It was on my usual Saturday long run this weekend that I noticed something. As we’ve turned the calendar into October, the mornings are cool and crisp and the air smells of autumn. All of a sudden I find myself craving foods with pumpkin and other winter squashes and finding my mind going to fond memories of Halloweens and Thanksgivings with family and friends. Yes, even in San Diego we experience autumn, though not as colorful as other cities.
Isn’t it amazing how our minds can associate sights and smells with wonderful memories? Customer service is so often a forgettable profession where its professionals are reduced to being the punching bags in organizations, hanging out there at the mercy of a bunch of angry customers. Furthermore, they seemingly get no support from management in the companies they work for. It’s no surprise that turnover is high for customer service jobs.
On this customer service week what do you say we turn the tide a bit and make some new customer service memories? Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Celebrate EVERY positive bit of feedback you receive from customers about your staff and do it publicly.
- Take your customer service team out to happy hour or some other fun, after work activity.
- Encourage everyone in your organization to show appreciation for your customer service staff.
- Have lots of free food in the office or order lunch for everyone.
- Managers spend an hour or even a day taking front line support calls. Spend some time in the shoes of your front line team and gain new appreciation for the things they do on a daily basis.
- Take a customer service representative out for coffee and really listen to their ideas about how to improve their job.
What else would you add to this list and what are you doing for your customer service team this week? Perhaps after doing this for a week you’ll realize you should have been doing this all along. As you aim to appreciate your awesome customer service team, know that they will associate the memories you make with the sights and smells of the season. It WILL leave a lasting impact. Happy Customer Service Week everyone!
