During Thanksgiving, family members often go around a dinner table expressing appreciation for all the people who gathered to celebrate the occasion. Businesses can take this time of the year to thank the various individuals who contributed to the success and operation of a company.

Instead of delivering broad expressions of thanks, companies can use data collected throughout the year to create unique messages of gratitude. Utilizing CRM solutions allows companies to thank clients, suppliers and employees in a way that will resonate long after the holiday is over.

Thanking customers
Companies should consistently share gratitude with their consumers. Sweet Tooth Rewards, a customer loyalty company, said modern clients expect to have a relationship with the organizations they do business with. Saying thank you makes consumers feel appreciated. It’s a positive way to keep businesses in the forefront of a client’s mind.

Marketing Land said there are numerous opportunities for businesses to express thanks. Customer service representatives can send thank yous whenever clients place orders, make payments, share social media promotions or recommend the business to contacts. Customer care centers need software solutions to track client activity over multiple channels so they don’t miss a chance to show appreciation of beneficial activities.

CRM services can also turn broad messages into specific communications. When creating holiday messages, CRM client records should display preferences. A complete history of transactions and interactions shows which channels clients appreciate and the type of language that works well with them. Handwritten cards are usually a best practice for friendlier Thanksgiving messages.

Thanking vendors and other partners
Companies want a professional relationship with their suppliers and other business partners. Organizations can express gratitude as long as there are exact details behind the friendly exchanges.

If a company plans to send a Thanksgiving message to business partners, Entrepreneur suggested showing suppliers how the partnership contributed to successful operations in the past year. CRM data can demonstrate consistency. If a partner always delivers on time, provides quality products and communicates problems as soon as they occur, a message can share CRM-generated charts and graphs to show how great service contributed to positive results.

When there is a problem with a vendor, thanks for what the partner does right could ease the conversation into plans for improvement. Employees that send messaging should also record responses in the CRM records so every engagement grows the relationship. A holiday greeting is just one way to keep communication with business associates open.

Thanking employees
The people who work every day to keep a company running definitely deserve appreciation whenever appropriate. However, the Harvard Business Review said managers have to avoid generic platitudes because they will appear meaningless. Just because the time of the year encourages a company to deliver thanks to employees doesn’t mean the messages can’t be meaningful.

Carefully tracking daily performance in a central CRM software system gives every user the ability to see how different departments profit from an employee’s activities. Sales teams can see how marketing brought in new leads while customer support can thank the warehouse for filling orders quickly. Expressing gratitude based on how optimal performance actually made another company member’s life easier shows real appreciation.

There are a number of ways companies can show gratitude. Managers can send written messages, monetary rewards, days off or free meals. Entrepreneur advised providing employees with time off and bonuses leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas whenever possible so the rewards can help workers better navigate holiday stresses. Just like everything else, managers should record the performance of forms of gratitude so the company can measure employee reactions to new strategies.