How to Write a Killer Customer Thank-You Note
HELP
SCOUT | DECEMBER 20, 2016
Picture this: You
arrive home to the joyous surprise of discovering a handwritten card — real
mail! — hidden amongst the mound of daily junk mail. Woohoo!
We are card-carrying
members of the Snail Mail Fan Club and we suspect you are, too. For the small
amount of effort a handwritten thank-you note takes, it’s amazing the extent to
which you can brighten the recipient’s day by sending one — and if that
recipient happens to be your customer, the indisputable return on investment
you’ll see when you thank your customers.
Ready to turn
customers into advocates?
So from one Snail Mail
Lover to another: Go ahead. Make your customer’s day.
The ROI of thank-you notes
If it feels icky to
acknowledge the ulterior motives behind showing gratitude, remember that you’re
running a business, and without your customers, you wouldn’t have a business to
run. Of course you appreciate them, and want them to return and recommend you.
Handwritten thank-you letters are a proven (and relatively painless) way to go
about earning customer loyalty.
In one
experiment that aimed to increase personal contact between
troubled youths and the case managers helping them, the case managers and their
supervisors received weekly thank-you cards sent from the homes they visited.
These thank-yous prompted an increase from 43 percent of youths receiving a
weekly visit to 78 percent. When the thank-you cards stopped, the visits
dropped back down to 50 percent.
In another experiment, the staff of Donors Choose,
a platform that allows givers to fund the public school classroom projects of
their choice, sent hand-written thank-yous to half of all recent first-time
donors — the other half didn’t receive a note. A whopping 38 percent of
people who received a thank-you note were more likely to give again. The
organization now works handwritten thank-you notes into their business model,
since donors who opt in to receiving “those sentimental, hand-crafted,
physically mailed, personalized collections of gratitude” increase their
average annual donation amount by $41, which translates to more than $3 million
in additional donations per year.
As Robert Cialdini
explains in his bestselling book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, the
principle of reciprocity is a powerful motivator. By nature, we don’t like to
feel indebted to others, so if someone gives us something, we’re wired to give
back. When customers receive a token of appreciation as heartfelt as a
handwritten thank-you note, they feel compelled to return the favor — ideally
with repeat business, and public advocacy of your product or service.
The little things that create a “wow factor” for your
customers are worth the investment several times over.
Thank
you @helpscout for the
amazingness! Rocking my new t-shirt and laptop sticker right now :) Y'all are
the best!
Wow!
A company that takes the time to include a hand written thank you note?! Great
customer service from my new friends @DDTXOutfitters
Received
a handwritten thank you note in the mail... for purchasing dog food online. 
customer service @Chewy!
customer service @Chewy!
S/O
to @McClintonChevy for
customer service! Our salesman printed and mailed our car photo w/ a thank you
note 
Thank-you card do’s and don’ts
Here are a few
reminders to ensure your efforts reap the most positive response possible:
- Don’t use red pen! It’s the equivalent of sending a
“shouting” email in ALL CAPS. Blue or black ink is ideal. But if you’re a
purple glitter gel pen kind of person … well, your sparkly message will
probably make your customer smile.
- Do use note cards or stationery that reflect your
business. If you’re a vet clinic, keep it playful with paw-printed cards.
If you’re an architectural firm, reflect your image with minimalist,
artful cards. A postcard does the trick, too.
- Don’t make excuses for your handwriting!
If your second-grade teacher wrote “see me” on
your handwriting homework: whatever.
“Good” penmanship is overrated — as long
as your note is legible, that’s what matters. Your handwriting is unique, which
makes a personal note feel even more special and “real” to the recipient.
- Do respond in a timely fashion. It’s called “snail
mail” for a reason, but it’s best not to wait so long that your customer
forgets having done the thing you’re thanking them for.
- Don’t include anything overly business-y or
self-promotional, like coupons or business cards — the point here is to
convey genuine gratitude, not to promote your business (that happens as a
natural side effect). Stickers are A-OK, though.
- Do showcase your company’s personality! If smiley
faces and emoticons (or cat doodles, or a crayon drawing from your kid, or
…) are in line with your brand, by all means, have at ’em.
- Do include a little something extra when the
situation merits it! Send a token of appreciation along with your note.
Depending on the occasion, we send a book, stickers, a T-shirt or even
baked goods.
- Don’t be
tempted to mimic Someecards’ witticisms in the content of your card. In
case you’re not familiar, their e-cards have zinging one-liners we often
think but aren’t supposed to say out loud, such as:
Funny, yes … but
probably not appropriate for your customers. Instead, follow this simple
thank-you note formula:
5 components of a killer thank you note
- Greet your customer by name.
