My sister Tracy loves Olga’s Kitchen. Always has. Specifically, she loves their Three Cheese Olga. She orders lunch from Olga’s Kitchen approximately once a week.
Recently, she placed an order for her beloved Three Cheese Olga (she’s a vegetarian, so there aren’t a whole lot of options for her on their menu), and she left work to pick it up. When she got back to work, she realized they had mistakenly given her an Original Olga which is beef and lamb. Did I mention Tracy is a vegetarian?
Her lunch break now over, she didn’t have time to return and get a replacement. She called the restaurant, and was offered coupons in the mail for a free Olga. Tracy gave her address and waited.
When the coupon arrived, it contained ONE coupon for ONE free Olga. Which, when you think about it, wasn’t really free since she paid for an Olga she never received. And, you know, got one she couldn’t really eat.
The icing on the cake is the form letter she was sent. In the letter, it indicated there were TWO coupons enclosed. But the TWO had been crossed off and ONE had been written in its place. Maybe they wanted to save a few bucks?
How To Do It Right
Making customer satisfaction your top priority might cost you a few bucks up front, but it’ll almost always pay you back more in the long run. Let’s say a customer orders a piece of jewelry from you, and the chain breaks 6 months later. What are your options, and more importantly, what are the consequences of your choice? You could:
Do nothing
It’s not like she’s a return customer. She’s only ever purchased that one little thing. And with a coupon!
Charge her for the repair
You don’t guarantee your jewelry beyond 30 days. After 30 days, you can’t be responsible for normal wear and tear that leads to a broken clasp.
Fix it for free
You’re happy to repair the chain at no cost, but she’ll have to pay for the shipping herself. And she should probably pay the extra money to insure it, just in case.
Send her a new chain
Okay, so you’re going to lose a few bucks by giving her a new chain, but you’ve set your prices to include profit and overhead, so this won’t really hurt you at all. And besides, you want her to be happy with her purchase, and you want to cement your reputation as someone who cares about her customers.
Bonus!
You send her a new chain, along with a handwritten note of apology, and a small gift as a token of your appreciation for her patience and understanding. Congratulations! You realize the importance of good customer relations.
Want some real life examples?
The Land’s End return policy is “Guaranteed. Period.® They say, “If you’re not satisfied with any item, simply return it to us at any time for an exchange or refund of its purchase price.”
Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz offers a money back guarantee on her small business marketing products. In her words? “Like with all our stuff, there’s a full guarantee. If you think it sucks we’ll give you your money back. No big deal. We’re not dicks.”
So, which will it be? Do you want to save a few bucks and possibly lose a customer for life? Or do you want to be known as the person with the happiest customers?
Have a customer satisfaction story you want to share? Tell me in the comments below.
I only just found this site myself, so I can’t tell you whether or not this gal knows her stuff, but her free classes would be a great way to find out.
Are you a Twitter Newbie? Want to know what all the fuss is about? You’re in luck!
Online presence coach Laurie Foley is giving a FREE class for Twitter Newbies on Friday. It’s only open to the first 100 callers, so block off some time already!
“I started selling beaded mommy bracelets to the other moms at my daughter’s play group last year. I had a booth at my church holiday craft show and did pretty good. I’m ready for the next step, but I don’t know what that is. Do I need a website of my own?”
–Sue F.
Thanks for your question, Sue. I’m often asked by crafters just starting their business whether or not they need a website or a blog of their own. The short answer is, YES, you absolutely need your own website. Having said that, a website is probably not necessary for every craft business. There are three aspects to consider when deciding if having a website of your own would be beneficial to your business right now. They are: the Craft Business, Your Audience, and You. [Do YOU need a website? Read more to find out.]
I’ve reviewed the Thesis Theme for WordPress before, so it’s no surprise I love this theme. This is my first free template for the Thesis theme. (Some people call these “skins”, but I think that’s yucky. I like “template” much better.)
This theme is called “Oriana” which means “Rising Sun”. I hope you enjoy it.
Click thumbnail to view larger image.
Oriana ~ “Rising Sun”
Oriana is a simple two column theme perfect for crafters who are just getting started on the web. It’s easy to customize, and your readers will appreciate the straight-forward navigation. Free download.
For the new craft blogger, choosing the right hosting plan can be tough. I’ve hosted my websites with several different companies over the years, all for different reasons. Below is a comparison of six companies I’ve personally used. [Click to compare hosting plans...]
Who can wait until the New Year to start making changes? Not me! I’ve made a few design changes to the site, and I anticipate some long-overdue updates coming soon. Please let me know if you have any requests or suggestions how I can make this site better serve you. Thanks!
As a creative person, you know it’s rare that you really get to spend time and energy to focus on your craft. You may have been making art or crafts for years and years. Maybe you’re already selling them on sites like Etsy. You know that having a website of your own, with a blog where you can talk and build relationships with your customers, is essential to getting your crafts out of the closet and into a career.
The thing is, you don’t have the money right now to do that. You certainly don’t have the time to learn the skills necessary to get a website up. Maybe it’s not such a good idea after all…
Stop right there.
I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to have the talent to be really good at my craft, but still be unable to get the tools together to take the next step.
So I’d like to make it easy for some other artist out there.
I’ve been meaning to get a video tutorial up here for a while now, so it feels pretty good to check the first one off the list. This one shows how to add a page to your WordPress site, and how to add and rearrange the tabs on the navigation bar.
I welcome any feedback about this first venture into the land of video blogging. Also, please let me know what other video requests you have.
If you’re serious about growing your craft business, determining a price for your handmade goods requires a little homework. The crafter who prices her goods without considering all her expenses will lose money. The crafter who forgets to include a profit margin won’t be able to grow her business. [Click to read more...]
