Customer Service Week is coming up October 1-5, and managers are in the midst of planning themes, games, and prizes to energize and recognize their team. This year for Customer Service Week, why not get the team involved in the recognition?

This activity is from our Team Up! eBook, and it’s great for Customer Service Week. This activity doesn’t interrupt business as usual, and employees can incorporate it into their every day routine. It encourages employees to practice peer recognition and look for the great things their coworkers do every day.  And if your team really likes the activity, it can become a long term recognition program!

You can do this activity with as few as three people and as many as you want! You will need a set of Cheerful Change coins and a note cube or note pad. You could also use Tokens of Appreciation for the coins and add your company logo to the back. This activity is very quick and easy to explain:

Step 1: Fill a bowl with your choice of Cheerful Change coins. Bring the bowl and the note cube to your next team meeting.  Explain to the team that this is the bowl for “making change,” and that the goal is to create a more positive, helpful culture. 

Step 2: Explain to the team that whenever they see someone doing something that contributes to the team’s goals,  helps a teammate, or makes things easier for a customer, they should write that person’s name and what they did on a note and place it in the “Making Change” bowl.  Then they take a coin from the bowl and give it to that co-worker, thanking them for the specific action that is making the workplace change for the better.  Example:  “You have demonstrated positive change for us by creating this customer service form, so I want to give some cheerful change to you.”

Step 3: When a team member receives a coin, he should look for someone else doing something helpful and pass it on, being sure to write what they did on a note and place it in the bowl.

Step 4: When the bowl is empty of coins, celebrate with a team lunch or a treat at the next team meeting.  Ask everyone to bring back their coins to refill the bowl and begin again.  When the coins are returned to the bowl, remove the post-It notes and say, “Let’s find out how we made change.” Then ask everyone on the team to pick a note and read it.  This allows them to re-live the helpful behavior and the recognition given for it.

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.