How personal should business be? Do some customers prefer to keep their suppliers at a professional distance or can great things grow from that personal touch?
I have always been a great believer in the personal touch when it comes to customer relations. 15 years ago when I first started out in the world of IT and customer care it was common practice and quite acceptable to send celebration cards and sometimes even gifts to the customers. Then I noticed a change in attitudes towards such activities. It became unprofessional to get so close and customers seemed to become more skeptical towards the motives behind such gestures. What a terrible shame that the working relationships had been spoiled by changing company policies.
From experience though I do feel that acknowledging a customers celebration is still appreciated and can still be done in a way not to cause the staff to shout “share that round that’s the new rule”.
At CE Services this month we have had 3 customers celebrating new babies, Lee at Martin Dawes, Dave at Crewe Engineering, Greg at Thomas Hardies Trucks and we wanted to pass on our congratulations to them. So we did by sending them cards which we all signed with personal messages. Our only motive being that of genuine joy for them. The cards were greatly appreciated.
In a world where the only news seems to be bad news, why not take time to highlight the good that surrounds us all every day?
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