Customer Care Corner: Do we give enough to our customers?

In this era of “gifts with purchase”, people – and I’m sure many of us included – have gotten used to being rewarded in some form or another for our purchases.  So much so, that more often than not it’s something we come to expect. 

One of the things that I love to do is to shop online for art & papercrafting materials…I admit it, it’s a bit of an addiction LOL.  Most of the time, when I open up my much-anticipated package, there’s a thank you note and often a small gift.  Sometimes it’s a yard of ribbon, sometimes it’s a package of embellishments, sometimes it’s a small stamp….and I’m always pleasantly surprised.  One day though, I remember opening up a package from a sizeable order I had placed, and there was…nothing!  I searched through the box wondering if I had somehow overlooked it, but nope, that was not the case.  I remember feeling quite let down.  Thoughts such as “They could have at least included a little thank you note”, or “They obviously don’t appreciate the fact that I chose to spend my hard earned money on them” ran through my head. I even went so far as to contemplate not ordering from them again.  

Is that fair?  No.  And in fact, as I realized what I was thinking, initially, I wasn’t proud of myself.  After all, why should we have to reward people for their purchases?  As I got to thinking about it more though, I realized two things.  The first is that as a society, it’s something we’ve gotten conditioned to…it’s started to become the norm.  The second thing though, is that as I examined my feelings I realized that when a company expresses it’s appreciation to me for choosing them out of the multitude of companies I could have purchased from, it makes me feel special and valued.  Is it wrong to want to feel like you are valued as a customer.  Personally, I would have to say absolutely not.

THAT is why if you were to ask me, I would say that as a business (which is what I consider my Stampin’ Up! demonstratorship to be), it is important to look for ways to show our appreciation to our customers on a consistent basis.  So what does it mean to show appreciation?  Does it mean you’re going to have to give away the farm, or dip into your profits?  Thankfully the answer is no.  The key is to keep in mind that it’s the gesture that has meaning, not so much WHAT it is. 

Some ways I try to make my customers feel valued and special:

• for my online orders, they receive a personal email from me thanking them for their purchase.
• all customers get a little thank you note in their orders, or if it’s an online order, mailed to them.
• I monitor the delivery of their shipment (for online orders) and within a few days of them receiving their order they get an email making sure everything was okay.
• For individual customer orders which I package up myself, I may staple a little ziploc baggie to their thank you note which contains with a yard of ribbon or a few embellishments.  Sometimes I might break up the extra sale-a-bration or hostess sets I earn and give them one stamp.
• For online orders greater than $50, I may give them a free pdf tutorial

I think the most important thing to keep in mind when deciding what you are going to do to show your appreciation to your customers, is that it is the gesture that’s important.  Don’t make the mistake of giving away too much off the bat, because you’re going to set a precedent that you’ll then have to keep living up to.

What about you?  What are some of the ways YOU try and make your customers feel special?  Please share.