FSO Wins SmartCeo’s Future 50 Award

"Our clients include the world’s #1 ranked advertising agency, #1 sports marketing firm, #1 consulting firm, # 1 big-8 accounting firm, and many of the AMLAW 200 legal leaders."

Good Afternoon Folks,

We are pleased to announce that SmartCEO has distinguished Mitch Weiner & FSO among its 2016 Future 5O companies, based on a combined three-year average of revenue and employee growth. Future 50 winners collectively generate $2.3 billion in annual revenue and employ 10,293 individuals in Greater New York

Since 2010, FSO has helped innovate and design (re)Imagined Onsite Outsourcing services with some of the most exciting brands in the world. Our clients include the world’s #1 ranked advertising agency, #1 sports marketing firm, #1 consulting firm, # 1 big-8 accounting firm, and many of the AMLAW 200 legal leaders.

“Our work spans industries and services, but one thing makes the difference across all: Our wonderful team. They truly embody what it is to be hospitable and deliver service like no other. From back office support to reception, FSO is the go-to group. We are completely invested in going "above and beyond" to provide an unbelievable experience with the finest personal service,” said Mitch Weiner, Founder, CEO and Chief Happiness Officer at FSO.

“This year’s Future 50 winners have executed their growth visions year after year, created job opportunities and made our region a better place to work and live,” says Jaime Nespor-Zawmon, President of SmartCEO Events. 

"The 2016 SmartCEO Future50 award validates what Crain’s Fast 50 and Inc. 5000’s fastest growing company lists have confirmed in our three consecutive years of recognition.  We are a five year old start up company that has taken the market by storm. And we have only just begun. The future is so, so, bright,” continued Mitch Weiner.

More than 550 local business executives and guests are expected to attend this year’s Future 50 awards gala at Capitale in late January. We will provide links to the video of the awards ceremony, stay tuned.

Thanks to our employees for all you do for us, and to our clients for all you award us the privilege of doing for you.

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"It is never too late to be what you might have been." 
~~ George Eliot
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READ: FSO Wins SmartCeo’s Future 50 Award 

It's Wednesday: That Mean's It's Time For a Shout Out To Our Stars

"Maria is an outstanding employee who is always pleasant, and goes out of her way to help me. She is thoughtful, and I can rely on work that she gives me to be done accurately and correctly."

Good Morning Folks,

Our clients love what we are doing for them. 

When they take time to write like this it is testament to what I've been saying all along: FSO has a unique and unstoppable passion to exceed our clients expectations. Our culture is what defines us: Personal, Passionate & Productive. We have a proven business model that is key. We strive each and every day to not only meet expectations, but to exceed them. Our teams are hospitality driven individuals, recruited from brands where white glove service is required.

From our ownership team, support staff, subject matter experts... to our on-site folks, our focus is to come to work every day thinking of ways to (re)IMAGINE a better experience for you and your guests.

Here are some of the amazing things our clients are saying about our motivated, team-oriented, passionate people. I am honored to be in the company of all mentioned. 

Compliments From The World’s #1 Ranked Professional Service Firm

"Forwarding handwritten note from client's HR Managers, sent along with a Box of chocolates for our Admin Staff. They continually provide excellent service on a daily basis to this firms' employees:

Angela 

Shanise 

Michael

Luz 

Michael M

Kimberly

Jasmine

Nakeisha

Darryl

Khajuaan

Fariyal

Maria

Kimberly

"This young lady clearly takes her job seriously and enjoys what she is doing.  She greets me and my colleagues every morning with a smile and "how are you today? Can I do anything for you? Do you need anything?" Kimberly has been extremely diligent in making sure that we are covered with paper daily; so much so that she recently walked the floor with one of the office services managers because there was a discrepancy as to why she was putting tickets in for the paper. What the office services manager saw was that she was justified in initiating the ticket and further, she was trying to understand why the floor ambassador said he had  supplied paper that morning, yet there was none/limited when the office services manager showed up. We need a few more like her; it makes the rest of our jobs much easier."

Jasmine

"We had a VIP group (our competitors) for a meeting and it got a bit chaotic as the power around the table was not working and some of the guests wanted chairs that were adjustable.  I kept running back and forth to Jasmine for help and although I know she wanted to throw me out the window (smile), and this is not her job, she was very pleasant,  approachable and was quite helpful in reaching out to others to get us organized. So on that note, thank you so very much. It means so very much to have had you there to help."

