Unlocking Employee Appreciation: Celebrate Customer Service Week 2024 with These 5 Creative Ideas!

If you’re reading this article the day it comes out, then next week – the first full week of October – is Customer Service Week. This special week was created in the 1980s when the International Customer Service Association suggested that organizations should recognize the employees who create the experience that gets customers to say, “I’ll be back.”

Here are five ideas to celebrate.

There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging customers during this week. I encourage it. But who makes those customers want to do business with you? Your employees! So, with that in mind, here are five ideas, one for each day of the week, to inspire you to motivate and appreciate your employees:

1. Monday: Kick off the week with a rally around your customer service vision. If you don’t have one, now’s the time. I refer to this vision as a mantra, which is a sentence or less describing what you want your customers to experience. My favorite, and if you’ve been following me, you will already know this, comes from The Ritz-Carlton: “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.”
2. Tuesday: It’s Testimonial Tuesday. Invite several customers to record a 60-second video testimonial about how much they enjoy doing business with your organization and its employees. These can be edited together to create a short video. Play it throughout the day or email it to all employees.
3. Wednesday: This is Innovation Day. Ask every employee to share at least one idea that could enhance the employee or customer experience, boost efficiency, foster safety, and more. All suggestions – big or small – are encouraged. Participation guarantees entry into a prize drawing.
4. Thursday: Let’s make it about food! Bring in pizza or ice cream for the employees to enjoy. To show appreciation, have the leadership serve it. Just a little something to say, “Thank you for doing a great job!”
5. Friday: Celebrate Kudos Day. Every employee writes a personal compliment for a colleague, fostering a culture of appreciation and connection throughout the company.

Celebrate your employees all year.

You don’t have to do something every day. This article is meant to jump-start your creativity. Even though Customer Service Week is five days, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t express appreciation to your employees and customers all throughout the year.