Being artists we take any kind of criticism to heart. And when you know you are in the right it is hard to think with a level head. But, if you have outlined policies to help combat any problems, true or false, it helps to make your life easier. We are in such an emotion driven business, unlike most. Up & down all day long. It would be the ideal if every florist thought like all of us on the FC, but face it, it is never going to happen. Design books or not. That's why we must have a plan. A plan that all employees can follow. Never should an employee of ours have to ask how to solve a problem with a customer, another florist, or the WS. It is proven that the longer you take to answer a complaint, the unhappier you will make the person. Unless, it is major, our employees are told "Don't ask, just exchange." And, of course there are exceptions to every rule, but luckily there is never any problem too big that can't be solved immediately.
Do you find yourself being a better customer? I certainly do! We tolerate so much abuse from customers telling us how to arrange the flowers they are ordering, complaining about delivery charges or tax, and my favorite... "I don't care if I'm ordering 5 minutes before you close, I want my flowers delivered by 9 am tomorrow!" I am a much better customer because of crabby customers!
Example, my husband and I were at a popular restaurant with friends in Lake Tahoe a few years back. The service was terrible! Everybody wanted to complain at that moment, but I told them not to, be patient & I will say something later so as not to cause a scene. I kept the receipt that had the server's name, the time of service, and our table number. When I got back, I emailed the manager of the establishment, told him how much we enjoyed our food & the atmosphere, however the server was not a good representation of the restaurant that evening. I outlined everything that happened & explained that I also am in a very customer oriented business & thought he should be aware just as I would like to know if one of my employees was not up to par. I told him that I did not feel it was appropriate to complain while we were there, because we did very much enjoy our dinner & the rest of the evening. The manager thanked me very much & said that it was customer's who are kind enough to be polite to let him know how their experience was, good + bad, he & the owner felt the least they could do was to send me a gift certificate for dinner for two. Wow! I could have easily told friends that yeah the food is great, the atmosphere is fun, but the service sucks. Instead, I fully endorse this restaurant because of how they handle their complaints.
