Ideas for customer appreciation during the holidays

A critical component of good customer service is showing that you genuinely care about your customers. Not just as a group of patrons you do business with, but as individual people too. When people feel appreciated and well-cared for as an individual, they are more likely to continue being a loyal customer to your business.

When the holidays approach, there are some great opportunities to show how much you care for and appreciate your customers, while spreading a little festive cheer. Here are some ideas to share some holiday cheer with your customers:

Offer a discount or gift.

For some businesses, it might work to offer a special holiday discount to past customers or a free gift with the purchase of your products or services in December. Getting something extra at Christmas time will make your customers feel appreciated or give them a reason to do business with you over your competition. Be generous and make sure it’s something your customers will want or need, otherwise, it won’t have the right impact.

Send out Christmas cards.

“I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, with every Christmas card I write.”  - Bing Crosby

Did reading that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling? It will give your clients the same wonderful feeling to open a beautifully decorated holiday card from you at Christmas. Writing and mailing physical cards is slowly becoming a thing of the past, but it’s a pretty easy way to show your clients you care.

We get that this might not be practical if you have a massive client database, but still works well if you have a small to medium client list. If that’s the case for you, spend an afternoon this month and write a short but personal message to your best clients, thank them for your business and wish them a happy holiday. Even though it’s not done as often as it used to be, people still love receiving an old-school Christmas card.

Swap out your phone greetings for something a little more festive.

If you use professional greetings for your automated phone system or on hold messages, change the messages up for the holiday season. Use your messages to spread a little holiday cheer, tell your customers you care and alert them of any changes in your hours of operation that might occur over the holidays. They’ll appreciate the heads up, the seasons greetings and having something cheerful to listen to as they wait for a customer service representative.

Read these ideas for spreading holiday cheer with on hold messaging.

Donate to charity.

Instead of buying gifts for your clients, make a donation to their favourite charity on their behalf. This gives you an opportunity to speak with your customers and learn what they care about the most. It doesn’t have to be a huge donation, just the same cost-value as the usual gift-basket or poinsettia you might give your top clients this time of year. Not only will you show your clients that you care about what THEY care about, you’ll also be helping worthy charities in your community.

Happy Holidays, from all of us at On Air!