Posts

How to Get SQF Certified: The Only Guide You Need to Read

/in /by

StrategyDriven Professional Development Article | How to Get SQF Certified: The Only Guide You Need to Read | SQF CertifiedCurrently, there are over 30,000 food and beverage processing plants in the United States.  That’s according to the latest data from the Census Bureau’s economic census in 2012.

Any establishment that’s involved in the production, manufacturing, processing, storing, transporting, distribution, or selling of food or beverages should have a rigorous and reliable food safety management system. One of the surest ways to guarantee food safety is by becoming SQF certified.

SQF certification is highly recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative. It’s the chief production certification in the manufacture, distribution, and agent management of food. By becoming SQF certified, you’re demonstrating your commitment to providing your supply chain and clients with products of the highest quality.

In this comprehensive guide, we tell you all you need to know about SQF certification, including how to get certified. Read on to learn more.

What Is SQF?

First off, SQF stands for Safe Quality Food. The SQF program is a food safety management certification scheme that controls food safety risks. The program is developed and managed by the SQF Institute.

As soon as you’ve finished implementing your food safety management system, a third-party certifying body audits and certifies it.

Why Should You Get SQF Certified?

Over the years, an increasing number of food establishments have been taking on the challenge of obtaining SQF certification. But what is SQF certification good for? Below are four reasons.

To Build Trust

The modern consumer only buys food they trust. Retailers and foodservice providers refrain from selling products that don’t guarantee their customer’s safety. Having an SQF certification, therefore, can help put your clients’ minds at ease.

To Manage Risk

A robust food management system enables your company to manage food safety hazards effectively. You get to create an environment where you can consistently produce safe products.

To Retain Current Customers

An increasing number of companies want their suppliers to become certified as well. To remain competitive and retain existing customers, food companies are now taking SQF certification very seriously.

To Broaden Your Market Reach

The top multinational manufacturers and retailers now demand that companies that supply them with products become SQF certified. If you’ve been thinking of doing business with these large companies, getting certified is an excellent place to start.

The SQF Certification Process

So how does one get SQF certified? Below is a step-by-step guide.

1. Understand the SQF Code

The first step to achieving SQF certification involves learning about the program and the SQF Code. There are many ways to do this. Below are some suggestions:

  • Take an online training course on how to implement SQF systems
  • Train yourself using SQF documents available for free online
  • Visit a licensed SQF training center to attend a course on implementing SQF systems
  • Attend a seminar or information day on SQF certification
  • Take an online exam on implementing SQF systems

2. Register Your Food Company With the SQFI Assessment Database

Now that you have a good grasp of what the SQF program and Code are all about, it’s time to register your company with the SQFI assessment database. You’ll need to pay a registration fee based on your company’s gross sales. You can check out the registration fee structure online.

3. Appoint a Chief SQF Practitioner in Your Company

An essential SQF requirement before certification is for your company to have an individual who’ll serve as the internal expert on SQF. You may need to organize for SQF training for one of your employees to take up this role.

4. Choose the SQF Certification Level

Generally, companies can choose from three levels of SQF certification.

  • Level 1 is meant for low-risk products: this level incorporates essential food safety controls
  • Level 2 is a fully certified HACCP food safety scheme that is benchmarked by GFSI
  • Level 3 involves a comprehensive implementation of the safety and quality management systems

5. Getting Quotes from SQF Certification Bodies

This step entails contacting a reputable SQF certification body to get details of the certification audit and get quotes.

6. Conduct a Pre-Assessment

This step aims at identifying any gaps that may stand between your food safety program and the level of certification you desire. A pre-assessment can be done by your SQF practitioner or an external SQF auditor. While this step is optional, it can significantly benefit your company.

7. Book an Audit With a Certification Body

There are licensed SQF certification bodies scattered around the country. Choose one near you and contact them for an audit of your company.

8. Go Through Certification Audits

Once you’ve settled on a credible certification body and invited them to audit your company, they’ll focus on facility assessment and document reviews.

What Next?

Upon the completion of all the steps above, the SQF body will now make a certification decision. If your company achieves a “C-complies” audit rating or higher, you’ll be awarded an SQF certification.

How Does Long It Take to Get Certified?

The preparation for SQF registration can be quite involved. You’ll need to build a food safety management system, document that system, and implement it within your organization. On average, it takes between 8 and 12 months to get ready for certification.

