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Thursday, December 3, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Customer Service
The past week has pushed the issue of customer service to the forefront of my mind, and probably to a lot of other ETSY sellers. As we are getting closer to the thick of holiday shopping, we are dealing with a higher percentage of new ETSY shoppers.
I have always been good about communication, I answer convos and emails quickly, and I always confirm purchases and give the buyer a ship date promptly, but there are other things that I am ashamed to say, have slipped through the cracks.
The bulk of my listings have been copied & pasted for over a year, and my shop policies haven't been updated in quite some time. After a run in with a customer this week, I was motivated to make some changes and clarifications. I am now seeing the importance of spiffing up your shop periodically and making sure that listings are as detailed and accurate as possible. This is where hiring help has come in very handy,cause let me tell ya, after working a 14 hour day, the last thing I want to do is go through all 90 listings in my shop to see that the measurements all say "approximate."
Etsy has great articles about customer service, and I went back to my favorite, Etsy Seller Guide, for advice, I have also been checking out other seller pages to read policies, and shop announcements and to try and discern how other production artists deal with the hand made and individual nature of their work in a listing that will represent multiples of the same piece.
I am still figuring out the details of running a business, and I am actually very thankful for the opportunity to improve presented by the challenging customer. I think the past week or so and the challenges I have had to face have given me a new goal; to become a better business person and to make sure that it is clear to my customer what they are purchasing before it arrives at their door. I want them to be happy with my work and feel confident enough to come back & send their friends!
Friday, November 20, 2009
The saga continues
I received a call yesterday from the nightmare custom order people. Again I tried to explain myself as I was berated for the tile being slightly smaller than they requested, and about the shipping damage that had occurred....and on top of it all, they wanted the other 2 tiles, but they better match the one I sent and they will cost significantly less than the first one.
I hung up on a client. YEP. That's right.
Here is the letter I sent this morning, refusing service. I am so glad I was not under contract. I am so insulted by the behavior of this person and can't believe that people are so frickin rude. It is completely insane to me that I would be treated with such disregard and disrespect.
Takes me back to the restaurant days. People, treat those that serve you well, otherwise, THEY JUST MIGHT SPIT IN YOUR F*****IN FOOD! (metaphorical or otherwise)
To whom it may concern,
I regret to inform you that I will not be producing the tiles you requested.
I delivered the closest possible product to what was ordered, as I have said previously, ceramics is not an exact process, I am limited by materials and equipment. Had you the courtesy to consult with me about the size of the tile before you discounted my services to your client, I could have explained the process to you in a comprehensive and helpful way. I produced 3 seperate molds for the base of the tile, and 5 tiles to get you that single tile that measures a little over 16". It was 18" when it went into the kiln and was the largest of all of the tiles I prototyped. I worked very hard to deliver what I promised, and was confident that though the measurements were not exact, I produced a beautiful and high quality hand made piece of art out of a difficult and precious material. I am not a factory, I am an artist, what I produce is not mold injected plastic, and I am surprised to be treated as such by someone that should be fairly familiar with the industry.
In the beginning, I advised that I send, for a nominal fee, a 9" tile sample which was readily available, so that you and your clients could see a smaller version of the finished product before I embarked on such a large project. I also advised that it would be best to order all 3 tiles at the same time, to guarantee that they would all be the same size. You and your colleague again chose to go against my advice and expertise.
You asked for a discount on shipping, and in the interest of customer service, I granted your request. I shipped through the USPS, versus the more costly carrier I was planning on using when I gave you the quote. I must cover my cost, not only on shipping, but materials, and I tried to explain that to you when you called insisting that the price was too high. Had you respected what I had advised, the tiles would have been made all at the same time and shipped via a freight company on a pallette, or at least the single tile would have shipped safely through UPS . I have safely shipped thousands of pieces all over the globe, and am confident that the piece would have arrived safely had it not been for your insistence that I offer you a cheaper service.
I am sorry that you are not happy with the results. I offered my professional advise in the beginning, and a solution to the problem when the piece arrived damaged. I offered to send you a slightly smaller tile I had produced for the project so that the client could see what the final product would look like and then make the decision to order the set of 3 tiles. I would then reproduce the tile that had been sent and any other tiles added to the order. I did not offer you a discount when you called about the damaged piece, you pushed the subject and I gave you the number to put an end to the conversation. I also recall trying to explain that the smaller one I offered to replace the damaged one took the same amount of time and effort and I didn't feel comfortable offering it to you at a discounted price, and then you called requesting that I complete the project at a drastically reduced price.
I have done everything within my power to satisfy my end of this arrangement. You were advised from the beginning as to what I thought, in my professional opinion, was the best option for each process. You chose to go against that multiple times and I am choosing not to do any further business with you.
Again, I regret that I will not be able to offer you my services. I wish you luck on the project.
*******SIGH*******
I hung up on a client. YEP. That's right.
Here is the letter I sent this morning, refusing service. I am so glad I was not under contract. I am so insulted by the behavior of this person and can't believe that people are so frickin rude. It is completely insane to me that I would be treated with such disregard and disrespect.
