Sunday, March 1, 2015

Customer Service Sunday with Nancy Blokland--Honesty is the Best Policy

In running a small handmade pottery business, there are so many things that can go wrong from the beginning of an Etsy order to the end.


I have begun to do more and more custom and personalized work, but even what I think are realistic time lines, aren't so realistic when I get to the post office and the line up is half a mile long and I need to get to the daycare. One of the policies I follow is to be honest with customers when screw ups happen. There have been times when it is just too cold to fire my kiln, or something has broken on a custom order, etc...

This was a day where it was waaaay too cold to fire.

When I have one of these glitches, I immediately reach out to the customer, politely explain my problem and nine times out of  ten they send something back saying they know sh.... happens. I am always very quick and grateful in my responses, and will add in a little treasure, such as buttons with a yarn bowl order and a note on the back of my business cards. Hopefully our customers realize they are dealing with makers and curators with double lives, real jobs, families, etc...and that our creative lives are only a fraction of what we all do.


They seem to appreciate knowing they are dealing with a real person and that you are really doing your best to give them the best product possible that will arrive safely in their hands in a timely fashion.

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