The Evolving Art of the Thank You

Communication with others continues at light speed in 2022. We send and receive more information - at a faster rate - than any other time in history. Texts, emails, instant messages, chats are racing to and fro 24/7/365 for most of us. This continued path is a blessing and a curse. Everyone is reachable almost at a moments notice. We have reached a point in society where we expect and, dare I say, demand immediate response and feedback to the messages we are sending off. If more than 8 minutes passes after sending a text without acknowledgement from the receiver, I can only presume they are dead or imprisoned.

The blessing is, of course, the immediate satisfaction we can now receive to our outbound inquiries...especially the important ones.

"You're running late. Are you OK?

"Traffic jam. Be there as soon as I can."

"Flight delayed for 3 hours."

"Did you get the test results?"

Receiving quick responses to messages like these can set your mind at ease or simply address important concerns.

And then the curse side of the house...

"Why are you late for work?"

"Can you stop at the pet store on your way home?"

"Who is Sharon?"

"Where did all this blood come from?"

Messages like these can aren't usually the most positive and can put a damper on your day; but you have to answer, right?

Get to the point, Frank

The point being, EVERYONE in our worlds are reachable at a moments notice. As it relates to our business dealings, it is not necessarily HOW to reach customers, colleagues and the rest, but how to do so most effectively? In most instances, an email or text will do the trick whether you are conveying important information or simply relaying a short response or inquiry.

Specifically, I am addressing the art of the thank you. When it comes to communicating messages of thanks, it seems as if we have lost our personal touch in the lightning-speed age of digital communication. Those two little words are always welcomed and appreciated in all walks of our lives.

‘Thank you for your business’ messages best practices

Business and digital communications firm, Avochato ,offers some great insights related to thanking your clients...

Sending a thank you note is a valuable, often overlooked, step in the customer journey.

When communicating with a customer after a purchase, here are some best practices you should be following to make sure they come away with a positive experience:

• Be positive. Make sure your customer feels appreciated and knows how happy you are to have their business.
• Ask for feedback.?Include a link to a customer experience survey to encourage a reply and get the information you need to improve the experience.
• Provide support.?Link to customer service or offer the right phone numbers to make sure your customers are taken care of if any issues arise.
• Don’t try to upsell.?The thank you message should thank them for their business. Nothing more.
• Balance professional and conversational.?Make your message formal if needed, but make sure you express your brand's personality as well. Text messaging is an especially casual form of communication, so make sure the message is appropriate to the medium.
• Show appreciation.?Let them know how much their business means to you.
• Keep it short.?Write clearly and concisely.
• Tailor your message.?When necessary, you may want to tailor your message to fit your needs. If you’re thanking customers for their online orders, you could send “Thank you for your order” messages. If you’re an organization and appreciate donations, you should focus more on “Thank you for your support” messages.

Give Thnks

Tech firm Thnks has developed a perfect application to offer folks a thank you beyond just words.

In a matter of minutes/seconds you can quickly send off a coffee or cocktail, a pizza or full blown gift basket of gratitude to someone you appreciate through the use of Thnks technology. The recipient will receive an email or text from you and/or your business and surely brighten their day. And guess what? If you work for one of those places that won't allow you to accept a kind gesture - you can donate to a charity of your choice for that same value as the gift. Pretty cool, huh? Thnks is user friendly and free! Check them out!

When in doubt, go OLD SCHOOL!

Maybe I am showing my age but I am still a major believer in the wildly dated concept of the HAND WRITTEN THANK YOU NOTE!

"EGAD! Who is this Madman?", gasped the Cyber-Villagers before they virtually pummeled him with their iPhones!

Well, this Madman would contend that you never forget a well crafted, thoughtful hand written thank you note. The texts and emails will be lost in the shuffle in nanoseconds, but this act of gratitude takes you to a new level of courtesy and maybe even shift the trajectory of your next deal or project?

Bottomline, there are many, many methods - both cutting-edge and traditional- to thank our customers, staff, colleagues and crew. Leverage these tips and tricks. Keep it creative, fresh and fun.

THANK YOU for reading!