Shop Talk #3: Customer Care for Print Shops

[printavo]

Why should screen printers think like barbers?

There's more similarity than you think.

Like a barber, your print shop creates a custom experience.

A really great barber creates a personal connection with their clients. They turn people into advocates that not only leave positive reviews, but actually refer new customers. The best barbers turn their clients into promoters – they don't just wear the haircut, they blast social media with praise and thanks.

So how do you transfer the skills a barber uses to make a connection into your print shop? Start with the end: what's your post-production follow through?

Follow through strong at the end of every order

When you've printed and shipped your customer's screen printed merch, it's time for the follow through. Follow through is the most high-value activity that screen printers and other custom merchandise creators can implement for customer care.

Your goal: Turn the customer into a repeat customer.

How to execute: Multiple small points of contact.

• Nurture the deal. After you close the sale and begin production, continue the communication process. This is a great entry point for customer education.
• Immediately send the customer's invoice. A clear and concise invoice provides a great deal of customer assurance.
• Clearly format and send the tracking info. Customers really want to know the status of their orders at all times.
• Send a thank you note. You have to thank every customer. Consider sending cards or making a phone call to VIP clients.
• Have them enter a post-sale email marketing funnel. Create a unique email campaign for your customers to receive after the sale. This can focus on your new products, updates on your shop, or targeting their specific business based on its seasonality.
• Solicit online reviews. Reviews are crucial to your visibility and success. We recommend something like ReviewerPro to help you convert your customers into positive reviewers.
• Incentivize positive online reviews. If your sales staff takes customer orders, offer a bonus for positive online reviews that mention them by name. Train your team to follow up with their sales so that your shop is kept at the top of your customers' minds.

Small mistakes can make big customer dissatisfaction
What this means: protect and defend the customer. Nurture them. Communication about each part of the process is irreplaceable.

Small mistakes have cost Steven customers: Many detractors had legitimate complaints. But others were upset by small things: "It took too long to get my invoice." Steven's conclusion: customers always want to be in the know. Whether the job is finished or not, keep them up to date. If it's going to be late, let them know ahead of time.

The biggest mistake to avoid: Don't let your printing errors get to the customers. Once you have flawed merch out in the world, it's impossible to fix. Seems simple and obvious – but that's how customers that were promoters become former customers that are online detractors.

How to root out problems: Map out your customer experience:


Read the full article here: https://www.printavo.com/blog/shop-talk-3-customer-care-for-print-shops