Of course, the time frame for certification may be longer or shorter than the average, depending on your company’s specific circumstances.

Once your facility has been audited, you’ll get a certification decision from the SQF certification body within 45 days. After you’ve been certified, you’ll get a certification number from the SQF Institute. This number is unique to your organization’s site.

SQF Certification Costs

The process of achieving SQF certification comes at a cost, both in terms of time and money. We already mentioned that the preparation for SQF certification could take up to a year. In this section, we’ll tackle some of the areas you’ll need to spend money on.

An SQF Practitioner

As stated earlier, every organization that wants to get SQF certified must have an internal SQF practitioner. That practitioner must meet the following requirements:

  • Be a full-time member of staff in your company
  • Have gone through a HACCP based course
  • Have a good understanding of the SQF code
  • Know how to implement and maintain Agricultural And Manufacturing Best Practices
  • Understand the requirements for implementing and maintaining the SQF system.

You can consider hiring an expert who’s already certified and has industry experience or choose to appoint one of your existing personnel and train them. If you choose the latter, you’ll need to budget for the training and certification expenses. Factor in how much you’re going to be paying the employee in terms of SQF practitioner salary.

An SQF Consultant

You may be wondering why you have to pay an SQF consultant when you already have a full-time SQF practitioner in your company. Well, chances are your full-time SQF expert will need assistance when developing an SQF program or in perfecting certain aspects of the program. This may require you to engage the services of a third-party consultant.

The costs of hiring an SQF consultant can vary. Typically, consultants charge you hourly rates based on their level of experience. The final cost will depend on:

  • The scope of the project
  • How elaborate the process is
  • How much your internal SQF practitioner can accomplish without third-party help

Re-Certification Fees

After you’ve obtained SQF certification, you’ll need to get re-certified every year to remain compliant. The cost of recertification varies according to the size of the facility, the number of HACC plans you have, and how many employees you have.

Site Preparation Costs

The biggest chunk of time and money goes to preparing your site for SQF certification. Generally, you must ensure that your physical building and the equipment you use pose no physical, biological, or chemical contamination risk to your final product.

Some of the things you’ll need to invest in include:

  • Suitable materials for various surfaces—the materials you use should not be corrosive—similarly, they shouldn’t be easily breakable or wear down, ending up in the ingredients or final product (avoid copper, wood, glass, and rigid plastics)
  • Proper floor drainage—if any of your processes involve the use of water you need to set up drains at the right places to let the water leave (bacteria and other pathogens thrive in damp conditions)
  • Ease of cleaning—keep potential contaminants away from your surfaces and equipment (in part by ensuring the materials used for your surfaces and equipment are easy to clean)

Other site preparation costs involve ample lighting, proper ventilation, enough storage space, and appropriate water quality. The site must also be able to keep the final product safe from pests and other contaminants from the outside environment.

Getting SQF Certification Is Good for Your Business

Getting SQF certified isn’t something that only giant suppliers should do. Every organization that deals with food can benefit from this certification. The SQF Code helps you boost your food safety management system, which is good for both your business and your clients.

Would you like to read more great content like this? Please keep visiting our blog.

5 Lenders with the Best Title Loan Interest Rates in 2020

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your Finances Article | Title Loan | 5 Lenders with the Best Title Loan Interest Rates in 2020When you have a financial emergency, you tend to make desperate choices. Car title loans can provide you with some immediate cash for your emergency.

Not all title loan companies have the same policies, though. To make the wisest financial decision when seeking a title loan, you need to find the company with the lowest title loan interest rates.

To stay financially healthy and learn more about the top five title loan companies with the lowest rates, keep reading.

Low Title Loan Interest Rates

Title loan interest rates vary as low as 25 and as high as over 100 percent. The rates may seem extreme, but lending companies understand the risk they’re taking, and they ensure they receive back what they lend by having higher than average interest rates. Plus, you typically do not need to submit a credit check before you apply for a title loan.

Considering the fact that one in five borrowers lose their vehicle after obtaining a title loan, you must search out the best title loan company with the most flexible plan and lowest interest rate.

1. Choice Cash Title Loans

When you do not understand how to get a title loan, you need a company with superior customer service. Choice Cash boasts of such service.

Choice Cash Title Loans also has competitive interest rates and zero hidden fees. They pride themselves on their flexibility with customers from the first payment until the end.

