By now, colleges and universities are back in the swing of things. For most Michigan colleges, students are already into their second week of class! Although it may seem like school just got started, Student Affairs professionals and student workers have been hard at work on campus for weeks! Resident Assistant and Orientation Leaders were on campus long ahead of the start of classes to help freshmen, and new and returning students transition into the new school year. I know from experience that it is an exhausting but fulfilling job!

Now that students are moved into campus, take the time to thank your student leaders. By letting them know you appreciate their efforts, they’ll be more likely to help out in the future – and recruit additional help for next year! Here are a few ideas for thanking your student leaders:

Have a pizza party. Nothing gets through to a college student more than food! Invite your entire team to a pizza party and spend time socializing and reminiscing of the pre-school fun. Take a moment before diving into the food to verbally thank all their efforts. 

Send a card. Even in our digital and email-prominent society, a tangible card delivered in the mail still makes a big impression! Write a personal thank you card to each student you worked with. For an extra special treat, include a $5 gift card to a campus coffee house or iTunes. 

Choose a Character Pin. Appreciation is most memorable and effective when it’s personal to the recipient. That’s why I love Character Pins. There are so many options, you can find a pin that “perfectly” describes each member of your team. Spend some time reading all the stories, and choose a pin that fits each student. Present the pins at a staff meeting and read the stories aloud. This will be a moment your staff will remember!

Customer Service Week is coming up October 1-5, and managers are in the midst of planning themes, games, and prizes to energize and recognize their team. This year for Customer Service Week, why not get the team involved in the recognition?

This activity is from our Team Up! eBook, and it’s great for Customer Service Week. This activity doesn’t interrupt business as usual, and employees can incorporate it into their every day routine. It encourages employees to practice peer recognition and look for the great things their coworkers do every day.  And if your team really likes the activity, it can become a long term recognition program!

You can do this activity with as few as three people and as many as you want! You will need a set of Cheerful Change coins and a note cube or note pad. You could also use Tokens of Appreciation for the coins and add your company logo to the back. This activity is very quick and easy to explain:

Step 1: Fill a bowl with your choice of Cheerful Change coins. Bring the bowl and the note cube to your next team meeting.  Explain to the team that this is the bowl for “making change,” and that the goal is to create a more positive, helpful culture. 

Step 2: Explain to the team that whenever they see someone doing something that contributes to the team’s goals,  helps a teammate, or makes things easier for a customer, they should write that person’s name and what they did on a note and place it in the “Making Change” bowl.  Then they take a coin from the bowl and give it to that co-worker, thanking them for the specific action that is making the workplace change for the better.  Example:  “You have demonstrated positive change for us by creating this customer service form, so I want to give some cheerful change to you.”

Step 3: When a team member receives a coin, he should look for someone else doing something helpful and pass it on, being sure to write what they did on a note and place it in the bowl.

Step 4: When the bowl is empty of coins, celebrate with a team lunch or a treat at the next team meeting.  Ask everyone to bring back their coins to refill the bowl and begin again.  When the coins are returned to the bowl, remove the post-It notes and say, “Let’s find out how we made change.” Then ask everyone on the team to pick a note and read it.  This allows them to re-live the helpful behavior and the recognition given for it. 

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook. 

One of Baudville’s best practices for Customer Service Week includes Pocket Praise, our popular mini-note cards. Every year, our managers write a note to each employee and have it waiting for them when they arrive in the morning. This has become a favorite part of our week-long celebration that you can hear more about it in this Recognition TV webisode.

The easy part of writing notes to your team is picking the card design and putting the cards on their desks. The hard part is knowing what to write! When sitting down to write your Customer Service Week notes, use these tips and ideas to draft meaningful messages to your team.

1. Say thank you. Thank the individual for their contributions. Let them know you couldn’t do it without them and you’re thankful they’re on your team! Try to write “thank you” or “I appreciate” at least twice in your note. I usually include it once at the beginning and again at the end.

2. Be specific. What specific qualities or characteristics does this individual have that are valued at your organization? Do they have the patience of a saint with not-so-saintly customers? Are they a creative problem solver who can get the product into customers’ hands no matter what? Identify what makes each team member unique and put it in writing.
 
3. Talk about values. I’m confident that regardless of your type of work or where you’re located, your organization has values that drive how it does business. If you want employees to embody those values, then you need to recognize them! Customer Service Week is a great time to do that. Which value do you see this individual exhibit day-in and day-out? Tell them about it!

4. Avoid criticism. Remember that Customer Service Week is all about appreciating your frontline employees. Sure, there are areas where each of your employees could improve, but don’t be tempted to include criticism in your note! The purpose of this note is to tell your team thanks and let them know what they’re doing right. Save the coaching for another day.

Not get started! Just because Customer Service Week 2012 is October 1-5 doesn't mean you can't get a head start! For more positive feedback ideas and phrases you can use in your notes, visit our Recognition Resource Center for our popular Give Positive Employee Feedback with your own Positive Words article. 

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Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook. 

The last summer holiday is upon us, which means offices turn into ghost towns with a large number of people taking an extra day off around the holiday. Just because you’re still in the office instead of enjoying the last of the summer sun doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun! We’ve created a new free download of While You Were Out printable notes that you can use to surprise your co-workers when they return on Tuesday. 

Customer Service Week 2012 is October 1-5, and it’s always a big celebration at Baudville because we believe every member of our team has a part in providing an excellent customer experience. We take great pride in the service we provide our customers, so we celebrate Customer Service Week as a whole company! Our celebration always includes a Customer Service Week theme, activities, prizes, and often a lunch for the team to enjoy together. As you can imagine, our events are pretty memorable!

In our latest Recognition TV webisode, I asked four of our Customer Service Representatives about their favorite Customer Service Week ideas, tips, and celebrations. Here’s a summary of what they had to say:

 
Meet our Customer Service All Stars! From left to right, Mikki, KJ, Amanda, and Amber. 

KJ’s favorite Customer Service Week theme was Made in Michigan from our 2011 celebration. She loved the team ArtPrize competition and playing corn hole with her teammates during lunch.

Mikki knows that Customer Service Week is important because treating employees well will make them want to do more for the company and the customer! She gives some great insight into the recognition event in our Recognition TV webisode.

Amber’s favorite part of Customer Service Week is getting a handwritten note from her manager. Baudville managers often write a personal note to each of their employees during Customer Service Week and have it waiting on their desk first thing in the morning. Take a tip from Amber and write a note to your staff!

Amanda loved our Hollywood celebration when employees were given a movie ticket to a showing of short Pixar movies and a gift of a Star Performer Twist Top Tumbler. She still has the personal award she received from her manager displayed at her desk! 

To hear all the tips from our Customer Service Representatives and get our high five Customer Service Week ideas, watch the full Recognition TV webisode. It’s the shortest webinar you’ll watch – it’s only 9 minutes long!