We know now that customer loyalty is the most important factor in building and maintaining a business. Let’s talk a little about those who are responsible for customer relations and communications; your customer service employees. Those in the customer service position find their work both rewarding and challenging at times and it is important to keep them motivated to do well through it all. Happy employees are much more willing to strive do well at their job than those who don’t feel adequate or feel underappreciated.

Step one is giving your employees a reason to stay. Low employee turnover stabilizes workflows and builds confidence in the workplace. A survey of about 2,000 employees showed that 81% of them find appreciation for their work to be the best reason to stay at a job. The results are less than half of that for those employees who are in fear of losing their job.

While the results are an answer to a survey question, there has also been research presented to back it up. One condition is that appreciation in general appears to serve as a very popular motivator overall. We all like to feel that our work is appreciated, whether it be in the home or within an office and is consistently mentioned as a way to foster a healthy environment.

Thank you’s are great and very much necessary, but appreciation can also come in the form of something more tangible. Who doesn’t love a monetary bonus, or a pay raise, or a gift card to their favorite frequented place, or other, simpler gestures? No need to feel pressured as a business owner to start dishing out the cash, but a little something extra here and there goes a long way in showing your appreciation for an employee’s or team’s work.

The benefits of gratitude have been expressed by those who were interviewed in several research articles, as well as those customers who appreciate solid customer service. Overall there are amazing and contagious benefits of a gratitude in the work environment. Happy employees, make happy customers.

Other sources: www.groovehq.com/support/customer-support-statistics , www.groovehq.com/support/should-you-have-a-customer-loyalty-program