I am old school about writing a thank you note. So when I heard about what Sprint is doing as part of their customer service, I was in awe. I have no reason to advertise Sprint. I am an iPhone user and have been on AT&T for years, but I commend Sprint for what they are doing. Take a second to read this article further. Here is an excerpt:

“Sprint’s commitment to personal outreach was introduced by the company’s CEO Dan Hesse, upon an employee’s suggestion. The campaign has been embraced by the entire Sprint team from the top down—not only has Hesse has been sending out notes himself, but the company has also implemented “Thank You Thursdays” on which all employees are asked to write at least five notes.”

I absolutely love it. I remember from a very young age my mom somehow ingrained in me the art of the thank you note. It is an extra gesture of gratitude for a gift of any size. It takes it a step farther than an email. It has a longer life than a phone call. It is something the recipient can go back and read again and again. Maybe they will just throw it away, but maybe the time you took to write the note will mean something to them, they keep it, or post on the frig, or above their desk. You never know how much your words will mean to them. You never know how much you will touch them. The fact that you took extra moments to write out your thoughts, put it in an envelope, address it, spent 45 cents, and put it in the mail. Does that mean more to someone than a quick text or email? Maybe. Maybe not. But, I believe it is worth a try.

If a company believes it is worth the time to send a thank you note, I think it says something about how much that company cares about the personal touch. It means that the individual customer is more than a number and that they believe that the personal touch matters to their customers. More companies need to see this and take action. I can think of a few times when I purchased an item and on my shipping receipt I had a personal note. I have not forgotten. The one that I remember most was from Shop Horne. I purchased a mug, and not only was the packaging amazing, they wrote me a personal, handwritten note on a beautiful, embossed, textured card stock. I was so impressed I still have it. It was something I wanted as a reminder for my next business venture.

A personal touch goes a long way.

Shop Horne thank you note