You're Worth It!

 In honor of National Customer Service Week, I first want to thank each and every one of my readers who delivers great service to customers and co-workers, as well as to all of you who INSPIRE great service every day.  Thank you for making a very real difference in the world.  We need it.

If, like me, you believe in the good stuff of life:  harmony, profits, teamwork, having fun (OK, it’s a short list for today, but you get it, right?), then you can easily see how customer service impacts our lives. 

When we serve with patience, we ARE patient!  And have you ever heard anyone at a dinner table criticize their parent for being patient with them???
When we serve to help others, we ARE being a great team member.  Have you ever seen someone criticize the teamwork that led to a great concert, a great football game, or even a great rummage sale?

OK…so you don’t go to rummage sales.  That’s OK.  I’ll bet you know a lot of people who do. 

It always requires patience to deal with people who aren’t like us, because, well, WE ARE PEOPLE!!!!  We’re complicated.  OK?  WE don’t always intend to be that way, we just are.

But your patience to another says something special:  “You’re worth it!”

Isn’t that what you want your customers to feel?  Your co-workers to believe?  Your leadership team to know in their gut?  Your customers are worth the effort, every day, to deliver your Service Brand Promise, an experience created by core values, like patience.  Your Service Brand Promise is the reason you give them to keep coming back, to tell others how great you are, to decided to buy more from you.  The magical three R’s of Customer Service:  Retention, Referrals, Relationships, which help us with Redemption when we mess up, and absolutely build Revenue, which help us make a profit.

All of that from customer service.

A client wanted to build interaction and appreciation between departments to help his team sustain the quality service they provide.  Here are three ideas I shared that you can use during Customer Service Week or any time.  Even more than once a year!
First, thank your customers!  Each employee ought to write at least one note to one customer, thanking them for being your customer. It connects your employees to service in a very nice way.

Second, have employees thank each other.  My favorite way to do this is to have an employee gathering, like a meeting, and give each person three sticky notes and a pen.  AFTER your inspirational talk on how they make a very real difference for customers by how they serve, create, etc., and how much you appreciate them, tell them it’s their turn.  They get to write a thank you not to the person on their left, on their right, and one to anyone else in the organization.  Post them all on a wall and let the reading begin!

Third, as much as is humanly possible, thank, in person, each of your team members.  And for your bonus:  send a thank you note to them at their home address so other members of their family can see the appreciation expressed.

They’re worth it.  So are your customers, and so are you.

Happy Customer Service Week!