Takes me back to the restaurant days. People, treat those that serve you well, otherwise, THEY JUST MIGHT SPIT IN YOUR F*****IN FOOD! (metaphorical or otherwise)
To whom it may concern,
I regret to inform you that I will not be producing the tiles you requested.
I delivered the closest possible product to what was ordered, as I have said previously, ceramics is not an exact process, I am limited by materials and equipment. Had you the courtesy to consult with me about the size of the tile before you discounted my services to your client, I could have explained the process to you in a comprehensive and helpful way. I produced 3 seperate molds for the base of the tile, and 5 tiles to get you that single tile that measures a little over 16". It was 18" when it went into the kiln and was the largest of all of the tiles I prototyped. I worked very hard to deliver what I promised, and was confident that though the measurements were not exact, I produced a beautiful and high quality hand made piece of art out of a difficult and precious material. I am not a factory, I am an artist, what I produce is not mold injected plastic, and I am surprised to be treated as such by someone that should be fairly familiar with the industry.
In the beginning, I advised that I send, for a nominal fee, a 9" tile sample which was readily available, so that you and your clients could see a smaller version of the finished product before I embarked on such a large project. I also advised that it would be best to order all 3 tiles at the same time, to guarantee that they would all be the same size. You and your colleague again chose to go against my advice and expertise.
You asked for a discount on shipping, and in the interest of customer service, I granted your request. I shipped through the USPS, versus the more costly carrier I was planning on using when I gave you the quote. I must cover my cost, not only on shipping, but materials, and I tried to explain that to you when you called insisting that the price was too high. Had you respected what I had advised, the tiles would have been made all at the same time and shipped via a freight company on a pallette, or at least the single tile would have shipped safely through UPS . I have safely shipped thousands of pieces all over the globe, and am confident that the piece would have arrived safely had it not been for your insistence that I offer you a cheaper service.
I am sorry that you are not happy with the results. I offered my professional advise in the beginning, and a solution to the problem when the piece arrived damaged. I offered to send you a slightly smaller tile I had produced for the project so that the client could see what the final product would look like and then make the decision to order the set of 3 tiles. I would then reproduce the tile that had been sent and any other tiles added to the order. I did not offer you a discount when you called about the damaged piece, you pushed the subject and I gave you the number to put an end to the conversation. I also recall trying to explain that the smaller one I offered to replace the damaged one took the same amount of time and effort and I didn't feel comfortable offering it to you at a discounted price, and then you called requesting that I complete the project at a drastically reduced price.
I have done everything within my power to satisfy my end of this arrangement. You were advised from the beginning as to what I thought, in my professional opinion, was the best option for each process. You chose to go against that multiple times and I am choosing not to do any further business with you.
Again, I regret that I will not be able to offer you my services. I wish you luck on the project.
*******SIGH*******
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Holiday Shows
I have 3 shows going on over the next few weeks,
One at my favorite Atlanta Area Gallery: Little Tree in Avondale Estates on December 5th & 6th
Another in Tryon, at Upstairs Artspace , called " Art for Presents." Ashevillians, you should take a little day trip to Tron, take some of the beautiful meandering back roads and check out an amazing contemporary art gallery.I will also be exhibiting at Funke Fired Arts in Cincinnati starting December 9th.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Haven't written in a little while..... Things are gearing up around here, I have two more shows to get work prepared for, galleries to fill and Etsy sales to brace myself for, so its getting crazier by the minute.
Here is a shot of the massive amount of urchin bowls on the table at the moment.
Here is a shot of the massive amount of urchin bowls on the table at the moment.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Custom Order Nightmares
So, I just spent 9 weeks on the "big tile" project, referred to in a previous post.
I have discovered what most ceramics artists have long known: custom orders are NEVER WORTH IT.
There, I said it.
Whitney gave me great advice when a consulting firm hit me up for 1000 pieces about a year ago, she told me to charge what would make it worth it to me. That specific project would have taken me and 2 or 3 studio minions away from everything for 6 months or more,and I would have had to invest in more equipment, so I gave them a pretty crazy quote. They declined to even negotiate, and then ordered a small and very manageable amount of Urchin Bowls, which was fine with me!!!!!
The Big Tile project had some flaws, some were my fault, some were the fault of the agency. They wanted three tiles, but wanted to only pay for one up front to see if they liked it. I suggested that I send them a 9" tile and they could visualize the larger tile, they could then decide definitively if they wanted to proceed with an order for all 3 tiles. I should have been more firm, my price should have been triple what I quoted, and they should have listened to what I said. I ended up making 3 molds and 5 tiles out of 2 clay bodies.
The tile arrived to their office damaged, I ended up having to fork over a few bucks, and if they call me for the other 2 tiles, I am telling them to shove it.
The next time someone requests a custom order, my lead time will be at least 4-6 months, and the price will be well above the original number that pops into my head.
I am learning, and I guess its a process all artists must go through. Making something to satisfy someone else's vision kind of sucks, to put it plainly, and when dealing with ceramics, it is a major technical pain in the ass.
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