Don’t Just Appreciate Your Reps This Customer Service Week: Engage Them All Year Long — With or Without Donuts

Don't Just Appreciate Your Reps This Customer Service Week: Engage Them All Year Long - With or Without Donuts

Here are 4 ways to show your hard-working customer service reps that you're invested in their success and well-being every single day.

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Recognizing your customer service reps' contributions during National Customer Service Week (celebrated annually the first full week of October) is an opportunity to say thank you and continue to foster a positive, high-performing work environment. But why limit your appreciation to just one week and to things like donuts, catered lunches, and water bottles? Your customer service reps work hard all year!

Your customer service reps are essential to ensuring the success of your business. Our research finds that 77% of reps say they support more products/services than a year ago. Plus, 65% say cases are more complex than a year ago. That's a lot of pressure on your reps to deliver an exceptional customer service experience - every single time.

Show your reps how much you value them during Customer Service Week in October and throughout the year by investing in their professional growth and personal well-being. Here are four Customer Service Week ideas you can use year-round to engage your customer service team and show them they're supported.

What is Customer Service Week?

Customer Service Week is an annual celebration that recognizes your service reps for the critical role they play in delivering good customer service. During this week, thousands of companies from around the world typically organize special activities and events for their customer service teams to show how much they're appreciated.

Why is Customer Service Week important?

Our research shows that 69% of service decision makers say customer service rep attrition is a major or moderate challenge. We've also found that more than half of reps have experienced burnout at work. By showing your customer service reps how much you appreciate their hard work by investing in them, you can reduce turnover, mitigate burnout, and even improve customer satisfaction.

When is Customer Service Week?

Customer Service Week is celebrated annually the first full week of October. In 2024, it will take place from October 7-11. Mark your calendar to show your customer service team how much you prioritize them as people.

Now, let's dive into dive into four ways you can invest in your service team during Customer Service Week and beyond.

4 Customer Service Week ideas for investing in your team anytime

1. Community involvement

Your reps put the customer first and solve problems at all hours of the day or night. Plus, with AI transforming customer service, it's important your reps have the support they need from a community of peers who understand customer service challenges and opportunities first-hand.

Invite them to join Salesforce's Serviceblazer Community, a free interactive platform to learn in-demand skills, connect with other service and field service pros, and grow their careers. Getting them involved in the Serviceblazer Community shows that you're committed to getting them the support they need to excel in their careers.

Serviceblazer Shonnah Hughes, who went from Salesforce admin to VP, attributes much of her career success to community. "The people in your community play a crucial role in helping you stay updated with the latest technological advancements and enhancing your skills," said Hughes. "By connecting with them, you can build valuable relationships that may lead to new job opportunities and personal growth."

Sean Lewis, principal solution consultant for Vicasso, also understands the importance of community. "We have a dedicated Slack channel where our team members can share best practices and insights, which leads to faster resolution of customer service issues," Lewis shared. "This also has created a culture of gratitude where our employees feel supported and appreciated for being generally awesome at their job."

Jaehwi Kwon, senior software engineer for Capital One, shares how community can help people feel supported, recalling: "I was part of a community where they treated junior developers with the same mindset as it takes a village to raise a child. It definitely made me feel like I could go to anyone with any question I had. I never felt intimidated or that my question was stupid."

2. Professional development opportunities

Invest in your team's growth by offering paid time off for learning. Trailhead, Salesforce's free online self-paced learning platform, offers a range of topics from communication skills to AI in customer service. You might also sponsor customer service training courses, workshops, or seminars related to customer service skills. This not only enhances your teams' abilities, but also demonstrates that you care about their career path and success within the organization.

3. Skills exchange sessions

Skill-sharing helps your employees learn from each other and builds camaraderie. Encourage your team members to share their expertise and teach each other valuable skills. For example, you might ask a team member to conduct a short training or presentation on a topic of their choosing, such as how to use generative AI to write a knowledge base articleor WhatsApp response to a customer.

4. Health and wellness initiatives

A mentally and physically healthy team is a happy and productive team. Prioritize the well-being of your people by introducing employee wellness initiatives like stress management, fitness challenges, yoga sessions, or mental health workshops to reduce burnout. Provide access to health resources and consider offering benefits like gym memberships or wellness stipends.

Are you ready to put these Customer Service Week ideas into action?

Remember: a team that feels valued is more likely to deliver exceptional customer service and stay on your team. By adding these four Customer Service Week ideas to your toolkit, you can engage your team while fostering a culture of support and appreciation - not just in October, but anytime throughout the year - with or without donuts.

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Kourtney Martin is the Director of Product Marketing, Service Cloud Community at Salesforce. She is passionate about driving meaningful engagements across the customer service ecosystem.