There is a reason why handwritten thank you letters are customary after being touched by someone’s behavior. Handwritten thank-you notes are a great way to express the impact someone had on you. They make the recipient feel good too; as though their efforts were noticed.

And, there is no reason handwritten thank you letters need to be isolated to personal matters. You may have heard of using handwritten cards as a business practice but, have you thought of using thank you cards to improve customer satisfaction after a problem arises?

It may sound counterintuitive to say thank you to someone who is angry, but it can be incredibly powerful. Learn how.

Robot Handwritten Sorry notes by PENSAKI

Handwritten thank-you notes take time to create

When is the last time you wrote an email to a customer? Probably not too long ago. Maybe it was earlier today. How long do you think that email took you to construct? Emails are essential to our daily routine, and typically we can write them quickly.

Handwritten notes are a little different. They take more thoughtfulness. Why? Because we take them more seriously.

Handwritten notes are given out so infrequently, that when we give or receive them, they are memorable. The sender realizes this and often pays more attention to detail than he or she would with an email.

When you’ve received a handwritten note, the sender took time out of their day to think about you. From writing the letter to sending it off to the post, it’s not a small matter.

For this reason, customer experience teams should start considering the impact handwritten thank you notes can have on a customer.

Customer experience as a differentiating characteristic

A positive customer experience is a key to success for many companies. The way a customer feels about your brand will differentiate you from your competitors. According to Deloitte, 62% of companies that have a central customer experience team view customer experience as a competitive differentiator.

The competitive difference lies in how companies handle negative feedback.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, not all aspects of the customer experience will be positive. Dealing with feedback poorly can lead to further problems. More than one-quarter of US consumers (26%) say they are more likely to tell family, friends, and coworkers about a bad experience with a product or service than a good one. It goes without saying, a large web of negativity is not good for your business.

That’s why it’s important to stay ahead of the curve. Address unhappy customers before it’s too late. Above all, show them that you understood their feedback and have listened to what they had to say.

Here’s how.

Robot Handwritten Thank You Notes A6 by PENSAKI

Apologizing is an expression of appreciation

Anytime a customer provides feedback, it’s an opportunity. You have the chance to show your customers that you take them seriously. You can show your willingness to learn from mistakes in order to improve their experience. Apologizing for their dissatisfaction is powerful.

A study by the University of Nottingham shows that a properly worded “sorry” can be even more effective than financial compensation. In response to a written apology from service providers, 44.8 percent of customers responded positively, remained loyal to the brand, and deleted negative reviews from social media accounts.

Why does it work to send handwritten sorry notes?

It’s pretty simple. Customers know that nobody is perfect. It’s how a company responds to a communication crisis that will make or break the relationship.

One way to do that is through the power of a handwritten thank-you note. Thank your customers for their calls and their feedback. By responding after they’ve reached out to you, it shows you’ve continued to reflect on their situation and are grateful for their opinions.

Because of the thought involved in creating handwritten letters, they can be hard to throw away. Perhaps the recipient will keep your note around, reminding them of your brand’s exceptional customer service.

How can you start using handwritten thank you letters at your office?
We often hear that handwritten notes aren’t scalable. They take a lot of time to create compared to digital correspondence. They also aren’t cheap. Materials and postage are an expense many businesses have pause about.

However, think of the business you could lose from not handing negativity correctly.

Luckily, there is an adequate solution. If you can’t create the letters yourself, Pensaki can help. We are an affordable, scalable option for crafting handwritten letters and cards for any occasion, including building customer loyalty.

PENSAKI uses authentic handwriting with ink pens to create thank you letters for your clients. From ideation to delivery, Pensaki is a white-label service for handwritten sentiments.

It’s a scalable approach to sending letters, and a tremendous way to improve your positive customer experience. Remember, to put a message on paper indicates that the customer is valued and is more than just an entry in the CRM.

Apology Letter Customer Experience lead generation sales