

·     People – make it personal by posting photos of your staff and customers

This is just another great reason for investing in quality photos just like we mentioned in Tip # 67!

**If you’ve visited RCI’s Facebook page, you know that we love to post photos from RCI events and education courses. Check out photos from last year’s Annual Convention & Industry Expo and then visit retailconfectioners.org/annual to get registered for the 2014 Annual Convention & Industry Expo in St. Louis this June. The expo is FREE to confectionery industry professionals and full registration for the convention covers education sessions, some meals, networking receptions, behind-the-scenes tours and an awards banquet. It’s a week you don’t want to miss!

Tip #116: Implement Quarterly Employee Check-ins

We’ve all heard of the annual employee performance review. You may even currently implement one in your own candy company. This week’s tip, though, is to move past only meeting with your employees to review their performance annually and instead check in with them on a quarterly basis.

It’s been said about annual performance reviews that if there is anything within the review that surprises the employee then it’s the fault of the manager for not communicating throughout the year. Therefore, how are you doing at communicating your level of satisfaction with your employees’ performance throughout the year? This week’s tip will help with that!

Rather than having a quarterly review, consider a more light-hearted or casual meeting where you check in with the employee. Consider using this time to review the goals you laid out together for the employee at the past annual review. In addition to providing your feedback, this is a great time to ask open-ended questions of the employee and provide an opportunity to provide feedback on his or her level of job satisfaction.

By checking in with employees throughout the year, you are keeping the lines of communication open which has been shown to increase employee satisfaction. And happy employees means happy customers!

Tip #115: Keep Samples of Your Product on Hand

This week’s tip will help keep you on track for quality control. Take a sample of every product, label appropriately (lot code, date, etc.) and freeze it for a set amount of time. Then, if a customer calls and complains for any reason about your products, you have a frame of reference to be able to say this is the condition the product was in when it left our facility.

One RCI member does this and has a ziplock bag for each day. The company keeps the product for four months and then discards it. Regardless of how long you choose to keep the product, be sure that you have a system for organizing it within your freezer so that you can easily find the items and then also easily discard of them when the time period for keeping them has passed.

P.S. This week’s tip is from our Chocolate Boot Camp education course. Learn more about education courses offered by Retail Confectioners International at www.retailconfectioners.org/events.

Tip #114: Promote Wedding Favors In Your Store

Rheo Thompson Candies (Taken at RCI 2012 Fall Regional)

Wedding season is just a few months away which is what brought this week’s tip to mind. If you offer wedding or party favors, create a space in your store to let customers know!

By having a small display in your store of the types of favors available as well as the unique ways they can be packaged, you can easily showcase your offerings and potentially bring in additional revenue year-round by providing favors at events of all kinds.

You could even take it one step further and providing a pricing sheet. Some RCI members have a ‘menu’ of items that customers can take with them that lists what’s available as well as the prices associated with each item. Be sure to offer customized options as well – you never know what creative idea may spark a new product or offering you could add to your menu!

Tip #113: Measure Mould Temperature

Looking to master moulding? We have a tip this week from the RCI Mechanics of Chocolate Moulding course held last September.

Moulds should be slightly cooler than the temperature of the chocolate you are putting into the mould. If your mould is too cold it will shock the chocolate and if it is too warm it will break the temper of the chocolate. Therefore, you should measure the temperature of your moulds before pouring chocolate into your moulds.

How do I measure the temperature of my moulds, you might ask? By using a thermometer, of course! Infrared thermometers measure the surface temperature of plastics and therefore are great for measuring your plastic moulds. A good rule of thumb is to aim for around 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

A variety of infrared thermometers are available for purchase online. The following companies are listed under Machinery & Equipment (subcategory: Utensils) in the RCI Buyer’s Guide and may also have the thermometer that you need for your candy kitchen:

Chef Rubber
ChocoVision Corp.

Hilliard’s Chocolate System

International Foods & Ingredients, Inc.

Linnea’s Cake & Candy Supplies, Inc.

Savage Bros. Co.

Union Confectionery Machinery

RCI members can access the RCI Buyer’s Guide online by signing in to the member side of the RCI website.

P.S. We’re hosting our Chocolate Boot Camp education course this week. Check out the RCI Facebook page to view photos!

Tip #112: Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is defined as the capacity to be aware of, control and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. As a business owner and/or manager, your level of emotional intelligence (EI) can mean the difference between having happy, productive employees who respect your leadership and having employees who feel uncomfortable with your management style.

The good news is that EI is something that can be developed; therefore, this week’s tip is to improve your EI quotient. To help you get started, here are 10 strategies to improve your emotional intelligence:

1. Learn to Listen
2. Adapt to Situations
3. Never Give Up
4. Communicate
5. Empathize
6. Setting Priorities
7. Go the Extra Mile
8. Forgive
9. Show Courage in Difference
10. Be Optimistic, Smile

Pick one strategy at a time from the list above to work on and before you know it, you’ll have enhanced relationships in both your professional and personal life.

