Customer service is essential for all businesses. 90% of customers say that customer service quality is a factor when deciding whether or not to do business with a company, and 93% will make repeat purchases from a company that offers great customer service.

And at the heart of a great customer experience is your customer service team. So to celebrate National Customer Service Week from October 3 to October 7, Incept has come up with five great ways to show your appreciation to your team members. Read on, and get all the details.

1. Celebrate Your Customer Service Team’s Great Work

Everybody likes feeling recognized and appreciated. So when your team does great work or goes above and beyond expectations, make them feel appreciated! Creating a social media post about an employee, praising them in an internal memo or email, or using some other form of employee recognition will help them feel like their hard work is truly being appreciated.

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2. Plan An After-Work Happy Hour

Who doesn’t love free food and drinks? If you want to show appreciation to your customer service team, an after-work happy hour is a great idea. Your team can show up, eat and drink on the company’s dime, and celebrate the great work that they're doing for your company. This is also a great opportunity for team-building, especially if your customer service team is busy and doesn’t really get to spend much time together in the workplace. 

3. Reward Your Employees With Gifts Or Bonuses

Everyone always appreciates extra cash, so bonuses are a good option, if they're practical and fit into your budget and your company’s compensation scheme. If you don’t like the idea of giving them cash, gift cards that are tailored to an employee’s interests are also a great way to thank them for doing a great job.

Want to take things further? You can even create themed gifts, like a “movie night” basket with a gift card to Netflix, microwaveable popcorn, and a blanket with your company’s logo. Your options are limitless, but the more memorable, the better!

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4. Give Them Some Extra Time Off 

We all know that customer service can be stressful. According to one study, up to 74% of customer service employees are at risk of burnout. So if you want to appreciate and reward your employees, consider giving them a little more PTO, if possible. Even an extra day or half-day off can help them relax, de-stress, and stay at their best!

5. Ask Them For Feedback (And Listen To It)

There’s always room for improvement. And when employees feel listened to, they feel appreciated. So as part of Customer Service Week, we recommend emphasizing employee feedback, whether it’s through internal memos, surveys, phone hotlines, or any other method.

Ask employees what they really think, and take their feedback into account in the future. When you make actionable, obvious changes based on your customer service team's feedback, they're more likely to stick with your company – and to feel appreciated in their role.

Celebrate National Customer Service Week With Incept!

At Incept, we’re proud to be a sponsor of National Customer Service Week. We hope these ideas can help you show appreciation for your customer service team, and everything they do for your company. Want to learn more about how to delight both your customers and your employees? Take a look at our blog for more helpful info, or learn more about our customer experience solutions.