Bang the drums, call in the party cavalry, queue the fireworks: Customer Service Week has started!
This week is all about, you guessed it, celebrating customer service and the amazing staff members that work so hard to provide superior customer service. If you’re wondering why it’s so important, I’ve got some numbers you should hear. For starters, it’s 25 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing one. Tack on the fact that loyal customers are worth up to 10 times the amount of their initial purchase (White House Office of Consumer Affairs) and I think you get the idea.
Positive customer service isn’t just a marketing maxim — it’s a business imperative. Let’s get to celebrating that by honoring the customer service employees that help your organization achieve it!
5 ways to celebrate
Let them know you care. Whether it’s an email, eCard or handwritten note, letting CSRs know they’re appreciated is the best way to kick off Customer Service Week.
Show your stories. Highlight exceptional customer service stories by posting them on a wall for all to see and add to.
Reward great work. Offer rewards — vacation hours, gift cards, a lunch or happy hour are some great starters — based on individual, team and department goals.
Early release on Friday. Adding a couple hours to their weekend by allowing staff to leave a little early will not only have them feeling appreciated, they’ll value working at a place that respects them and everything they do.
Throw a party. Everybody loves a good party, so put one on for your CSRs. They’ll get a little time away from work to recharge and feel uplifted by the celebration of their work.
Don’t let it die out
Even after Customer Service Week is over, companies should continue to be proactive in making CSRs feel appreciated. Happy staff are more likely to deliver great customer service. It shouldn’t take a national event (yep, it was declared one by Congress in 1992) for organizations to support customer service employees.
Keep the wall of positive customer service stories up year-round and always reward outstanding work. It’s important to retain talent and these small efforts will put you on the path to doing so.
Provide the right tools
It’s hard for customer service staff to do their jobs when they lack the correct tools. Really hard. Giving them the right tools benefits everybody — the organization, staff and customers. One of the best tools you can provide to your customer service team is order management software, allowing them to spend more time with customers and less time on manual tasks.
To see what I mean, check out the video below.