This week’s tip was inspired by an education session presented by Geri Grossman at our 2013 Fall Regional. Save the date for the 2014 RCI Fall Regional Conference this August 25 - 27 in Las Vegas!

Tip #111: Store Mint in a Different Room or Container

In honor of Chocolate Mint Day next week (February 19), this week’s tip reminds you to have all mint-flavored treats stored separately from other confections.

While mint is refreshingly cool and goes great with chocolate, it is also an overwhelming flavor that can seep into the flavor of your other candies and chocolates. Therefore, it is recommended to store your mint flavoring as well as products containing mint separate from other goods. Some candy makers make a lot of mint chocolates and find that a completely separate “mint room” is necessary but if that is not the case for you, storing them in sealed containers will at least seal in the flavor.

Do you have other ways for storing your mint flavored products? Please share them in the comments below!

We hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Tip #110: Rice Krispy Treat Conversation Hearts

Conversation hearts have been around for more than 100 years and are still an extremely popular candy around Valentine’s Day. This week’s tip is to make a larger version of this seasonal favorite using Rice Krispy treats.

You can easily do this by taking a sheet of Rice Krispy treats and using a heart-shaped cookie cutter and then dipping the hearts in colored confectionery coating. After the coating has set for a bit, write custom sayings on the hearts using another different color of coating.

Another quick idea – allow shoppers to customize their treat with a personalized saying! Now you have a quick and easy Valentine’s product and your customers will love the chance to get their valentine a custom treat.

Tip #109: Use Nonpareils to Decorate Chocolates

Here’s a quick and easy tip for you! Looking for an easy way to add color to your chocolates and decorate your moulds? Nonpareils are a great option and a little bit goes a long way!

For example, decorate Easter eggs and bunnies using nonpareils to add Spring colors. Or, since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, use a mixture of pink and red nonpareils to decorate chocolate lips and hearts. And later in the year, place a bit of melted chocolate on the eyes of a moulded jack-o-lantern after it is set and and then sprinkle with orange and yellow nonpareils for a spooky Halloween glow.

You can get creative and have fun with this tip at each holiday!

Last week RCI was on a Winter Getaway in Barbados, building connections with fellow candy makers and suppliers. Check out photos on the RCI Facebook page!

Tip #108: Care for Your Community

This week’s tip is to make caring for your community part of your company culture. As a business you have a great opportunity to give back to the community that supports you and to provide opportunities for your staff to give back as well.

Volunteer together as a staff   The options for volunteering as a group are endless - serving a meal at a soup kitchen, preparing a meal for the families at the local Ronald McDonald House or doing yard work for a senior citizen are just a few ideas to get you started.

Make product donations to local charities  Most candy and chocolate stores are asked for product donations on a regular basis. Are you giving? While donating to every single request may not be financially feasible, consider creating a policy for these requests such as a set number per month on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Provide paid volunteer hours for staff  By providing paid hours for your staff to volunteer, you are solidifying that this is an important part of your company culture. Consider providing two hours per month for your employees to give back to your community. Best practice would be to require a form be signed by a supervisor where they are volunteering to ensure accountability.

It has been shown that individuals who volunteer have higher life satisfaction. And satisfied employees often are going to be better workers. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get out and give back!

P.S. Kettle Talk, RCI’s quarterly publication, had a feature story and interview with Kriston Dean of Purdy’s Chocolates in the Jul/Aug/Sep 2012 issue. She discussed how they give back as a company. RCI members may access past issues of Kettle Talk by signing in on the RCI website.

Tip #107: Clean Behind Candy Cases

You’re very diligent to clean fingerprints and smudges on the front of your candy cases but have you given thought to how often you clean the inside of your cases and other fixtures? This week’s tip is to remind you that cleaning behind fixtures is just as important as cleaning the front of cases and fixtures.

As you know, presentation matters when it comes to displaying your beautiful chocolates and candies in the store. You may not think the inside of your cases would get dirty but dust could collect there in addition to smudges from moving product in and out of the case. A pristine case will help increase the perceived value of your products so take the time to ensure it is clean both inside and out.

How often should you clean the inside of your cases? That depends on how often the doors to the cases are opened, when product is moved, etc. Whatever you decide, be sure it is added to the cleaning schedule so employees don’t overlook this important task.

P.S. This tip was from the GMP series featured in the Jan/Feb/Mar 2012 issue of Kettle Talk. RCI members may access the entire series by signing in to the RCI website and viewing Kettle Talk issues from 2012.