Customer Service
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there were 'weekend warriors' who would photograph a couple’s wedding, get paid, and hand the film over for the couple to do with whatever they wished. This made no sense to me as a business model or as a service model. It was never an issue for me as the people buying this service weren’t my clients. My clients wanted great service delivered with their needs in mind. Frankly, they often didn’t know what those needs were exactly and required my expertise. We built a busy wedding trade providing great friendly service often having to turn clients away. My wife and I were the brand, and we worked at making the couple’s day special while providing an exceptional result. Their experience extended beyond the wedding day when I had them participate in designing their album. Even simple things like having water for people on a hot summer day stood out. I watched my wife on many occasions take a bride from a moment of frustration with some family member, her eyes welling up, to a moment of laughter and joy. A caring moment like that becomes embedded into the whole experience. When the couple looks over their photos years down the road, the images remain charged with how they felt on their day. They are reminded of their love for each other and how we made them feel. If we hadn’t made it a great experience, the image, no matter how beautifully done, wouldn’t be significantly and meaningfully coloured to this day. Here are a few words and actions that help define “exceeding expectations”: trustworthy, likeable, valuable, dependable, a positive attitude, using people’s names, being helpful, being a good listener, caring about the relationship
Caring about Relationships Caring about relationships is cumulative. How do you define what that looks like? Make it your own. We all add our own subtleties, which help us define who our clients are, thus helping them find us. Write down the attributes you can bring to the relationship. Ask your clients what they’re looking for — both the ones you gain and those you lose. Ultimately, do what you say you’re going to do… and more. As Maya Angelou said: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” They will never forget the feelings you created around your shared project. I worked with a shy man who came alive when he talked about his products. I made him and, more importantly, his feelings about his product special. It wasn’t calculated on my part. I was genuinely interested in his product. Perhaps it is a part of my inquisitive nature. I can become intrigued in a new line of industrial soap products, maybe not because of their simple bottles, but definitely about what they do and how they work. The shy man remained a client for years to come. Take time to sort out what your customer’s experience will look like. Don’t leave it to chance design it over time using a timeline. Create a chart so the experience is repeatable for every client you work with. Consider providing them with pieces of delight along the way. What this looks like will be defined by what type of service you offer and how you wish to represent your business. I find that creating a plan provides greater opportunity to adjust as I move forward and to constructively respond to situations as they arise. How will you create experience for your clients?
David McCammon is the Founder of David McCammon Photography, a business he runs with his wife Julia. He has been photographing professionally for over 30 years. Visit: www.davidmcphoto.com
Volume 5 Issue 2, 201 9
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43