A while back I received a hand-written thank you note from a Superintendent. And, I have to tell you, it made my day. In fact it made my week. Not that we don’t get thank you messages from our clients, because we get them in abundance via email and through the customer update portal almost daily. But this one stood out. At first I wondered why this seemed so unforgettable, and once I understood it I incorporated that knowledge into my own practices.

So, I thought I’d share the joy and recommend this to all of you who have clients, vendors, or staff. It’s the old-school approach, and that is what made it memorable. I highly recommend adding this to your arsenal of good customer support, HR, and communication strategies. Here are a few tips that this wise Superintendent knew intuitively.

1. It must be sincere. Don’t express sentiments that you don’t really mean but you think might be the expected thing to say. No over-the-top hyperbole, just be honest. The note our Superintendent wrote just said he had worked with us when in another district and had become accustomed to excellent service, but this past year at his new district as Superintendent he was even more impressed. He then asked that I pass his appreciation along to all of our staff—and be assured I did! For that matter, I put his comments on our website and kept his nice note on my office bulletin board for months!
2. It can be brief. Use your opening paragraph or sentence to tell them what you are showing appreciation for. It is as simple as summarizing your experience and stating your gratitude. It could be acknowledging help or information they provided, recognition of a job well done, or follow-up after a meeting or contact.
3. Make it personal. This can be from the way the note is sent (mine was hand-written on a custom notecard with the district’s logo on it—simple, classy, and professional) or it could be the wording you use. In my example the Superintendent referenced our services and reputation specifically—I knew it wasn’t generic and that he knew who we were and that we stood out in his memory.
4. Proof your note. If you aren’t the best speller or grammarian around, you might compose your brief note in Word or some text editing program first and run it through spell/grammar check and then just handwrite it from there. It is an extra step, and if you make a small error on a handwritten note it will probably be overlooked, but considering who you are, you might not want to take the chance. Typos are understood, but a handwritten note might indicate that we didn’t just move our fingers too fast along the keys but we really don’t know how to spell “apprecaite” correctly. :)

Don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to handwrite notes of appreciation for them to be memorable—but do take the time to be sincere and say thanks. A carefully thought-out email can be very effective and a face-to-face expression of appreciation (when possible) will make someone’s day. Most of us are highly motivated when we are valued and we enjoy pleasing those who like us. If you want to improve the relationships in your office or school, try showing your appreciation and recognition. It only takes a few minutes and the effects can last for a LONG time. I got this little note nearly a year ago, but whenever I hear this school district mentioned or this Superintendent’s name, I still get a nice warm feeling—and I am also quick to make sure we maintain his high opinion of us.

(Oh, and as a shameless sales pitch, with this thoughtful example from an astute Superintendent, we created our own custom notecards that we use to say thanks or congratulations or just hello. If your school, or you personally, would like some custom notecards and envelopes, check out our creative services division. Tammy heads this up and you can reach her at Tammy@SchoolWebmasters.com for pricing. We now offer a full array of print services for schools—notecards, business cards, letterhead, and brochures, etc.). That personal touch can really make a positive impression!