Badge Of Honor

Set up a recognition program that starts in Customer Service Week but lasts all year. Create categories, including positive attitude, excellent phone skills, etc. Each month, with October as the first month, take nominations of people who exemplify the categories. Give an appropriate Lapel Pin to each nominee, such as a “Teamwork: Together We Shine” for great teamwork or a “Service Beyond Expectations” for giving 110%. Your winning reps will enjoy showing off the pins since they symbolize their achievements.

Think Pink

Incorporating National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) into Customer Service Week is a smart idea. You can show you care about the health of your employees and their loved ones. Order educational items from www.positivebca.com (Positive Promotions’ NBCAM Web site). Make them available all week. Also order Pink Catalyst Pens imprinted with an awareness slogan such as “Early Detection Saves Lives.” Arrange seminars about breast cancer. Give pens to people who attend.

Gratitude At High Altitude

Without a dedicated customer service staff, your business couldn’t have reached its current heights of success. Create posters that read “Thanks For Helping Our Company Soar.” Hang up photographs of various types of aircraft. Distribute soda and juice from a cart that you push through the halls. Also pass out small bags of peanuts or pretzels. Use “Customer Service: Every Call Matters” Drawstring Backpacks and “Giving Our All On Every Call” Phone-Shaped Stress Relievers as thank-you gifts. The backpacks would be great for carrying on an airplane, and the stress relievers could be relaxing during takeoffs and landings.

Spread The Thanks

Ask your customer service team members to each invite someone to this year’s appreciation luncheon. Tell them to pick the person in the company who makes his or her job easier. At the event, have your reps talk a little about these valued employees. Then show your gratitude to the specially chosen guests by giving them “We Succeed Because Of You” Translucent Travel Mugs. Award “Positive Attitudes, Endless Possibilities” Lanyards to your own reps.

Five Times The Fun

Perhaps you want the sentiment conveyed through Customer Service Week to last longer. Don’t celebrate five days straight. Instead celebrate every Friday during October. This year, October has five of them. Plan fun activities that employees can look forward to each week. Use the items from the Deluxe Gift-A-Day Combos or the Customer Service Gift-A-Day Packs as rewards for participation.

Growing Gratitude

Bring the beauty of spring to Customer Service Week. Use a floral theme for your celebrations. Place potted flowers around your department. Have cut flowers on the tables at events. Decorate bulletin boards with artificial flowers. Let your reps know they help your business bloom. On Monday, hand out “Plant The Seeds Of Customer Loyalty” Treat Packs. On Friday, reward each rep with “A Garden Of Thanks” Bud Vase & Caddy, complete with real flowers.

Random But Rewarding

If you choose to hold a lunch or dinner during Customer Service Week, remember that food and gifts go hand in hand. Start with a variety of items including “Customer Service: Dedicated To Excellence” Mini Carryalls and Double Duty Calculators to name a few. Wrap and put a number on each gift. Tape a number to the bottom of each plate that will be used for the meal. When your reps have finished eating, tell them to carefully lift up their plates to see the other side. Have them take turns coming up to the front of the room and retrieving the gift they’ve won.