It seems obvious enough that if someone does something helpful for you, it is common courtesy to thank them for their help. Far too often a thank you is getting lost in the busy, always-on world we’re operating in nowadays, but showing appreciation has been proven to create loyalty and increase productivity.
In fact, according to a Westminster College poll on employee motivation, 69 per cent of people surveyed would work harder if they believed their leaders appreciated their work. And since feeling unappreciated is the #1 reason customers switch away from products and services, are you doing all you can to make your own customers – both existing and potential new ones – feel valued?
For anyone who isn’t sure that they are, here’s a quick look at three very simple ways you can show your gratitude to employees and customers (clients).
Express it. The just-passed holiday period is perhaps the ideal time of year for saying thank you and showing your appreciation with a well-crafted email or handwritten greeting card (timed around Christmas and the New Year). If you missed out on this opportunity to express your gratitude with a Christmas greeting, why not take the time now to tell your team and your customers how much you appreciated their hard work and contributions (team), business (customers) and loyalty over the past year and why you’re looking forward to continuing to work with them in 2019.
Get feedback. Survey your employees and customers to gauge satisfaction and look for areas that need improvement on a regular basis. Be sure to tell employees you’re looking for ways to create a culture where people are valued and recognised for the work they do and encourage a two-way conversation with them so they can express best practice ideas that will enhance the service you’re offering your team and customers – they will all thank you for that. Also be sure to tell your customers you are committed to providing exceptional service and want to hear from them about how you can improve and enhance how you provide products and/or services to them, and what else they might be looking for from you that you’re not already delivering.
Use all of the feedback gained in the previous step to do the most important part – deliver an exceptional service to everyone you work with and for. Employees are more engaged when they feel valued and when they are given this recognition they tend to go above and beyond to provide exceptional customer service and do their best work. Consistently delivering excellent service also happens to be the single best way you can show customers that you appreciate them. Make employee and customer satisfaction a priority, and the people who work with you will always feel appreciated.
It only takes a minute to show you are grateful: to your team for their work and to your customers (clients) for their investment. Value them by saying thank you as often as you can and when you do, mean it.
And in the spirit of today’s post, we’d like to thank all of our TechComms UK clients. We are truly grateful for you and your business. We value your partnership and collaboration and your commitment to PR excellence. Every day you inspire us to go above and beyond to do great work for you.
Thank you!
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