Happy Customer Service Week! Every year, companies celebrate Customer Service Week during the first week of October. It’s the perfect time to honor your employees who serve and support customers on a daily basis.
Customer service agents are a critical component to your brand’s success. By interacting directly with customers, they can have the biggest impact on your reputation. According to HubSpot Research, 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases with companies who offer excellent customer service. And, after one bad experience, 80% of customers would rather switch to a competitor, according to ZenDesk.
Since customer service associates will never treat customers better than they’re being treated internally, you’ve got to show your employees that you care about them all year long. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use this week as an extra special way to thank your associates.
Ideas for Celebrating Customer Service Week
Here are a few suggestions of how you can make your associates feel extra special during Customer Service Week. Whether you are running on a low budget or working with a remote staff, there are endless ways to celebrate.
Big Budget Ideas:
- Contact a local therapy dog organization that can make a visit to your office during the week.
- A complimentary massage or other luxury service – especially for those who work on their feet all day.
- Create a private relaxation room in your office for your employees to use to disconnect during the work day. Instead of a sterile break room, throw in some cozy chairs, a sound machine, and a mini-fridge of beverages.
- Offer free learning opportunities and/or mental health resources, like a subscription to HeadSpace.
- Host a team-building activity, even if it’s after work. Can you treat your team to a crafting night or a nice dinner?
Medium Budget Ideas:
- Host an award ceremony for top-performing agents with exciting raffle giveaways for all team members.
- Hire a professional masseuse to come to your office and do 15-minute massages per employee.
- Provide a catered breakfast, lunch, or ice cream sundae bar for your team. If your employees are remote, offer a DoorDash gift card!
- Give everyone a $5 gift card to a local coffee shop.
- Lead a meditation or yoga session during the work day.
- Buy new office supplies for your customer service associates.
Low Budget Ideas
- Share a personal address from your CEO, president, or division head to thank employees for their service. This can be done with a video if your team is virtual.
- Curate the best customer feedback that each employee has received and make custom cards.
- Provide a grab-and-go snack bar.
- Organize a team potluck meal, either during or after work.
- Decorate the office for Customer Service Week: bring in bright flowers and plants, display a big ‘thank you’ sign outside of the building, etc.
Employee Gifting: The Do’s and Don’ts
Gifting for large teams can be difficult. You probably won’t end up pleasing everyone. Here are a few additional tips to follow when trying to choose the best initiative for your employees.
- Try to do something special every day of Customer Service Week so that all associates feel the love, regardless of their work schedule.
- Don’t forget the night shift employees!
- Get the community involved. You may be able to get great discounts or sponsored gifts and services from businesses around town who are also appreciative of your team (like yoga studios, nail salons, or restaurants!). Employees will feel even more special knowing that you went the extra mile for them, plus you may be able to save some money. The ultimate win-win.
- I can’t stress this enough – do NOT simply give out company swag. Swag is promotional and unoriginal, and it’s basically asking your employees to advertise your company for free.
- If gifting food, make sure you account for all allergies. Also, give employees a head’s up! If you’re providing a free meal, let them know the day before so they don’t waste time packing a lunch, or fill up on breakfast at home!
- Find gifts or raffle prizes that can be used by an employee and their family. Make them the hero at home!
What are some other ways you can express your appreciation for your employees during Customer Service Week? Be sure to save a few of these ideas to use throughout the year so you can show your employees how much you care.
