Katharine Paljug

[Read Related: Choosing a Professional Employer Organization (PEO)]

7. Family-focused benefits

Deloitte offers incredible perks focused on parents and parents-to-be. Eligible moms and dads alike can get up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave to bond with new babies after birth or adoption. The leave can also be used to care for a spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling or parent with a serious health condition. Eligible employees can even be reimbursed for up to $25,000 of expenses related to adoption or surrogacy.

8. Onsite health services

In addition to standard health insurance benefits, Steelcase takes care of its employees’ health at the office. The design and manufacturing company has an onsite well-being hub where employees can make appointments with a massage therapist or registered nurse. The company also offers “healthier home meal” ingredient stations in its cafeterias where employees can prep a meal to cook at home instead of visiting a drive-through after work. Steelcase also hosts Curious Minds, a series of lectures on topics like personal wellness and eldercare.

9. Mental health support

Capital One Financial is another company that cares for its workers’ well-being, including their mental health. The company’s employee assistance program provides counseling services, either in person or by phone, as well as informational services to help with big changes like moving or having a baby.

10. Continuing education

As the cost of higher education continues to rise beyond what many people can afford, companies are offering tuition assistance as a perk of employment. At Starbucks — known for having some of the best employee benefits among household-name American companies — full- and part-time benefits-eligible employees can take advantage of the company’s college achievement plan to earn a bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program, with full tuition reimbursement.

In 2017, Starbucks expanded the plan with its new Pathway to Admission Program, which gives academically ineligible employees another chance to qualify. ASU support specialists work with employees to help them qualify by identifying which courses they need. They can then take up to 10 freshman-level courses tuition-free as many times as needed.

11. Student loan paydowns

For employees who already have a degree, student loans can eat into their paycheck for years. That makes companies like PwC, which provides help paying down student loan debt — a job perk similar to tuition reimbursement — especially attractive. PwC offers its employees $100 per month, or a total of $1,200 a year, toward student loan debt. The benefit is available for up to six years. Factoring in interest, this perk can help employees save up to $10,000.

12. Midday surfing

Outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia encourages its employees to stay physically active. The California-based company provides bikes, volleyball courts and onsite yoga for its workers. In a unique take on the concept of flexible hours, employees are encouraged to catch a wave or two in the middle of the workday: The reception desk posts daily surf reports and makes company wide announcements on especially good surf days.

13. Giving back

Multiple studies have shown that workers, especially those in the millennial generation, value brands and employers that emphasize doing good in the world. That’s why companies like tech behemoth Google — a brand that has long led the field of big-name companies with the best employee benefits — are making their own contribution to employees’ volunteer efforts. Google not only matches employees’ monetary charitable contributions, but for every five hours of volunteered time, Google donates $50 to that nonprofit.

14. Office parties

At San Francisco-based music app developer Smule, employees can bring their instruments to the office for the company’s weekly jam sessions. The company also throws various holiday parties, including a Halloween costume party, Thanksgiving lunch, Wednesday game nights and monthly karaoke party.

“Expression through talking, playing and exploring are habits that help us create something great,” said Jeff Smith, Smule’s co-founder and CEO. “People come by and talk to me or play instruments in my office all day. It’s part of our culture.”

15. Freedom (and funding) to travel

Travel booking company HotelTonight gives employees the chance to travel for free or enjoy hotel credits. HotelTonight employees have a chance to win an impromptu free vacation through monthly “spin-the-wheel” events, and they are also eligible for flexible vacation time, which lets them experience the HotelTonight app and stay in partner hotels.

16. A pet-friendly environment

Love your four-legged friend like a child? So does PetSmart, which offers employees a variety of pet-related benefits. In addition to a 15 percent employee discount on pet-related merchandise and grooming, PetSmart employees get other job perks such as free training classes and discounted veterinary services. And if you don’t want to leave your dog at home, you may be able to bring them to work with you.

