I want to take the unusual step of reproducing a comment from my good friend Sital Ruparelia – which speaks for itself and introduces a really good idea.

Chris,

A few weeks back, I received some great service in a Pizza Hut – (which is pretty rare!)

I made point of thanking the waitress in question her for the service – at which point she replied:

“Thank you so much – we only ever hear criticism from both customers and bosses – you’ve made my day!”

So I took her name and wrote a letter of thanks to Pizza Hut customer services to compliment her and asked they pass on the comments to her manager and her.

Following on from that, I set up a new habit:-

1. Every Monday my PA has an instruction to email me and say:- “Sital, who gave you great service last week? Who do we want to send a thank you note to?”

2. I email back a one or two lines with details of who, what etc

3. She drafts a simple email or letter saying “thank you” and we send it out

The aim to send 2 notes a month (so no pressure that I must send a note each week)

The Result?

– It makes someone’s day very time- Makes me feel great- I suddenly seem to attract the great people and service every time!

(….In recent weeks, I have met the most helpful cab drivers in London, been served by excellent people coffee shops and have even been ‘served’ by call centre operators that enjoy their jobs! It’s the law of attraction thing going on I suppose)

You’re absolutely right – it’s not all about the money.

When I said “thank you” to the Pizza Hut girl, her eyes lit up and she walked away with a spring in her step and could see how that impacted on the way she served other tables.

Don’t suppose her manager’s realise how easy it is to use genuine appreciation to motivate a team and improve customer service without breaking the bank….