If you need an automobile title loan, Cash Choice makes sense as your first shopping stop.

2. Money Mutual

Money Mutual claims to be the largest online lending market place. This company offers short-term loans up to $2,500 and has an online marketplace of lenders to choose from.

Especially if you have bad credit, Money Mutual works well. Unfortunately, Money Mutual is not available in New York or Connecticut.

You cannot easily find title loans that don’t require the car, but Money Mutual may have your solution. In fact, because of their online nature, Money Mutual will provide title loans without seeing car quality.

3. CreditLoan

CreditLoan options start as low as $250 and reach up to $5,000. So if you need just a little cash and know you can pay it back quickly, CreditLoan makes sense.

They offer same-day approval and will deposit the cash right into your account. CreditLoan allows you to refinance title loans, where you use your car as collateral.

4. Highway Title Loans

Like the other lending companies, Highway Title Loans boasts of low rates and fast turnaround. Highway Title also accepts clients with bad credit, but they do have limitations. They provide loans title loans only in Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Utah.

5. Max Cash Title Loan

Max Cash provides loans of as much as $50,000 in a single business day. Max Cash is not just a single company, but they work with many lenders throughout the country to help you find the best interest rate.

Max Cash requires all borrowers to be US citizens or permanent residents. You also must be 18 or older and have a regular source of income.

Be Smart, Shop Around

Now that you understand the different title loan interest rates available, you can make an informed decision. If you’re not sure what a car title looks like before you go into a car title lender’s office, you can find a car title example through a simple web search.

Keep visiting our site for helpful, financial information.

Going Digital in Real Estate: How to Do It Right

/in /by

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, Going Digital in Real Estate: How to Do It Right

The real estate industry is experiencing massive changes in the digital era. With new online technologies, businesses are improving the overall customer experience while also being more competitive. This means that it is increasingly important to stay up to date and find out things like what a title company does in Florida. In this article, we’ll talk about some of the ways real estate businesses can go digital and reap large rewards!

1. A New Education Landscape

Anyone interested in venturing into the real estate industry needs to be educated. This does not mean that you have to go to school and take a series of courses and get a degree. In this digital era, education is more affordable and accessible. For instance, you can take a commercial real estate course online to become more knowledgeable. Through online modules, you can learn at your pace while completing assignments on deadline.

2. Build a Website

Being digital in real estate is also possible by creating a website, which will help establish your online presence. This is an opportunity to promote the properties that you are selling and to build brand awareness. To build a great business website, start by having a simple, catchy, and easy-to-remember domain name. Make the website intuitive, user-friendly, and relevant. Offer something valuable to the visitors.

3. Use Search Engine Optimization Techniques

It is not enough that your business has a website. Many real estate agents probably have their websites as well. To stand out, pay attention to your search engine optimization strategies. For instance, you need to conduct keyword research to know the search queries your target market is using. This will make it easier to conquer the top Google search results.

4. Start an Email Campaign

Your online marketing strategies will not be complete without tapping the power of email. It is a valuable tool to connect with new leads and to nurture a relationship with your existing client pool. The open rate can be low, which is one of the biggest challenges for real estate companies. Find a way to make emails more interesting and engaging. One of the best ways to do this is through personalization.

5. Tap Social Media

Social media marketing is another good way to use digital trends to promote your real estate business. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are some of the best platforms that you can use. Consider the target audience to decide which channel is most effective in getting your message across. It is also crucial to ensure that you have engaging content for your social media strategies to be effective.

6. Host a Virtual Tour

Gone are the days when giving prospects a tour of the property you are selling could be done personally. Nowadays, you can do it virtually. By using digital technologies, it is easier to give your clients an idea of the property that you are selling. Using 360-degree cameras and 3D rendering are some of the best things that can help.

Digital technologies are changing the real estate industry. As mentioned above, from training and education to hosting a virtual tour, there are plenty of ways you can use the power of digital platforms to succeed in the real estate world.

Across The Memory Board – How To Educate Our Employees On The Best IT Practices

/in , /by

StrategyDriven Talent Management Article | Employee Training | Across The Memory Board- How To Educate Our Employees On The Best IT Practices

Cybersecurity is one of those overriding concerns in modern business. As there are more data breaches making headlines affecting a wide variety of companies, it seems that nobody is exempt from cyber terrorism or crime relating to technology. This means it’s crucial for you to look at your vulnerabilities. While you can set up various types of systems to protect your company, one of the most vulnerable areas of your business isn’t a technical one, it is a human one. Your employees are prone to human error. And we’ve got to make sure that we train our employees to understand the best practices of IT. What sort of tactics and practices can help you in this situation?