Nikeisha

"Nikeisha you are amazing !! Not only for this. You always go far and beyond of your work."

Darryl

"On Tuesday, December 8, 2015 Audit Partner Larry hosted an all day Client Meeting in Conference Room 23302.

I was assisting Radian EA Barbara. A bare white table was set up and we requested a table cloth. We were pleasantly surprised to received a white cloth with the our logo from Darryl.

It was greatly appreciated by the client -- received a lot of compliments, in fact.

Thank you for letting us use the tablecloth for the client. Is really a pleasure to work with you!!"

Denise

"I am a new RMO Sr Manager in Risk Assurance and wanted to let you know that Denise came to my office today to see if I had gotten my screen as someone had taken it from my office. I told her that I got the new one and i had to go pick it up at the mail room.

She was very helpful by going downstairs and picking up my monitor vs me doing it. She offered to help me get it and i really appreciate the effort she put on her part as I was really busy this week to pick it up. So kudos to her for being very helpful.

Khajuaan

I wanted to comment that I've been very pleased with Khajuaan, who has been very helpful.  He stops by my desk to see if I need anything, and helped me with a project.  I see that he goes around the 7th Floor looking for issues, and puts tickets into the database as called for.  In addition to being responsible and responsive, he is a very pleasant person to deal with!

Thanks for listening,

Fariyal

"Just wanted to write a note to let you know how helpful Fariyal was this morning.  Unfortunately, we forgot to reserve a conference room for a client meeting. We tried to reach the meetings and event group As we all ran around crazy (calling Mike, running to the office of the meeting and events group) I asked Fariyal for her help and she was extremely pleasant and was able to guarantee us a room."

Maria ... At One Of The Oldest Law Firms In Continuous Existence In The United States, Specializing In Banking

"Maria is an outstanding employee who is always pleasant, she goes out of her way to help me. She is thoughtful ,and I can rely on work that she gives me to be done accurately and correctly. I would highly recommend her as employee of the month in fact the year."

Edward, Anthony & Davidson at AMLAW 200 Firm

"I walked in last week while Davidson was crawling under a desk – Witnessed it myself. Great team and Davidson definitely leads by example"

"I also wanted to drop you a note to make you aware of the awesome security staff you have. On Saturday evening, 12/5,  around 7PM I received a call from my cousin who had a car accident in Connecticut on his way home to Boston. Fortunately he was unharmed but his car was not drivable. He was forced to take Metro North back to Manhattan and when her arrived he called me. He was on 42nd and Lexington avenue with 2% power on his phone and did not know what to do. I called the security desk (X3333) and told them the situation and asked if they could help him out. They were very nice and welcomed him into the lobby, charged his phone, allowed me to speak with him over their line until I was able to pick him up and take him to a bus.

I really appreciate the kindness they showed him. Please thank the officers that were on duty that evening. I don't recall their names but they did go above and beyond to help him when he was in a bind. THANK YOU ALL FOR ALWAYS COMING THROUGH -  WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!"

Thanks fort taking the time to write to me about these gifted employees. I am always eager to hear more about how we are doing.

The PERSONAL touch AND CARE that our clients complimented us on…this is what sets us apart; this is why we are blowing the competition out of the water every chance we get, this is why our employees LOVE FSO and feel the connection to us! 

Cheers FSO USA!!!!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"Leadership is service, not position" ~~Tim Fargo
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TED Tuesday- Mandy Len Catron: Falling In Love Is The Easy Part

“But what I have instead is the chance to make the choice to love someone, and the hope that he will choose to love me back, and it is terrifying, but that's the deal with love.”

Good Morning Folks.

Two million people have watched Mandy's inspirational TED Talk filmed last summer at TEDxChapmanU. Today you can be two million and one.

Did you know you can fall in love with anyone just by asking them 36 questions? Mandy Len Catron tried this experiment, it worked, and she wrote a viral article about it (that your mom probably sent you). But … is that real love? Did it last? And what’s the difference between falling in love and staying in love? Have a look/see:




About Mandy: Mandy Len Catron is a writer living and working in Vancouver, BC. She blogs at The Love Story Project, a collage of research, memoir and family mythology. As she says: "I’ve been writing a book about love stories for the past five years and, miraculously, I still haven’t tired of talking about it. If you’d like to share your own story or theory or rant, get in touch at @LenMandy."

