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5 Ways for Small Businesses to Please Angry Customers

5 Ways for Small Businesses to Please Angry Customers

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Photo Direct in General with Comments Disabled Last Modified June 11, 2019

No matter how much effort you put into customer service, it’s rare for a business to please 100 percent of their customers. So what happens when a customer is angry with your business? How should small businesses handle customers that had a negative experience with your company? Done right, small business owners can ease an angry customers concerns and even make it likely that same person will shop with you again. Here are five customer service tips to make it happen.

Admit when you are at fault.

Technical error cause a shipping delay? Printer produce a misprinted album or photo print? If the customer has a legitimate complaint, don’t try to place blame elsewhere. Customers are often surprised at the businesses that admit their own mistakes. Sure, admitting when you made a mistake is hard to do, but that immediately gets you started off on the right foot fixing the issue.

Offer a way to make it right.

If the customer has a legitimate complaint, find a way to make it right. If, for example, that photo printer malfunction caused a problem in one of the products the customer received. Replace it. Even better, replace it with overnight shipping and offer a coupon for a future order. That lets customers know that you recognise that their time is valuable, and that the issue is one that you’re working to fix.

Create a system for customer service that takes care of dissatisfied customers immediately.

An angry customer is often quick to find a different business. Small businesses should make it a priority to develop a system that recognises angry customers right away to take care of the problem. Don’t wait before tackling customer complaints. Develop a process so that all of your employees know how to handle customer complaints and so those issues get taken care of quickly.

Use technology to avoid wasting valuable time.

The task of handling angry customers immediately sound like just another thing to add to your long to do list? Offset some of the work that’s necessary for keeping customers happy — and reviews positive — using technology. Small businesses may not have the tools of larger businesses, but there are still a few options for using technology to answer some of the most frequently asked customer questions so time spent on customer service can be better spent on tasks that can’t be automated.

Something as simple as adding an FAQ question to your website and making sure your hours, return policies, location, and other basic details are easy to find will help. Look into creating an automated help bot online — even if you don’t have the resources to build a custom chat bot, small businesses can even create one with services like Facebook Messenger without spending a lot of money.

Consistency is key.

Small business owners should work to ensure customers are receiving a consistent experience across the board. The customer with the $20 order should be treated the same way as the customer with the $200 order. Work to make sure your customer experience is positive no matter how customers shop, whether that’s online or in store.

Businesses are bound to have unhappy customers sometimes — but how you manage those customers says a lot about your business — and could even encourage those customers to try your business again.

4 Ways to Create Happy Customers -- Through Happy Employees

4 Ways to Create Happy Customers — Through Happy Employees

Posted on June 5, 2019 by Photo Direct in General with Comments Disabled Last Modified June 5, 2019

Everyone, at some point, has experienced bad customer service. The culprit is often the same — an unhappy employee. A disgruntled employee can quickly give your customer service experience a turn for the worse. While everyone has a bad day — employees included — businesses can take several steps to help build a healthy work culture. In turn, a healthy work culture can improve customer satisfaction.

Here are four ideas for small businesses to improve both employee culture — and customer satisfaction.

Ensure employees feel valued.

An employee that feels valued is in a much better position to deliver positive customer experience. And employees that feel like they are making a difference in the workplace are less likely to leave the company, saving time and training costs.

So how do small business owners help employees feel valued? Start by asking yourself what makes you feel valued and work to deliver those same things to your staff. Share your business’ success stories with even the entry level employees to show that what your company, and your employees, are doing matters. Encourage employees to communicate issues and respond to any problems as soon as possible.

Track staff performance — and offer incentives.

Do you know offhand which of your employees are among the most productive? Tracking what each employee accomplishes can allow you to offer incentives for the top performing employees every month. Building fun contests can help keep morale up and increase productivity. Brainstorm different ways to offer incentives outside of simply meeting a quota. Create an photo contest where the employee that snaps a promotional workplace photo that gains the most Instagram likes gets a prize. Have a custom contest on Halloween. Something that simple can help break up the monotony of the workweek.

Take care, however, because using quotas can quickly make employees feel like just a number. Remember to look at more than production, but employees who put an extra effort into customer service or otherwise go above and beyond the usual duties.

Build connection among employees.

Having a friend at work makes going to work more enjoyable — which in turn can help create both happier employees and happier customers. Brainstorm ways to build your staff as a whole, not just as individual employees. Schedule team building activities. Encourage conversation in the break room with an occasional treat. Host a simple event to bring employees together. Turn those contests into team contests rather than individual ones.

Don’t forget the employee benefits.