Investing In Employee Training

From a technical perspective, we can outsource components to a network services company or IT specialist, so they have the responsibility, but when we look at our in house components, it’s crucial for employees to grasp cybersecurity as a maintenance issue rather than something that they learn once in a blue moon. We’ve got to remember that cyber terrorism is a constantly evolving entity, which means that we’ve got to upregulate our systems and our approach to protecting the company. While we can invest in components like software patches and outsourcing technical duties to another company, we still have to invest in the people that we see each and every day. We have got to commit to a wide variety of tactics, so our teams know what is out there and what they can do to combat it. Partly we have to invest in training, but we’ve also got to change our mindset. It’s so easy to blame the employee that opens the phishing scam attachment rather than addressing the mentality of the employees in general. This is where training becomes essential.

Working On The Best Practices

It’s so easy for us to say that password security is an essential component because everybody knows to an extent this can protect most of us from phishing scams or cyber-attacks. But getting your team to do this is an entirely different ballpark. Working on the best practices with something like changing passwords is partly to do with your employees, knowing the traits of a strong password, but also understanding the outcome of not following these processes. On a basic level, a password needs to be long with multiple characters, and it’s changed on a regular basis. But remember that in order to ensure compliance from your workers, building a reminder to change passwords through regular feedback as well as password management tools can help your employees to keep on top of these issues.

Focus On Cybersecurity Awareness

The people in the IT department may know the sorts of data breaches out there but you can’t expect your employees to follow the trends in the news. You may know which way the signs are going, but it can still prove challenging to understand how regularly these things occur. There are numerous resources that you can take advantage of that provide detailed information on the latest cybersecurity breaches, but you also need to remember that this message needs to be loud and clear. Distributing this information through your team is about consistency. If you continue to share the information on a regular basis, along with the repercussions, this puts the message across. At the same time, you don’t want to bombard your employees with too much information that they don’t bother reading it.

Integrate Cybersecurity With New Employees

The onboarding process is the perfect opportunity to introduce your employees to the best practices. If you incorporate it into your training process from day one, you are able to go over the rules but also explain the importance of these best practices. Again, it’s about reiterating how much of a threat data breaches are. You need to create clear cybersecurity guidelines through important regulatory documents but also initiate a complaints procedure should a breach occur. When your employees hear about a potential breach, you must create an environment where employees share information rather than trying to cover up their mistakes.

Implement It From The Top Down

From the perspective of the executives, communicating the need for regular training in terms of cybersecurity practices is about highlighting its effect on the bottom line. Yes, there is no shortage of news relating to data breaches, but you’ve still got to make a case for it when money is tight. Looking for an executive buy-in is about making your case clear with regards to the costs but also going in with a comprehensive plan as to how the training would be undertaken. It’s also crucial to point out the costs of a data breach. Based on experience, once you highlight how more expensive a data breach is in comparison to training and onboarding practices, it’s likely executives will opt for the latter.

Implementing Regular Drills

We test the fire alarm on a regular basis, so why don’t we incorporate data breaches? When we train employees on a new piece of software, there comes a time where we have to let them fly by themselves. Allowing them to experiment in an environment with their new skills gives you a clearer picture of the potential problems that can occur and if your employees are ready to deal with them. Testing your business with a live-fire simulation can be a massive undertaking, but you can do it through smaller simulations like spot-checking your employees to see if they know the principles of combating a phishing scam email.

As technology is such a major investment and the fact that we rely on it to do 95% of our tasks, we need to make sure that our employees know how to use it properly. Many organizations invest in sophisticated equipment but don’t have the means to operate it. When our employees need to understand how to use the equipment, we can guide them, but we’ve also got to give them knowledge of the best practices underneath. Cybersecurity is such an important issue that if we communicate it so much, our employees can switch off. But by following a few of these processes, you can start to educate everybody across the board.