Dogtopia is another pet-friendly workplace. Employees can partake in the brand’s personal wellness programs that can be used toward doggie daycare and vet visits. Employees who don’t have pets can still put this perk to use by applying it toward gym memberships and healthy snacks and lunches. “We made sure everyone can get some benefit from the fund since not everyone in our office has a pup,” said Toni Teplitsky, Dogtopia’s director of marketing.

Why cool job perks matter

The benefits listed above are some of the many unique and cool job perks that a business can provide to their staff. Speak to your current workforce and learn their priorities to help design a list of perks that everyone can benefit from. Some of the perks listed above align well with the company’s product/service, and having a cool perk can be a unique selling point for bringing in new and talented staff.

Consider the alignment of the perk with your business model. Cool job perks can reduce turnover for your business, which is crucial to reduce the costs associated with training. Interesting job perks can also lead to a more engaged workforce, which can result in more harmony towards the company’s financial goals.

Perks keep employees — and your bottom line — happy

Creating a new job perk for your current workforce will motivate them if it aligns with their needs and priorities. You should see a more engaged workforce once the new job perk is implemented. Talk to your current workforce before administering a new perk — if the perk isn’t a high priority for your current workforce, it will not provide as much of an impact.

Perks that keep employees happy will reduce employee turnover and the costs associated with new hiring. A new job perk can also bring in extremely qualified talent who also prioritize that perk in their job search. Leverage your best job perks to keep current and future employees happy.

Tejas Vemparala and Max Freedman contributed to this article.

Losing customers costs businesses billions of dollars per year. But many small businesses are so focused on bringing in new clients that they forget about the ones they already have.

Sharon and Mark Spero, the owners of a Money Mailer franchise near Chicago, work directly with local businesses to target new customers and keep existing ones loyal. After 20 years in business, the Speros aren’t just direct mail experts – they’ve also seen firsthand how important customer retention is for building a thriving small company.

Here are their key tips to improve customer retention.

1. Sell to old customers, not just new ones.

When creating a business marketing plan – including direct advertising and search engine optimization – it’s natural to think about attracting new customers. But put some of that effort into your current customers, too.

“Old and current customers know us well,” the Speros explained. “Current customers will often work with us on larger projects than new customers that are just testing us out for the first time.”

Creating a sales and marketing funnel specifically for existing customers is key to growing your business, and is often a better investment of your time and resources. It generally costs five times as much to acquire a new customer as it does to retain an existing client, according to Forrester’s research. If you spend more marketing dollars on old and existing customers, you’ll see more return on a smaller investment.

Ensure you’re keeping order history in a customer relationship management (CRM) system. When choosing CRM software, you may opt for a stand-alone CRM system or a CRM-enabled point-of-sale (POS) system.

Once your CRM system is in place, use email marketing along with customer order history and other information to personalize your marketing materials. One way to do this is to suggest complementary products or services that work with a product your customers have already purchased. For example, if a customer bought a camping tent from you, send them an email asking if they need a hammock or camping stove to go with it.

You can also look at when each customer typically buys from you and send an email around that time to stay top of mind.

2. Understand clients’ expectations.

Customer retention rates depend on customer satisfaction. But many times, that satisfaction depends less on the goods or services you provide than it does on expectations. If a customer wants a one-hour consultation to double their revenue overnight, for example, they will be disappointed no matter how good that consultation is.

“One of the most common mistakes [small business owners make] is to avoid hav[ing] the conversation with the client regarding [the client’s] expectations,” the Speros pointed out. “These expectations can often be unrealistic, unmeasured, and don’t match what they actually are trying to communicate.”

It’s your responsibility as a business owner to initiate that difficult conversation. Customers should have a realistic picture of what they are buying, including the cost of their purchase, what it includes, what they can expect as a result, and any return or refund policy you have in place.

When all these components are understood from the beginning of a purchase, customers are much more likely to be satisfied at the end result.