Have a GREAT DAY!

Love Life,

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

Great Customer Service Builds Brands And Loyalty

"Every customer contacts us at least once sometime during his or her lifetime, and we just need to make sure that we use that opportunity to create a lasting memory." 

~~ Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com

Good Morning Folks, 

Ken Blanchard, coauthor of Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service, introduces a passage about how great customer service builds brands and loyalty from Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, by Tony Hsieh (the world's best-known Chief Happiness Officer).

To keep your customers today, you can’t be content just to satisfy them. If you want your business to thrive, you have to create what I call Raving Fans — customers who are so excited about the way you treat them that they want to tell stories about you. These customers become part of your sales force.

Great service is not an accident. It starts when you decide what kind of experience you want your customers to have — when you articulate a clear vision. You keep it alive by empowering your people to go the extra mile for the customer. When it’s innovative and comes from the heart, great service keeps customers coming back again and again.

Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, understands what great customer service — or, as they call it at Zappos, WOW service — is all about. Once you read the following excerpt, you’ll understand two things. First, you’ll figure out why Zappos quickly became the biggest online shoe store. Second, you’ll know the company is not exaggerating in calling it WOW service.

— Ken Blanchard

Excerpted from Chapter 5 of Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com

We receive thousands and thousands of phone calls and e-mails every single day, and we really view each contact as an opportunity to build the Zappos brand into being about the very best customer service and customer experience. Looking at every interaction through a branding lens instead of an expense-minimization lens means we run our call center very differently from most call centers. 

Most call centers measure their employees’ performance based on what’s known in the industry as “average handle time,” which focuses on how many phone calls each rep can take in a day. This translates into reps worrying about how quickly they can get a customer off the phone, which in our eyes is not delivering great customer service. Most call centers also have scripts and force their reps to try to upsell customers to generate additional revenue. 

At Zappos, we don’t measure call times (our longest phone call was almost six hours long!), and we don’t upsell. We just care about whether the rep goes above and beyond for every customer. We don’t have scripts because we trust our employees to use their best judgment when dealing with each and every customer. We want our reps to let their true personalities shine during each phone call so that they can develop a personal emotional connection (internally referred to as PEC) with the customer. 

Another example of us using the telephone as a branding device is what happens when a customer calls looking for a specific style of shoes in a specific size that we’re out of stock on. In those instances, every rep is trained to research at least three competitors’ Web sites, and if the shoe is found in stock to direct the customer to the competitor. Obviously, in those situations, we lose the sale. But we’re not trying to maximize each and every transaction. Instead, we’re trying to build a lifelong relationship with each customer, one phone call at a time. 

A lot of people may think it’s strange that an Internet company is so focused on the telephone, when only about 5 percent of our sales happen through the telephone. In fact, most of our phone calls don’t even result in sales. But what we’ve found is that on average, every customer contacts us at least once sometime during his or her lifetime, and we just need to make sure that we use that opportunity to create a lasting memory. 

The majority of phone calls don’t result in an immediate order. Sometimes a customer may be calling because it’s her first time going through the returns process, and she just wants a little help stepping through the process. Other times, a customer may call because there’s a wedding coming up this weekend and he just wants a little fashion advice. And sometimes, we get customers who call simply because they’re a little lonely and want someone to talk to. 

I’m reminded of a time when I was in Santa Monica, California, a few years ago at a Skechers sales conference. After a long night of bar-hopping, a small group of us headed up to someone’s hotel room to order some food. My friend from Skechers tried to order a pepperoni pizza from the room-service menu, but was disappointed to learn that the hotel we were staying at did not deliver hot food after 11:00 pm. We had missed the deadline by several hours. 

In our inebriated state, a few of us cajoled her into calling Zappos to try to order a pizza. She took us up on our dare, turned on the speakerphone, and explained to the (very) patient Zappos rep that she was staying in a Santa Monica hotel and really craving a pepperoni pizza, that room service was no longer delivering hot food, and that she wanted to know if there was anything Zappos could do to help. 

The Zappos rep initially was a bit confused by the request, but she quickly recovered and put us on hold. She returned two minutes later, listing the five closest places in the Santa Monica area that were still open and delivering pizzas at that time. 

