About Customer Service Week
A strong consumer base is necessary for the success of any business, and the first full week in October is set aside annually to recognize the important role customer service representatives play. Started in the late 1980s and officially recognized by the United States Congress in 1992, Customer Service Week is a chance for businesses to reinforce the importance of satisfied consumers to employees.
This week-long celebration has also spread to emerging markets in other countries that have witnessed the success it has had for American businesses. Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the U.K. have all implemented their own Customer Service Appreciation Week events to improve the relationship between consumers and businesses. Some of the industries that benefit the most from loyal and satisfied customers include finance, insurance, manufacturing, retail, communications, and hospitality. Healthcare, nonprofits, and governmental agencies also benefit from a strong customer base.
Fun Facts on Customer Service Week
Fact: We spend up to 10 percent more for the same product with better service.
Fact: We tell anywhere from nine to 12 people when we get good service.
Fact: When we receive poor service, we tell up to 20 people.
Fact: Studies have shown that it takes a customer as few as 10 seconds to pick up on the attitude (bad or good) of the person they are speaking to!
Creating a Customer Service Culture
When people think of customer service, they think of the front-line workers, the ones who come in direct contact with the customer. But the truth is, everyone in your company has an impact on the customer experience: from the receptionist who greets visitors, to the IT worker who maintains the systems to take orders, to the marketing staff that communicates information about your products. Everyone touches the customer in some way. This is why you must develop a customer service culture, from the top down.
Here are some simple steps you can take to create a customer-friendly organization:
Communicate to every level of the company the importance of customer service and the behaviors you are looking for regarding that service.
Recognize employees when they demonstrate positive service behaviors, both formally with awards and informally with certificates, medallions, or hand-written notes of thanks.
Constantly give specific examples of good customer service.
Emphasize the concept of internal customer service, and treat your employees well! The quality of service they offer your customers is directly related to how the employees are treated themselves.
Empower your employees to make decisions to satisfy customers.
Train all your employees on this customer service-based culture from the moment they are hired.
How to Celebrate Customer Service Appreciation Week
Take time out to recognize the front-line contributions of your customer service staff during Customer Service Week. By acknowledging the importance of their direct role in the success of the company, you'll be arming them with a positive attitude that will be reflected in every customer interaction.
In addition to focusing on the customer service department, this special week provides the perfect opportunity to promote an internal customer service culture that links every member of your organization to the customer.
Exceptional customer service starts on the inside
Though it's easy to forget, and often not recognized by companies, customer service is every employee's job. Regardless of position or title, each employee serves someone else in the company with a service or product. It's the IT worker ensuring flawless systems support, to the finance manager who generates the detailed report, and so on. It's the product manager working on new product lines that will be executed by the product developer, who creates the merchandise that will be purchased by the customer. When each "provider" in this service chain delivers quality service to their internal customers, the external customer is the ultimate winner.
This 360-degree approach to customer service has been transforming the workplace in recent years. With Customer Service Week every October, now is the perfect time to incorporate this customer-centric strategy into your organization's long-term plans.
Start building your internal customer culture with these easy-to-implement ideas:
• Encourage spontaneous, year-round recognition. Pass out a service-themed lapel pin or medallion to each person in the company at the beginning of the year. During the course of the year, employees can use that item to reward an employee who has provided them with exceptional service. The excitement this type of program generates is infectious and highly effective.
• Celebrate service as a company. Instead of holding a traditional year-end customer service department award ceremony, invite the entire organization to an Excellence in Service awards celebration. In addition to presenting your external customer service awards, recognize one individual in every department for providing extraordinary internal customer service during the year.
• Instill customer culture in new hires. Train new employees to think like service providers from their very first day on the job. By providing them with a strong grounding in this initiative, you'll find new hires to be important agents for change throughout the organization.
Focusing on high-quality customer service throughout your organization year-round strengthens your entire team while improving customer satisfaction. Use the gift ideas above to motivate your employees to put customers first in every action they take at work. Find Customer Service Appreciation Week gifts here.
