In recent weeks, I’ve been dealing with a company that I have never done business with in the past. I’m not going to bore you with the details, but there is a lesson involving thank you notes to be taken from this experience. The overriding lesson is this: thank you notes are only effective if the person writing them means what they are saying.

It was our first time to this company and after the initial visit, we received a thank you note within a week, which is good, but the rest of the story leaves a lot to be desired. It took me ten minutes to figure out it was a thank you note, if you want to call it that, because I could only recognize a few letters. I’m assuming it said thank you. It was obvious that the note was written very fast and without much thought. If you do not mean thank you, then don’t say it. Thank you notes are designed to foster relationships with customers and this one had the opposite effect on me. It appeared as if someone made thank you notes mandatory, and the person who wrote was just meeting a requirement. The note did not have my name, or mention any of the business we had done together, or relate anything personal to me. Needless to say, I didn’t feel all warm and fuzzy after trying to read it.

Thank you notes can be a valuable tool; but if you are going to use them, then use them right.

Make sure you are using the customer’s name.
Talk about what they purchased.
Make sure they know how much they are going to enjoy their new ____.
Let them know how grateful you are for their business and how much you are looking forward to a future visit.
Relate something personal, i.e Hope you have a great time on your cruise.
Make it sincere; if you don’t mean it, then don’t send it.
Take the time to do it right, do not race through thank you notes.
Make it legible; this should be a no brainer.

In conclusion, thank you notes are a great way to extend customer service after the sale. If done right, they bring customers back.