Now, truth be told, I was a little hesitant to include this story because I don’t actually want everyone who reads this book to start calling Zappos and ordering pizza. But I just think it’s a fun story to illustrate the power of not having scripts in your call center and empowering your employees to do what’s right for your brand, no matter how unusual or bizarre the situation. 

As for my friend from Skechers? After that phone call, she’s now a customer for life. — Tony Hsieh

Make this week a REIMAGINE WEEK. To our employees: I'll see you at YOUR awards Wednesday night. 

Have a GREAT day,

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary."

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Inspire ME Friday: Count Blessings, Not Problems

Good Morning Folks,

With only 51 weeks now remaining in 2016, I remind you that each day is a precious gift with no guarantee of tomorrow. 

To make each day count as if it's your last, here is some perspective:  

If you could fit the entire population of the world into a village consisting of 100 people, maintaining the proportions of all the people living on Earth, that village would consist of: 

• 57 Asians
• 21 Europeans
• 14 Americans (North, Central, and South)
• 8 Africans
• There would be:
• 52 women and 48 men
• 30 Caucasians and 70 non-Caucasians
• 30 Christians and 70 non-Christians
• 89 Heterosexuals and 11 homosexuals
• 6 people would possess 59% of the wealth and they would all come from the USA
• 80 would live in poverty
• 70 would be illiterate
• 50 would suffer from hunger and malnutrition
• 1 would be dying
• 1 would be being born
• 1 would own a computer
• 1 (yes, only one) would have a university degree

If you woke up this morning in good health, you have more luck than one million people who won't live through the week.

If you have never experienced the horror of war, the solitude of prison, the pain of torture, were not close to death from starvation, then you are better off than 500 million people.

If you have a full fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are wealthier than 75% of the world's population. 

If you currently have money in the bank, in your wallet and a few coins in your purse, you are one of the 8 of the privileged few amongst the 100 people in the world.

If your parents are still alive, you're a rare and lucky individual.

If someone sent you this message, you're extremely lucky, because someone is thinking of you and because you don't comprise one of those 2 billion who can't read.  

And so if you win the potentially $ billion Powerball this weekend,  you might expect to find happiness, but chances are greater that the happiness you seek already lies within you.

Have a HAPPY, SAFE and HEALTHY Weekend.

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 
"Before you speak, listen.
Before you write, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you invest, investigate.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.
Before you retire, save.
Before you die, give.”
~~William A. Ward.
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

btw, If you still, think you can improve the odds of winning Powerball, read this

TED Tuesday: Tali Sharot- The Optimism Bias

In the talk Tali shows a cartoon and speaks about a Penguin in a way that meshes perfectly with our own (re)IMAGINE theme. She notes, "Because if you're one of these pessimistic penguins up there who just does not believe they can fly, you certainly never will. Because to make any kind of progress, we need to be able to imagine a different reality, and then we need to believe that that reality is possible."

Good Morning Folks,

What a great way to start of 2016 then commit to look at things through a more optimistic lenses!

Are we born to be optimistic, rather than realistic? Tali Sharot shares new research that suggests our brains are wired to look on the bright side — and how that can be both dangerous and beneficial. While the past few years have seen important advances in the neuroscience of optimism, one enduring puzzle remained. How is it that people maintain this rosy bias even when information challenging our upbeat forecasts is so readily available?

Optimism bias is a tendency to overestimate the likelihood of good things happening to you, and underestimating bad things. For example 40% of people divorce, but people marrying assume the probability for them is zero. Even people marrying for a second time don’t see it: “Remarrying is the triumph of hope over experience”. People tend to be optimistic about themselves and their family, while at the same time predicting a bad future for the world in general.

Optimism about your own traits gives you a confidence and sets you up for success. But are low expectations the secret to happiness? This will mean you will be happy with success in love and career, but are not disappointed if it doesn’t happen. Our speaker today, with almost 10 million views of this program racked up between YouTube and on TED, is the author of author of The Optimism Bias and a research fellow at University College London's Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging. She argues the opposite, that optimistic people are happier because:

• Optimists interpret things differently. Whether they win or lose, they interpret successes as due to their own traits and failures as poor luck or biases.
• Anticipation makes people happy – something pleasant (a kiss from a celebrity) immediately isn’t as enjoyable as one in 3 days time – which lets you look forward to it
• Optimism acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy – it makes you try harder to achieve your goals. Optimism leads to success.

