Do handwritten thank you notes still make a difference?

Absolutely. I was told by the older generation of business owners," if you have to say something difficult, do it in person. If you want to say something nice, put it in writing". You want good things to in writing so it lasts. Hand delivering it is more personable. 

We switching to chocolate gift baskets to every client when we are done with the job. We review the job/punch list with the customer, get feeback, reinforce positives from their experience and hand them their chocolate, note & referral business cards. We double every year in size with no marketing $ spent (not even yard signs). 

We are actually thinking of doing the letters now as well to create a greater bond with clients.

If you can, write the letters.

I have a little story for you.

Last December, I had what I thought was a great idea. I wanted to send Christmas cards to all of our customers.

Sounds simple enough, right?

Wrong. 😂

The problem was that I had this brilliant idea on December 19th. Just six days before Christmas.

I didn't have cards.
I didn't have a design.
And I definitely didn't have a plan.

I mentioned it to my husband, and he agreed it was a great idea, but we both knew we were running out of time.

That night, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

So I opened Canva and designed the card myself. Then I called my mom and asked her a pretty crazy question:

"Would you help me write, stamp, and mail almost 800 Christmas cards in two days if I can get them printed in time?"

Without hesitation, she said yes.

So the search began.

I somehow found a company that could print and ship them almost immediately. I placed the order and crossed my fingers.

A couple of days later, the boxes showed up at my doorstep.

And then the real work started.

I sat down and personally signed every single card. I added little notes, made Matthew sign every one of them too, and together we got them all mailed out by December 23rd.

Some customers received them on Christmas. Some received them a few days later.

But what happened next completely surprised me.

The phone calls started coming in.

Then the emails.

Then the text messages.

Customer after customer reached out to tell us how much they appreciated receiving a handwritten Christmas card.

Some told us it was the only Christmas card they received from a business all year. Others said it simply made them smile.

And while generating work was never the goal, we actually received calls from customers because of those cards.

Not because we were selling anything.

Not because we offered a discount.

But because we took the time to let them know we appreciated them.

In a world where everything is automated, scheduled, and sent with the click of a button, there is still something special about a handwritten note.

So Ronny, my answer is yes.

People still love handwritten letters.

They don't have to be fancy.
They don't have to be perfect.

People simply want to know that someone took the time to think about them.

And sometimes, that small gesture can make a bigger impact than you ever expected.

I think the notes are making a strong comeback! Receiving a letter in the mailbox will definitely get more attention than sending an email that will likely go unnoticed.

They absolutely still land, probably more now because almost nobody does them anymore. In a feed of emails and texts, a physical note feels personal and gets remembered. Two things that make them hit harder: reference something specific from the job so it doesn't read like a template, and tuck in a card so it doubles as a referral nudge. We've also seen a 15-second phone video thank-you get wild responses for the same reason. The medium matters less than the fact that you bothered.

I send each of our customers a handwritten thank you note! I personally feel it makes the job a little more personal!

Yes! It marks the difference. During December I as well send them a thank you basket with my company logo, information, and some goodies. 

I think handwritten notes are the best! I save mine & I write them for a lot of my Etsy orders. I write handwritten cards for clients around holidays :)