Thanking Someone for Being a Customer Should Be Automatic

Kevin’s Amazing Customer Service Rule #30:

Thank your customers

This is one of those customer service "rules" that shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t even have to be a reminder. To thank someone for being a customer should be automatic, not because we’re trained or measured to do so but because we are actually thankful for their business.

But, sadly, it ain’t necessarily so.

The good news is, this gives the rest of us a huge opportunity. While we can’t change the whole world, we can change our little corner of it. Which means we can make sure we take the time to thank our customers. It means we can help our employees understand why they should be thankful for our customers. It means we can do things to ensure everyone associated with us understands what it’s like to be appreciated.

We could talk for days about how to motivate people to be thankful or, at least, to say “thank you”. But I don’t believe people should be taught to be thankful. I don’t believe it matters if employees thank customers because they're being measured against it. The act of thanking our customers needs to come from inside. It needs to be genuine.

Show your employees how to be thankful.

Employees will follow their leaders. They will repeat what their role models do if they respect them, trust them and feel good about them. So, the best way to get your employees to be thankful is to thank them. Show them how important they are by acknowledging what they do. Tell them and show them you appreciate them.

If you thank your employees on a regular and frequent basis (and you do it sincerely) they will thank their customers. If you are thankful for them (and you show it) they will be thankful for their customers. They’ll even start to thank each other. (Not every employee will do this but most will. And those who don’t will be telling you something about themselves.)

And, by the way, this works in all areas of our lives. Try this with your spouse, your kids, parents, friends, anyone you care about. It works. And it creates better and stronger relationships that are a lot more fun. I guarantee it!