Flowers All Hours - Word on the street....

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RE: Costs...

We dropped FAH a LONG time ago. Back in the day, it was good for many shops, including us - but then got pricy. I can't recall exactly, but it would have cost us about $5 an order...was not willing to give that up.

Also, FAH was introduced before the Web was really in the picture. Customers had little options if needing to place an order after hours. Now, many just use the web!

I know some of you like FAH. And it is GOOD for some shops out there - especially if your customers know you have a 'live' person to talk to at all hours of the night. BUT...as Sfox pointed out...what is your COST??? Are you chaulking it up to a cost of doing business? An advertising cost? Do you pass this 'cost' onto the customer for having the order taken? Also, you need to add up the message costs... That was an issue for me back when we had it...

For us, a simple and informative Voice Mail message works fine. We usually have at least one web order every morning (many days 2 or 3). People point to the referral code of 'website through phone message' as referral. Also, we do get those who just say they'll call back the next day...

To each his own...

- H.
 
Don't know what it's gone UP TO now?

sfox said:
I'm kind of wondering about the costs of FAH. I have not been FTD for a number of years now, but when I was I dropped FAH because the cost per order was high.
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Don't know what FAH cost today and for the same reasons as you!

When we first started back in 1990, there was a monthly fee and a flat per order cost of $5.00 if I remember correctly. After which, there was a $1 flat per message fee.

Then, somewhere down the road, it went to a 10% per order commission fee structure and they reduced the per message fee to fifty cents. Although, I use to hate it when they billed me for the printed out messages which used to read: Customer called and wanted to know what time your shop opened? (NO NAME and NO CALL BACK NUMBER)

The continuous problem which I had had with MY OWN FAH idea was always when my calls LEFT DOWNER'S GROVE and were farmed out to the subcontracted call centers during PEAK PERIODS or after 10:00 PM at night and before 6:00 AM in the morning.

That's always when the other vendors who had not had the proper training from either Liz Stallone or Julie Stotler got my customer's orders all screwed up. Fact was that, the outside vendors couldn't even scroll down the screen which they had right in front of their faces to read our database information regarding caveats and codicils which would enable the sales associate to guide our customers into making the right choice at the right time and for OUR RIGHT PRICE!

Anyway, and at the end, and while it hurt to have to leave the very program (and company) I had pushed so hard for back in 1985, they (the VP managers) managed to screw it up so much and to the point that, my own customers were complaining to me about the lack of knowledge those outside people had, not to mention HOW LONG they had to wait until their calls were answered.

So now, and for the past five years, all our AFTER HOUR and SUNDAY or HOLIDAY calls have been forwarded to my cell phone. I can choose to answer them or send them to the voicemail which advises them to leave their name and call back number or use our 24/7 website. That option has worked out very well FORE MEE and other than the $8 monthly fee for CALL FORWARDING which my local telephone company charges, there are no other charges as I would be paying for my cell phone anyway.

At least WITH MEE, they have a PROFESSIONAL who will guide them into making the RIGHT CHOICE at the RIGHT TIME and for the RIGHT PRICE which enables us to MEET or EXCEED their EXPECTATIONS!
 
I"m like Philly. Voise mail-Hrs., locations or shop on line. Re-call on phone messages within 30 min. of opening.

There has been a go arround from time to time about the evils of having the wire services provide the web services. One Major point being the parent capturing the consumer info.

Is it any different having them acquire the info over the phone vs. the web?

I always considered the acquisition costs per order too pricy.

Many of the messages after hrs. conserned responces to undeliverable packages. Very pricy were those puppys!
 
We pass a cost along of $5 per order - they call it a phone charge on our FAH orders. If they want to save that they have to order on our web site.

I think if you want to keep your business from the big boyz you have to have 24 hour telephone ordering. Answering machine? In this instant gratification internet age who would leave an order or even leave their desire to place an order on an answering machine. I don't know it all, but I *think* you may be shooting yourself in the foot not using them. At least - get one of your employees to take calls all night for $5 an order or something similar.

About them moving to Oregon...is ths some kind of big deal?

We should be glad they haven't moved it to India.....