Ultimately, no matter how positive the work environment is, employees come to work to, well, work. Ensure the benefits that you offer are competitive and employee focused. Benefits aren’t exclusively tied to finances, either. Employees also value flexibility, such as the ability to take time off, a telecommute option, and flexible scheduling.

Happy employees are much more likely to deliver that positive customer experience. Studies show that employees who enjoy their work tend to stay longer, reducing costs for the company. Don’t focus so much on the customer that you forget the people who are actually working directly with those customers.

Fotospeed fine art paper

5 Reasons to use Fotospeed Fine Art Papers

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Photo Direct in General, Wide Format, Wide Format Media with Comments Disabled Last Modified June 30, 2016

As a photographer, you put a lot of work into your art, from choosing the right gear to setting your exposure to perfecting your images in post. That attention to detail allows photographers to capture amazing images on an entirely different level than the average photos floating around the web, even of the same subjects. But do you ever feel like you could be missing one small but essential detail?

Fotospeed Fine Art papers are the final touch that turns amazing digital images into a physical work of art. As the “fine art” in the name suggests, this isn’t your ordinary over-glossed paper. Here are five reasons that Fotospeed Fine Art papers are that final but essential detail.

Fine Art papers have a print life of over 85 years.

Most paper actually contains acid. Over the years, the acid will eventually eat away at the image. Printing your images isn’t just a way to display them, but to protect them from a technical glitch erasing all your work. Print on your average piece of paper, and your image won’t last long. All Fotospeed Fine Art papers, on the other hand, are rated to last over 85 years.

Fine art papers are color neutral.

Anyone who has ever shopped for a wedding dress knows that “white” isn’t just one color, but several. White is more than just a single shade for photographers as well. Low quality photo papers often don’t start out as a neutral white. That means the colors in your shots are starting out on a bad note before the ink even hits the paper.

Fine art papers have a wide color gamut.

Different papers will absorb ink at a different rate, which means choosing a paper is essential to getting an accurate color. Fotospeed’s fine art papers are designed to present your images in their best light, even if your shot is in black and white. The range of paper options means that you can choose an option to absorb more ink for more saturated color, or select one with a more traditional feel.

Fine art papers allow you to choose the finishing touch.

Using a fine art paper gives you the choice of one more detail: texture. Fine art papers come in a range of textures from smooth to an almost velvety touch. Whether you are printing a portrait or a street photo, the right finish could be that final detail to an amazing shot.

Fine art papers have nearly endless size possibilities.

Photos don’t always fit in the same box. With sizes from cut sheets to 44 inch rolls, Fotospeed’s fine art papers make it possible to print panoramas, square shots and custom sizes for canvas wrapping. Odd sizes? They’re no problem.

 

Photographs aren’t meant to just sit on a hard drive, but printing a photo out on just any paper isn’t going to let all the time that you really put into the shot speak. Fotospeed’s Fine Art papers have more longevity, better color reproduction and a wide range of finishes and sizes. Don’t believe it? Just look up what paper photographers like Joe Cornish, Charlie Waite, and Trevor and Faye Yerbury use.

Pinchbook cover how to

Pinchbooks now available in A4

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Photo Direct in General with Comments Disabled Last Modified February 4, 2016

Pinchbooks™ are now available in A4 you may be familiar with the previous sizes and we have now extended the range to include A4 Photobook covers.
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The perfect time to promote Display Products

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Photo Direct in General, Products, Wide Format Display with 2 comments Last Modified January 14, 2015

With photo consumers snapping more than their share of ‘selfies’ and action images over the Festive and Holiday season, January is the perfect time to promote both Prints and Display Products to enjoy a longer tail of profitable sales.  All you need do is simply add your customers’ favourite print to any of the frames from our superb range of display products including Go Frame, Silver Linings and Visionblox to make an awesome wall or table memory.

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There’s Always A Reason To Stock Up On Disposable Cameras

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Photo Direct in General with Comments Disabled Last Modified September 4, 2014

Although we continue to see significant changes in image capture behaviour there’s still a large market for the humble, single-use or disposable camera. Perfect for parties, weddings, school excursions and tourist destination retailing this classic product remains a popular seller and one you should always keep in mind when promoting ideas or seasonal events to your customer base.
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Importing ICC Files to your Z5400

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Photo Direct in General with Comments Disabled Last Modified June 6, 2014

Precise and reliable colour management requires accurate ICC-compliant profiles of all your devices especially your printer. While the process of importing files for an HP Z5400 involves just six simple steps we’d like to remind customers we can help you avoid unnecessary, time-wasting and potentially damaging “corrections” to an already satisfactory image. For more information or help simply call us on 03 9894 1644 or speak to any of our sales team.