Celebrate Service 2022: How to Show Appreciation for Your Customer Service Team This Week & Beyond

Some things are appropriate to celebrate for just a day … but when it comes to recognizing the heroes out on the frontlines of customer service, well, they deserve a whole week of praise.

Why honor customer service professionals?

If you’ve ever worked in customer service, that question might seem rhetorical. Happy customers lead to more money, growth and sustainability, and customer service representatives (CSRs) are the ones tasked with ensuring that happiness — that’s one heck of a responsibility.

With CSRs carrying so much of the team on their backs, why don’t they get the recognition they deserve?

Customer Service Week was started by the International Customer Service Association in 1984 and declared a national event by the U.S. Congress in 1992 to shine a spotlight on the profound value that customer service provides organizations. And while customer service is something that needs to be held up and celebrated every day, October 3rd-7th is a week where businesses can really lean in and make their customer service teams feel like the super stars that they are.

Let these eye-opening stats really drive home just how important customer service is:

• One-third of all consumers consider the most important aspect of good experiences is being able to get their problem solved in one single sitting regardless of the amount of time spent.
• Companies that deliver a great customer experience outperform their peers by an over 3-to-1 ratio in shareholder return.
• More than six out of ten consumers say they will stop buying from a company and switch to a competitor after just one poor customer experience.
• 90% of Americans use customer experience as a factor in deciding whether or not to do business with a company. (Microsoft)
• If the company’s customer service is excellent, 78% of consumers will do business with a company again after a mistake. (Salesforce Research)
• Increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by between 25% and 95%. (Bain and Company)
• 89% of companies with “significantly above average” customer experiences perform better financially than their competitors. (Qualtrics XM Institute)

Ways to show your CSRs some gratitude this week (and beyond!)

Positive customer service isn’t just a marketing maxim — it’s a business imperative. And while an annual celebration is a wonderful way to bring attention to it, the day after Customer Service Week ends is arguably the most important one, as it demonstrates how and where customer service really fits into an organization’s priorities during the other 51 weeks out of the year.

Let’s get to celebrating that by honoring the CSRs that help your organization achieve it! Here are some ways you can show pride, gratitude and appreciation for your customer service team both this week and far into the future:

Let them know you care. Whether it’s an email, eCard or handwritten note, letting CSRs know they’re appreciated is the best way to kick off Customer Service Week.

Show your stories. Highlight exceptional customer stories by posting them on a wall for all to see and add to.

Host team-building, skill-building and recognition activities. Providing ongoing growth opportunities for customer service teams shows that you’re invested in their personal development and want to help them reach their goals. Sometimes that’s the easiest way to show you care!

Reward great work. Offer rewards — vacation hours, gift cards, a virtual lunch or happy hour are some great starters — based on individual, team and department goals.

Early release on Friday. Adding a couple hours to their weekend by allowing staff to leave a little early will not only have them feeling appreciated, they’ll value working at a place that respects them and everything they do.

Throw a party! Everybody loves a good party, so bring out the snacks, drinks and streamers and show your CSRs a fun time. They’ll get a little time away from work to recharge and feel uplifted by the celebration of their work. Test out some games with prizes! And most importantly, keep up that level of customer service enthusiasm all year round.

Want more ideas on how to celebrate Customer Service Week 2022? The Official Site for National Customer Service Week has everything from ideas and inspiration to ready-to-use materials and agendas to help you make this Customer Service Week a memorable one!