Where Are Customers On Your Priority List?
by Larry Williams
For most of us, matters of personal importance usually rise to the top of our priority list. Things like family, friends and health are generally always a great priority – as well they should be. But when you take into consideration the enormous trust placed upon you by your customers and the fact that your livelihood and the success of their once-in-a-lifetime event are riding on you and your ability to serve them . . . where are customers on your priority list?
One thing all of us in the wedding industry have in common is our ability to respond to the needs of our customers. I always find it interesting the lengths some companies “will” and “will not” go for their customers. If the customer is king . . . where do you draw the line? Should a line be drawn at all? I have personally found that a genuine respect and appreciation for my customers usually finds me going above and beyond what might be expected.
Here are a handful of examples that might be used as a pretty good barometer to measure the priorities of your wedding business. How would you address the following conditions?
- A customer calls you after hours on your cell phone . . . or on a holiday (ie: Christmas Day) . . . or while on vacation . . . do you take the call? How do you react to their timing?
- The mother-of-the-bride (who is paying for the event) insists on doing things her way . . . do you intervene on behalf of the bride? How do you approach the situation?
- A vendor you never met before is experiencing an on-site difficulty. You are in a position to help (though it is way outside the field of your expertise) . . . do you jump in and help?
- Your car breaks down on the way to the event. Do you incur whatever expense necessary to get to the event . . . no matter what?
- You’re privy to an unorthodox change-of-plan another member of the event team will spring on the bride on her wedding day . . . do you approach the vendor and/or inform the bride?
While many of these conditions might appear hypothetical . . . I can assure you that I have personally seen or heard fellow colleagues experience each of the above conditions – in some cases, more than once! They are very real and they don’t discriminate amongst those who do this full-time or part-time.
Whether you do or do not draw a line to any of the above scenarios, I personally believe the manner in which you react can have just as detrimental an effect upon the perception of your services as the actual response itself. In essence, your attitude towards such unusual occurrences is just as important.
These types of scenarios are really a test of our customer service qualities. As wedding professionals we need to be ready for just about anything, at any given time. We will always have curve balls thrown our way. How we respond will say a lot about our character, temperament, dedication and integrity.
Priorities are just as important in business as they are in our personal life. The trick is . . . how to balance the two!
