How do you make your customers feel appreciated?

I want to tell you about a recent study I was reading about. The study was measuring the value of tips left by a restaurant patron. The 1st thing that was compared was the difference between delivering the bill to the patron, and delivering the bill along with a chocolate. The bill that included chocolate, increased the level of tip by 3%.

Interestingly enough, adding a 2nd chocolate, increased the level of tip to 14% higher than the Bill delivered by itself. The 3rd experiment had the waiter deliver the bill with a chocolate, then turn away from the table and begin to walk away, but then after a few steps, stop, return to the table and reach into their pocket, and add a 2nd chocolate for each patron. With the addition of this way of delivering the 2nd chocolate, tips increased by 23% compared to the Bill delivered with no chocolate.

So what can we glean from this study for your business?

This whole study reflects the power and strength of “the law of reciprocity". It shows that not only working out ways to thank and appreciate your customers with simple small gifts will enhance the customer experience, but also the way that those gifts are delivered can increase the perceived value considerably.

Take action and brainstorm with your team a number of ways to show your appreciation to your customers. Test each method to see which ones get the best response and use that as the control. Then make it a regular part of your team discussions to come up with new and better ways to show your appreciation to your customer for choosing you to do business with over your competition.