So how do we maintain optimism in the face of reality? That is: stay optimistic despite evidence to the contrary. Tali did a study – asking people to estimate their cancer risk (for example), then giving the population rate (30%) and asking them again their likelihood. People did change their estimate, but they changed it a lot more if their first estimate was high (i.e. changing their estimate from 50% to 35%) rather than when it was low (going from 10% to 11%). Tali found that there were 2 regions of the brain: one responsible for receiving good news and one that processes bad news. The ‘bad news region’ did not trigger in optimistic people: they kept the rose tinted spectacles on.

On average, we expect things to turn out better than they wind up being. People hugely underestimate their chances of getting divorced, losing their job or being diagnosed with cancer; expect their children to be extraordinarily gifted; envision themselves achieving more than their peers; and overestimate their likely life span (sometimes by 20 years or more).

The belief that the future will be much better than the past and present is known as the optimism bias. It abides in every race, region and socioeconomic bracket. Schoolchildren playing when-I-grow-up are rampant optimists, but so are grown-ups: a 2005 study found that adults over 60 are just as likely to see the glass half full as young adults.

A cancelled flight is hardly tragic, but even when the incidents that befall us are the type of horrific events we never expected to encounter, we automatically seek evidence confirming that our misfortune is a blessing in disguise. No, we did not anticipate losing our job, being ill or getting a divorce, but when these incidents occur, we search for the upside. These experiences mature us, we think. They may lead to more fulfilling jobs and stable relationships in the future. Interpreting a misfortune in this way allows us to conclude that our sunny expectations were correct after all – things did work out for the best.

In the talk Tali shows a cartoon and speaks about a Penguin in a way that meshes perfectly with our own (re)IMAGINE theme. She notes, "Because if you're one of these pessimistic penguins up there who just does not believe they can fly, you certainly never will. Because to make any kind of progress, we need to be able to imagine a different reality, and then we need to believe that that reality is possible. But if you are an extreme optimistic penguin who just jumps down blindly hoping for the best, you might find yourself in a bit of a mess when you hit the ground. But if you're an optimistic penguin who believes they can fly, but then adjusts a parachute to your back just in case things don't work out exactly as you had planned, you will soar like an eagle, even if you're just a penguin."

Have a look...


Thanks to The Guardian and TedSummaries for inspiring me today and to you, for listening.

Have a GREAT DAY!

Love Life,

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 

Welcome to 2016!

"As we head into 2016 it's important to take this moment and reflect on the past but more importantly how you will personally effect the future."

Good Morning Folks,

I hope that each of you had a wonderful holiday season and were able to spend time with family and friends.

Thank you for your efforts during the past year. I hope you all feel the sense of accomplishment from within. And... thank you all for the presents, cards and the good words at our social events, training meetings and more as we closed out the year. The feedback drives me hard and fast every day, so keep it coming. 

Today starts what will be our best year ever. We are fortunate to have a wonderful team of leaders, staff, support folks and excellent clients and services that the marketplace is has embraced. 

Steve, Jim, and I are arm and arm to ensure, as a team, we bring a passion and DNA like never before, while delivering the greatest place to work.

The ELT has planned very exciting times ahead, and I am very excited for an awesome 2016! Our goal continues to be to WOW! Next week we will have our 2015 AWARD CEREMONY to RECOGNIZE our TOP employees for all of their hard work and achievements. This is my absolute favorite FSO celebration and I can’t wait to cheer you on.

Employees know that your owners believe in you and you have to believe in yourself to thrive. Strive and thrive. Think about it. Today is resolution day. If you have any or not, it's a great time to think about, "how can I do it differently," how can I (re)IMAGINE, and how can I be the leader I deserve to be?

Life is full of challenges: personal, family, health, financial, business and more. How you approach them and lead the way is what you have to manage. Attitude is everything. Keeping strong and positive. Never letting the world see you sweat and making the responsibility yours to win and overachieve.

2016 will be a year of growth for all as business professionals and allowing you to exceed all your goals. With your excitement and daily care there will be nothing that stops us. 

Welcome to 2016 at FSO – let’s MAKE IT HAPPEN together.

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
"Ultimately, passion is the driving force behind success and happiness that allows us all to live better lives."

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