Most days, I answer our phone calls. Most of the time those calls are from customers who either need to update their credit card or have a quick question about our software or about adding a new restaurant location they plan to open to their account with us.

Every time I’ve finished handling whatever the person needs, I say “Hey, __(name)___, I just want to thank you for your business. We’re really do appreciate it and we’re stoked to serve y’all.” Or something along those lines. I say it very authentically because I absolutely mean it. We are very, very thankful for every one of the thousands of customers who pay their hard-earned money each month to use our software. We are thankful to be a small part of how they run their business, and we are genuinely proud to serve them.

It amazes me how many people literally stop and sort of chuckle when I thank them, a sign to me that they are surprised to hear me say that. They then often reply with “Absolutely, Wil, we love Schedulefly!” But the point is they are taken aback and surprised for a genuine “thank you,” and that’s both encouraging and discouraging.

It’s discouraging because it’s proof to me that the bar is so low these days that people don’t expect to be thanked, certainly not in a sincere way. They expect somebody working off of a script who doesn’t enjoy their job and who is trying to get them off of the phone as quickly as possible. Isn’t that what we almost always get when we call a business? You get so used to it that it doesn’t really even bother you. It’s just how it is these days.

But it’s also encouraging because it proves that if you do appreciate your customer’s business and take the time to tell them, it will be such a shock they may even laugh a little before they respond. That’s your sign that whether they say it or not, you just gave them something they will most likely not experience from any other business they call that day: a sense of feeling genuinely valued as a customer.

Give it a try. Stop and thank them. Slowly. Sincerely. You’ll be surprised by how surprised, and happy, your customer will be.

Wil