The Importance of Saying Thank You to Your Customers

Today’s post comes from my own personal experience this past Halloween.

I’m not a huge fan of Halloween, but I decided to turn on our porch light and provide candy for the neighborhood ghosts and goblins this year. Boy, did I encounter some ungrateful kids!

Of the ten groups of kids who rang my doorbell, only one or two actually took the time to say “thank you.” One kid even told me that he didn’t like the kind of candy I had given him, and he wanted a different kind instead. Yikes!

How can you keep ungratefulness from creeping into your small business? Here are some tips for you:

Say “Thanks for your order!”

If you own your own business, you probably receive a notification (by email) each time a customer places an order. How about sending a quick “thank you” email or Etsy convo to that customer?

Now, of course, if your website receives hundreds of orders each day, you probably won’t have time to send a personalized thank-you email to each customer. However, if you receive just a handful of orders per day, sending a quick email/convo to say thanks (and let them know when you might be shipping their item) is great customer service.

Say “Thanks for your comment!”

Blog comments are like gold. When someone leaves a comment on your blog, take a moment to reply to the comment or email the commenter directly. Say “thank you” for adding to the conversation. I’ll bet that commenter will become a regular blog visitor — just as a result of your one small gesture.

Say “Thanks for your feedback!”

I don’t see this type of “thank you” done very often, but I think it’s a wonderful way to leave a great final impression. If a customer leaves you some feedback (even negative feedback), take the time to reply and say thank you. If you think about it, that feedback is the lifeblood of your business, and you should value it very highly. Some feedback can even help you to tweak a product line (or add a line that you hadn’t thought of).

Originally featured on On the Dot Creations. Republished with permission.

How do you say thank you to your customers?