the upholsterer's ABC guide to customer care

"A.B.C. Always Be Cool" Boyd Crowder, Justified 2013

5 things... 

an upholster should remember when handling a complaint

when being screamed at, cried at or possibly even threatened, always listen calmly and professionally. indeed, this will allow the lovely customer to scream/cry until they are also calm. 

establish precisely what the lovely customer's complaint is, as it is likely to buried in a bunch of irrelevant grumbles such as 'you weren't even there when i phoned last night'. 

give yourself time to decide how to react. calling the lovely customer back after an hour or two is good. this will allow you to take charge of the matter. (i found this advice most helpful, especially when spoken in a Kentucky drawl: 'turn this situation into one where your customer is impressed at your helpfulness while respecting you for not giving in to being bullied')

once you have decided just how much of the complaint you are prepared to shoulder, if indeed you must, stick to your guns. eg ‘i will meet you halfway on cost to change as i feel you were uninformed when it came to the creative choice i made’. or some such.

however unfair, stressful and upsetting the complaint, take a lesson from it. these were mine:

• always keep your customer informed, especially when making creative or costly decisions however confident you are
• if there are two ways of doing something, always ask for the customer's preference

• most importantly, ALWAYS get paid before furniture leaves the workshop

(by the way, my recent horrible experience involved a lovely lady who, despite being thrilled with my ‘excellent craftsmanship’, had wanted bigger cushions. MUCH bigger cushions. oh deary me.)

and one more thing... 'Justified' Channel 5 US. 10pm Weds. awesome