Last week (October 4th through 8th) was Customer Service Week – and how did you celebrate it? For those who are unfamiliar, Customer Service Week was started by the International Customer Service Association in 1988 and today is celebrated by a wide variety of organizations around the globe. The purpose of this dedicated week is to recognize and celebrate the individuals who work at the frontline, providing service to customers.
And celebrate they do – I’ve talked with member companies and seen articles about a lot of fun Customer Service Week events from catered lunches to theme days to gift cards/giveaways to games. After awhile, you start to see the themes emerge: frontline reps as superheros, dress-up days, peer recognition awards – and while they are all great ideas, I found a few more creative ideas I wanted to share as you think about Customer Service Week 2011:
1. “Cash Cab” redux: One company used the Discovery Channel show, “Cash Cab” as inspiration and had their reps report in shifts to the company’s parking lot to get into a supervisor’s car. The supervisor drove in laps around the building while asking the reps a series of questions. Reps received play money for getting the answer correct. But, just like in “Cash Cab” if they got the answer wrong – then the ride was quickly over.
2. Hooray for…Office Chairs?: While most of us spend our days in them (especially our frontline reps), we probably don’t give much thought to our office chairs. But one company decided to use these items to celebrate Customer Service Week. They divided their frontline into teams and asked each to create an office chair float around the theme of high-quality customer service. Each team then joined in a lively parade around the building – thowning candy to onlookers throughout the company.
3. A Pleasant Surprise for Reps: Another company tricked their reps on Customer Service Week. But, before you get too outranged, listen in. The company told their reps they would be going to a cookout to celebrate – pretty standard right? But, on the appointed day the reps were blindfolded and driven to a different location. To the rep’s pleasant surprise, they were taken to the local mall and given gift cards so they could shop and eat with their co-workers.
I’m sure this just scratches the surface – so please comment on your best Customer Service Week event. What did you do this year for your frontline?
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on October 14, 2010
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We have a committee that forms each year to organize activities for Customer Service Week. We have around 1700 people included in the celebration, many of which are under some particular time and production constraints to keep in mind. We do find an activity for each day of the week (below is this year’s) –
Monday: goody bags with clever sayings of appreciation related to the candy inside,
Tuesday: anyone can submit an e-form recognizing a co-worker for great service (both are eligible for a prize),
Wednesday: hot breakfast served by management,
Thursday: trivia contest with movie/tv quotes and slogans related to customer service,
Friday: a giveaway item (desk caddy/clock) along with supervisors and managers bringing in desserts for all.
We manage the week with a $10 per person budget and without compromising anyone’s adherence.