Customer Service Week is underway at Baudville! This year, we are having a spirit week. Each day has a different theme, and employees are encouraged to dress up and get in the spirit. In addition to all the fun outfits, each day there are activities and games for employees to play. Monday, there was a sports quiz featuring local sports teams. All correct entries were entered into a drawing for two tickets to a Griffins hockey game. Rockstar Day was complete with a rousing game of Rock Band as well as a word search, trivia and one hit wonder matching game. Only our SPIRIT Team knows what's in store the rest of the week!

Monday - Sports Day 

Tuesday - Rockstar Day

Wednesday - Super Hero Day

Thursday - Decades Day

Friday - Baudville Spirit Day

Follow all the Customer Service Week fun on our Facebook page where pictures are being added daily. What are you doing for Customer Service Week? Show us how you're celebrating by adding pictures to the Facebook page or adding comments to this blog entry. And don't forget to participate in our poll about your favorite Customer Service Week activity!

Customer Service Week starts on Monday, October 5! Hopefully you're nearly complete with your planning, but in case you're behind, here are a few extra tips to inspire you. We'll be Twittering and blogging frequently next week to let you know how Baudville is celebrating the week, so stay tuned!

Customer Service representatives make up the face of your organization. They communicate with customers first hand, and it is often based on their interaction that repeat business comes or goes. That’s why recognizing this group of hard working employees is so important!

For a few customer service appreciation ideas, we went directly to Baudville’s stellar Customer Service Representatives and asked them about meaningful and motivating recognition they have received in the past.

Personalized and individual recognition. A memorable customer service appreciation idea is to give personalized recognition. Knowing your employees’ recognition preferences is key to effective and motivating recognition. When picking a gift for your team, select something that comes in a variety of options. For example, give each employee a candy bar, but buy a selection so they can choose their favorite.

“I had a manager in the past who gave everyone the same, beautiful scarf Christmas gift. But she took the time to pick out the color that she knew the recipient liked and what she thought they would look best in.  It was great, because someone took the time to learn about them.”
- Dawn

Share the good news. Around Baudville, one of our favorite customer service appreciation ideas is to share positive customer feedback. When our CEO receives an email or a letter from a customer praising one of our Customer Service Representatives, he shares it with the rest of the company. Simply forwarding an email has a big impression on the employees.

“The one thing that will always stick out for me is when a customer of mine emailed Brad about how good of a job I did with her order and how I helped her with her event.  Not only did Brad congratulate me in person with Kurt and Brenda in the room and give me a gift, but he also forwarded the email to the entire staff.  The gift was great, but the email to the staff really made me feel appreciated.  I then received numerous emails from coworkers who I barely saw, much less spoke to on a daily basis, congratulating me about what I did.  Sometimes the smallest things, like a quick email, can make someone’s day……I know for sure it made mine!!”
- Missy

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Cori is a Certified Recognition Professional at Baudville and a member of the Millennial generation. In addition to writing for the Baudville blog, she’s taking on the task of flooding the Twitterverse with positive mojo. Find out more - and join her cause! - at www.Twitter.com/Baudville using the hash tag #positivemojo.

I looked at the calendar today and was wondering what happened to summer in Michigan.  How can it already be mid-September with Customer Service Week just a few short weeks away?
Customer Service Week (October 5 – 9) is a big deal at Baudville.  It provides us with a wonderful opportunity to express to our employees how much we appreciate their commitment to provide superior customer service to both our external and internal customers (other employees).  I would love to tell you about all the fun things we have planned for our employees, but that is a big secret around here.  That may be content for a future blog.

Last year we formed a committee that we named Baudville SpIRIT to help plan corporate events, review ways to enhance our culture at Baudville and reach out to our community.  This committee, which stands for Spontaneous Inspiration and Recognition Implementation Team, is comprised of employees from multiple departments and positions. 

Each committee member is sworn to secrecy, and all other employees are warned that bribes for top secret information are not accepted.  Because some events at Baudville, like Customer Service Week and our Year End party, are kept secret until the start of the event, employees enjoy trying to get SpIRIT members to reveal sensitive information.

For example, one employee asks me quite often, “Where did you say the Year End party was going to be this year?”  The secret location and theme for this event creates lots of suspense and excitement.  We reveal the location of the party one week prior to the event, and the theme is a surprise that awaits the employee until they arrive at the party.  It’s always fun to see everyone’s response to the big reveal!

So, back to Customer Service Week...  Our theme for this year’s Customer Service Week should be a lot of fun.  I’m excited to utilize some of our products in very unique ways.  We have a cool give away planned to match our theme for this year.  It will probably be waiting on employees’ desks when they arrive in the morning on one of the days.  I had better stop typing before I reveal too much information.  I might get kicked off of my own team!

Hope you have a great Customer Service Week.  Every employee impacts your customers in one way or another.  Take advantage of an opportunity to celebrate, encourage and appreciate your employees.  It doesn’t have to cost a lot to spread some cheer!

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Cindy is the Human Resources Manager at Baudville and has over 14 years HR experience. In addition to her HR Generalist duties, she’s the center of positive mojo for the company and heads up many of our recognition initiatives, events and awards. In other words, she’s got it going on!