- Express your gratitude, clearly
stating why you’re sending the note.
- Include details about why
enjoyed your experience with this customer … this is a prime opportunity
to be specific and thoughtful.
- Repeat your thanks.
- Close with a signoff (Best, Yours Truly, Kindest
Regards, Warm Regards, Cheers, ♡
— or whatever feels right for you and your company!) and sign your name.
Here’s several
examples:
Dear
Christine,
I
just noticed you’ve been a Help Scout customer for FOUR YEARS. Wow! Thank you
for sticking with us for so long, and for all the feedback you offered when we
were beta testing the Plus Plan. I hope it’s working out for you — and you know
if you have any questions we’re always here! Thanks for always being such an
awesome customer.
💚,
Mo
at Help Scout
Hey
Arthur!
Thank
you so much for bringing your whole team onboard with Help Scout while you were
testing out different help desks. Your advocacy means the world to us, and it
was a true pleasure working with your team during the process — you even inspired
us to make a fix that improves our product for thousands of other people! We’re
so stoked you’ve chosen Help Scout — thanks for giving us the opportunity to
grow with you. See you at SupConf next spring! :)
Cheers,
Tim
and Your Friends at Help Scout
Hi
Abby,
Thanks
for joining the webinar this week, and for your thoughtful comments about the
role of customer support in cyber security — I’ve always admired how you and
your company are real leaders in that space. I know you’re working with Neil on
an upgrade from the Standard to the Plus plan (that’s fantastic, congrats on
your team’s growth!), but please always let me know if I can be of any
assistance too.
Best,
Mat
at Help Scout
p.s.
You mentioned your son collects stickers so I threw a few in the envelope for
him … here’s hoping they go in his sticker book and stay off the walls this
time. ;)
It’s a fairly simple
formula: use their name, say thanks for a specific reason, and sign off with
sincerity. That’s it!
Choosing your stationery
Need help shopping for
the right thank you card? We’re fans of the personalizable thank-you cards and
stationery at Pinhole Press. Use your company’s logo, or that
cute group photo from your last team retreat.
We also adore the
truly special pop-up cards from Lovepop. This 2015 Shark Tank winner creates beautiful 3-D
creations that, at $8-$13, are more gift than card.
If you like more
creative control, you can print your own custom-designed cards and envelopes —
that’s what we do here at Help Scout. If you choose to create your own
stationery, work with a designer who’s familiar with the printing process and
can provide advice on card stock, dimensions and the various printing options
available (depending on your budget).
Our note cards are
printed by Mama’s
Sauce on 100-lb duplexed cover stock with plain white matching
A2 envelopes. Embossing, debossing, foil stamping and letterpress are all fun
things if you have a bigger stationery budget.
Is it cheating to use thank-you note apps?
If you have more cards
to send than you have people/time to handwrite them, one of the following
options is certainly better than nothing at all!
Postable
Postable prints
your custom message in one of its patented handwriting fonts on its 100%
recycled cards, and stamps and mails the cards for you. Your customers might be
able to tell the “handwriting” isn’t real, but the prices are reasonable enough
($1.25 per card for 10 or more cards) so we advice to order a couple,
especially if you want to keep your message detailed and personal.
Handwrytten
Handwrytten’s robots
(yes, actual robots) “handwryte” your custom message in real ink. Prices start
at $3 and include postage.
FeltApp
FeltApp lets
you scrawl messages on your iPhone or iPad in your own handwriting (although
anyone who’s ever written on a screen, even with a stylus, knows it can be
tricky to replicate pen-to-paper writing). Choose a photo from your own
library, and trace your message and the address (even the envelope is
handwritten). They take care of the mailing. The price is $3 per card, or $1
more for international shipping.
A gesture well worth the time
You can exhibit
sincere gratitude in a well-worded email, but there are many occasions when you
should make the extra effort to mail a real note.
Handwritten thank-you
notes convey a sincere and heartfelt gratitude that an email simply
can’t.
Sending personal
thank-you notes for every transaction or special occasion isn’t necessarily
always scaleable, and the ROI on acts of kindness can be tricky to justify in a
spreadsheet. Extending sincere, old-fashioned gratitude, however, has an
esteemed place among other high-touch practices that don’t scale — but
that still work.
Thank-you notes keep a
line of communication open between you and your customer, and they keep your
name in their mind.
Sending a handwritten
thank-you note is always worth the few minutes it takes.
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