Customer Service Is Everything

Let’s get this out of the way: you blew it. ‘Scuse my French, but you did. You had an amazing request, the couple was your ideal client, their budget was a perfect fit and yet… you lost the job.
On the luxury market, customer service is everything. Let me repeat for the ones in the back: customer service is everything.
A delayed response, an email that slips through the net, a misstep and you lose a client. You lose a client, and you lose a contract.

My Confession Story

A few years ago, and I never told anyone this, I messed up big times. I used to rely solely on my memory to run my business. I was quite fast at answering emails from my phone, even when up in the air, I was sending all my contracts by creating pdfs, and would only use my paper calendar to write down dates of shoots. And it worked just fine for years!
Then I started to forget names, would need to tell my assistant on the job with me to introduce herself and ask the couple for their names. One summer, I royally messed up: I mixed up clients and payments and ended up triple booking one date! I only found out because the forecast for that day was rain and the three couples messaged me days before to know how we’d manage the weather. I was livid!Using the excuse of bad weather, I rearranged the dates and the couples never realized what had almost happened. This was obviously a massive wake up call for me: I had to get help.

17 Hats To The Rescue

I always felt my business wasn’t big enough to put a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in place. Also, and that you know about me, I absolutely hate anything administrative and I felt it was going to be overwhelming. Honestly? Couldn’t have been more wrong.
I tested a few CRM systems and implementing 17 hats has been a game changer for me and actually allowed me to get into the luxury market. Not only did it help me avoid mishaps but it also made book high-end clients.

High-end clients have certain standards and expectations. They buy expensive designers, they stay in exclusive hotels, they often run their own businesses and the common factor of all these experiences is the special attention dedicated to impeccable customer service.
From the welcome email to the quote, the invoice and contract, I am able to show my clients they’re in on a seamless experience; therefore gaining their trust. And trust me when I say that I never miss information nor deadlines.
Also, most of my couples have planners and it is important to show these planners you are trustworthy, that you know how to run a business and that you are not just an artist/ hippie.
In this business, trust is power; and with 17 hats, I feel more confident and powerful than ever. Regardless of the size of your business, you should give some thoughts to CRM, and I’d be happy to recommend you this tool.

Click HERE to discover my business rescuer.

Looking forward to hearing your CRM success stories,

Audrey