Yet

Now I do have relatives in the Philippines....hmmmm...



opinions vary
 
I don';t know about you all, but I am not leaving my cc info on someone's answering machine,, and I am not calling back at a more convenient time for the store.. it is convenient for me or not at all.
FAH charges me $25. month and 20% of each order taken with correct info. if there is a problem then they credit me. Gen messages must be w phone #'s and pertinent info.
Now my labor in my store runs between 20-30% so I would be paying my clerks that 20% to answer the phone and type out the order.
May not work for everyone..but one thing I do know.. once I started updating my data base info regularly the problems went away. Each month FAH sends out a memo asking you to check you data base..do you?? they can only answer with the info they have.
And mistakes?? sure there are a few, very few. but I get mistakes from my staff also.. I guess everyone needs to evaluate it for themselves. Me, I would just as soon fewer people use them because then my calls are answered faster at Holidays.
And, yes, I do call myself, often, to check out how my customers are treated by their staff.. if I don't like it I call and talk to the supervisor..
Works for me!
 
Why pay a penny? Just forward the calls to cell phone. You'd be surprised how few calls you get during non-shop hours. And the ones you do get you can sell what you have in stock. Many times for a funeral call after hours we push a plant and explain that by getting a plant the flowers can go now. Then we run over to the shop, add a card and a little shine and deliver it. While having dinner later we smile as we think about that quick profit run we made earlier. No body else in town answers or has FAH.
We are heros !
 
Re: Wee call em back, not vice versa...........

carol said:
I don';t know about you all, but I am not leaving my cc info on someone's answering machine,, and I am not calling back at a more convenient time for the store.. it is convenient for me or not at all.
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No one leaves their CC info on an answering machine or at voice mail.

And, our messages clearly indicate that, we will be happy to return their call when our shop re-opens in the morning.

As to UPDATING ONE'S FAH DATABASE? Well, I spent weeks working with Liz Stallone back in 1990 helping to create and tweak up a generic florist data base which would allow the sales associates to SELL our products and $ervices rather than be SIMPLE ORDER TAKERS without a CLUE!

When IN-HOUSE and under the training and supervision of Liz Stallone and then, Julie Stotler, the sales associates knew enough to scroll down our screens for caveats and codicils.

When FARMED OUT, the lack of training and supervision created PROBLEMS which led to LOST CUSTOMERS FOREVER at our end, since THEY NEVER SCROLLED DOWN THE SCREEN.

However, the biggest worry many of us had regarding INC was always over the possibility of OUR CUSTOMER DATA INFORMATION getting compromised by a FORE PROFIT COMPANY. And, the same could be said for allowing them to host your website.

Even if they don't try and steal your info then, what's to say that, on the day you LEAVE THEM, they're not going to take all that information they've collected from you over the years, and start to use it as another one of their marketing tools?

There is NO GUARANTEE, once you're gone, and many of us were not willing to take that chance anymore!

We've already read about some horror stories involved with a florist's domain name defaulting to DOT.CON after they left.

Not to mention the time and aggravation it takes to recapture you own DOMAINS away from their servers.

CONVENIENCE? You betcha! It's all so convenient until you reach a point in time when, it's time to cut their cord!
 
bloomz said:
I think if you want to keep your business from the big boyz you have to have 24 hour telephone ordering. Answering machine? In this instant gratification internet age who would leave an order or even leave their desire to place an order on an answering machine. I don't know it all, but I *think* you may be shooting yourself in the foot not using them.
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Our messages clearly state do NOT leave any ordering information (to include c-card info) on the voice mail. If the need to order right away, then visit us on line. We always make our call-backs 1st thing in the morning - even if the person has placed the order online. We call them to thank them for the business and to let them know we'll take excellent care of their order.

Don't know about the cell phone idea. I love my business, and do work from home. But, when I am at home, I choose not to answer calls from the shop. Only one funeral director has my home number. We used to do the call-forwarding a few years ago, but it got to be annoying - wrong number, idiots calling saying "umm...(chew-chew)...yall' um - sell flowers? Yall deliver?" (more chewing) "umm...can I get a dozen wozes with baby's breasts delivered tonight - in like a hour (pronounced "owweer")...
Let the 'big boyz' take these calls....
No thanks...place your order online.

- H
 
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