6 Tips for Setting up Conference Call Using Video

/in /by

StrategyDriven Practices For Professionals Article | 6 Tips for Setting up Conference Call Using VideoIn today’s global business environment one skill you must have is the expertise of setting up a conference call using video. This is usually to have a meeting with colleagues, clients or business partners that are in a different state or country. Video conferencing gives you an affordable way to do so, which saves your company a lot of time and money.

Unfortunately, many conference call meetings end up being a waste of time for all participants due to poor planning, inadequate technology or user error when setting up the call. Some people have come to hate conference calls because of poor meeting coordination, technical glitches and lack of participation from colleagues. It is a common occurrence for example that participants get distracted from the meeting and nothing gets accomplished.

Successful video conferencing meetings are very possible if you take the time to prepare for the meeting. Keep reading for six important tips that will make you an expert at setting up conference call using video.

1. Always Test Your Equipment and Connections

At least a day before the meeting you should test your equipment and network connections to ensure that they are in proper working order. Testing a day in advance will give you enough time to replace any faulty equipment and get failed connections fixed. Testing out your equipment also gives you the confidence to operate the technology during the actual conference meeting.

Some of the things to look out for while testing includes making sure lighting in the conference room is adequate. Also, be sure that everyone sitting in the meeting room will be visible on the conference screens. Cameras and microphones should be well placed around the room such that all participants can be seen and heard.

Also, ensure that you set up your conference equipment and connections around half an hour before the meeting. If the meeting starts at 9 am that is not the time to start connecting the call and switching on your speakers. Doing this beforehand will help the meeting start on time.

2. Have a Meeting Facilitator to Guide the Meeting

The facilitator is usually the organizer of the meeting. Send out an agenda and any documentation prior to the meeting to allow participants to prepare adequately for the meeting.

During the meeting, the facilitator should limit side discussions amongst participants and should check that everyone is fully engaged and contributing to the discussions. Any irrelevant debates should be quickly cut off to ensure that the meeting is concise and ends on time with all items on the agenda covered.

When sending out the meeting invitations provide backup connection options if the main conference line goes down. Alternative connection options for the meeting include phone dial-in codes and conference calling on apps such as Skype, WhatsApp, and Zoom.

3. Make Use Of Visual Presentation Aids Through Screen Sharing

Visual presentation aids used during the conference call will prevent the participants from getting bored by the discussions. The meeting facilitator can share their laptop screen with those in the meeting. This means that the document or presentation on the facilitator’s screen will be seen on the conference room’s screen as well as the laptops of remote participants.

The facilitator can also make changes to any documents as discussions take place. When screen sharing remember to disable any notifications from email or chat applications. Use the best screen sharing software to make the meeting go smoothly.

4. Have Protocol for All Participants

At the beginning of your meeting go over meeting protocol so that the conference call runs smoothly. For example, you may request remote speakers to turn off their microphones except while speaking. This reduces disruptions from background noise.

Additionally, all participants should turn on their cameras and ensure they are visible by everyone else in the conference. To prevent people from speaking over each other, the facilitator should ask participants to give visual cues before speaking and he or she may select the people allowed to speak.

5. Record the Call

It is important to record the call for record-keeping purposes. Recorded calls will be useful for participants that were absent from the meeting but need to know what was discussed.

If participants know the call is being recorded it allows them to be fully engaged in the meeting without having to worry about taking proper notes or minutes.

6. Be Aware Of Yourself and Your Surroundings If Calling in From a Remote Location

Participants dialing into a video conference meeting from remote locations have their own set of tips to follow. First of all, you should confirm that your video conferencing equipment works properly and test it before the conference call.

If you have a modern laptop it should come with a camera and inbuilt speakers and microphones. In this case, all you will need for the conference call is your laptop and perhaps a pair of earphones for better sound quality.

When taking part in a conference call from a remote location ensure you choose a place with little background noise. Be aware of your environment and what other people at the conference will see. For example, taking part in a call from a disorganized office will reflect badly on you.

Keep in mind that all your actions can be seen by other participants so behave appropriately and dress appropriately. Avoid having bright lights behind you as these will make it hard to see you.

Have Successful Results When Setting Up Conference Call Using Video

In order to have a productive conference call, it is necessary for you to prepare for the meeting. Send out the agenda well in advance when setting up conference call.

Allow participants to get ready for the meeting and be sure to test out your conference call technology before the meeting. Remember that you should always be professional and practice good communication skills.

For more tips and advice, check out more articles right here on our blog.