Most organizations of any size have newsletters, internal websites, or something that mentions each time an associate does something extraordinary. I do my best to notice each of these, and to remind my team about these things, so they can mention them when they’re on the phone with these people, and to offer them another “Way to go!” to continue the celebration.

I recommend doing these personally, on the phone, because in my experience, most people don’t think anybody reads those memos, and they appreciate the acknowledgment.

As a manager, I also make time to send an e-mail, with a link to the article and something I noticed in the award memo, congratulating the associate. If it’s associate of the month, I might ask how they’re going to spend their $100 prize. If it’s for donating their time or money, I might ask them a little more about how they got started with that charity. Something that shows I took the time to read the article about them.

Most of my customers are internal, so it’s easy for me to get these articles. If I worked in external customer support, I would add Google Alerts on my top client’s names, so when their names were mentioned anywhere, I could print out the story and mail it to them, or maybe write a nice article about them on my corporate website if that were allowed.

Celebrating your customer’s success doesn’t take a lot of time or effort. It just requires you to pay attention and notice things that are already happening. The rewards you get are good will, good feelings, and often a bit of shock. It’s a great way to position your team, as the team that notices the great stuff other people do.

What are your best suggestions for celebrating your customer’s successes?

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tranchis/3578657672/

Post from: EveryJoe

Celebrate Your Customer’s Success

Today’s tip: Celebrate the customers your team serves.

First, know who your best customers are. If you need to look through the purchasing records, your calendar, your team’s notes, or even just your e-mail, you need to know who your best customers are. Best can be objective (most sales, most time) or subjective (favorite because they call on your team all the time, or favorite because they are the lowest maintenance).

Next, think about what you can do that’s memorable for your customers…and for your team. What would make your team stick out in your best customer’s mind? Would it be a picture of your team holding a sign that says “Thank you” that you post on your external website? Would it be some hand-baked cookies or other treats? Maybe it’s just you and other managers going to visit these customers, and offering a handshake and a warm thanks? If nothing else, a handwritten thank you note or a personal voicemail might make your customer’s day.

Last, do something! All the planning in the world is great, but if you don’t DO SOMETHING for your customers, then you’ve lost the chance to offer your thanks and to get even more sales, to make them even bigger fans of your team, or to recover from a bad experience in the past. Service recovery can be an even stronger way to build customer loyalty than doing things right the first time. Don’t let the opportunity pass YOU by!

What’s YOUR best tip for celebrating your customers during Customer Service Week?

PS Join me for a webinar this week Thursday as I share my tips on how to Recession Proof Your Customer Service.

cc licensed flickr photo by Crystl: http://flickr.com/photos/crystalflickr/190713106/

Post from: EveryJoe

Happy Customer Service Week!