6 Ways to Show Customer Appreciation During the Holidays

The holiday season is an ideal time to show your gratitude for your onsite customers

Looking to increase your customer satisfaction and retention? Ultimately, building a loyal customer base isn’t difficult, it just takes some effort. Provide a quality service, ensure good value, be transparent in your pricing … and of course, let your customers know how much you appreciate them. This sense of gratitude is the “secret sauce” that distinguishes truly excellent companies. 

The holiday season is an ideal time to make your appreciation known. Consider a few tried-and-true suggestions to express customer appreciation, and to improve your customer retention rates, throughout this final stretch of the year.

1) Send holiday cards.
As a rule of thumb, we send holiday cards to the people who are closest to us. So, by sending cards to your customers, you can show them that you really do recognize and appreciate them. Hand-written (or at least hand-signed) cards are especially meaningful.

2) Host a contest.
A holiday contest can be a great way to spread festive spirit while also demonstrating gratitude to your customers. Invite them to share one of your social media posts, or to upload and tag pictures of some work you did for them, offering a discount or even a free service call to the lucky winner.

3) Send out some promos.
Another way to show customer appreciation? Send out a holiday e-blast that’s chock-full of promotions. Provide your email subscribers with discounts on their next service call, savings on your routine maintenance plans… be as generous as possible. ‘Tis the season, after all!

4) Hold a customer appreciation event.
Assuming you have a front office facility that can hold a few people, invite your customers to swing by some evening for a holiday open house. Have festive cookies, hot chocolate and other snacks. Be ready to say hi and to express your appreciation in person.

5) Support a local charity.
Something else to consider: Support a charity in your customers’ honor. Select a local organization that you know most of your customers will approve of; maybe an organization that helps the poor and the homeless in your town, or that coordinates toy drives for kids. Note that your donation is in honor of customer appreciation, then let your customers know about it through email and social media.

6) Provide gifts to your customers.
This option may not be within your budget, but you could consider ordering some branded swag (say, pens, frisbees or plastic cups) and bestowing them on customers at each service call. Gift-giving is a classic way to show appreciation during the holidays.

Show your customers you care

Everyone wants to feel appreciated, and your customers are not exempt. This holiday season, go the extra mile to express your gratitude. Even a small gesture may prove effective in boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty, which can ultimately help you grow your bottom line over the long run.

About the author 
Amanda Clark is the president and editor-in-chief of Grammar Chic, a full-service professional writing company. She is a published ghostwriter and editor, and she's currently under contract with literary agencies in Malibu, California, and Dublin. Since founding Grammar Chic in 2008, Clark, along with her team of skilled professional writers, has offered expertise to clients in the creative, business and academic fields. The company accepts a wide range of projects; often engages in content and social media marketing; and drafts resumes, press releases, web content, marketing materials and ghostwritten creative pieces. Contact Clark at www.grammarchic.net.



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