for photographers
3 WAYS TO CREATE A GREAT CLIENT EXPERIENCE
As business owners in the service industry our ultimate goal is for our clients to be happy, and want to work with us year-after-year.
Taking great photos is only part of our service.
providing our families with a fabulous experience is how you set yourself apart from other photographers, and keep your clients coming back.
I’m going to share 3 easy ways you can up-level your client experience.
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OVER COMMUNICATE – tell them “what happens next”
Do this BEFORE they ask!
I believe the most important thing you can do for your clients is answer questions before they have them. Staring from the time they first inquire with you and continuing throughout the experience working with you. Here’s how I over communicate with my clients:
Lay everything out in the initial email after inquiry
Make sure you’re communicating all the value of your service. Give them links to examples of your work, testimonials, all package and pricing information [definitely don’t want any surprises here later!], turn around times, and anything else that would be valuable to know ahead of booking.
when they book Tell them “What happens Next…”
Example: “After you complete your retainer and contract I’ll send over my client style guide and questionnaire. A week prior to your session I’ll send over our meeting spot and time…”
When our session is over and we are saying our goodbyes I tell them “What happens Next…”
Example: “I’ll send a sneak peek as soon as I can. In 4 weeks or less you’ll receive your gallery link. You can share the link with friends and family. Everyone can download whatever they like. You also have a print credit to spend in your gallery store. Everything should be really easy but if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”
2. go above and beyond during the session
think of ways you can go above and beyond your client’s expectations
Over the years I’ve learned to anticipate the unexpected. Here are some things I take with me on sessions that always surprise my clients and make them really appreciative.
A clean rag
Disclaimer: it’s a nice looking, not disgusting rag.
This can, and has been used for: baby spit up, runny noses, messy faces, Dad’s sweaty head. Parents are always thankful when I have this rag, and it avoids clothing being marked/stained.
A bottle of water
I usually bring 2 small bottles of water. One for me, and one for the family. Most of the time they don’t need it. But when they do- it is a life saver. I’ve used it to quench thirst for kids, or parents, help get sand out of a kiddo’s eye ball [the clean rag comes in handy here too], and cure my own dry mouth from talking and laughing too much myself.
A neutral blanket
I always bring a neutral blanket for any seated shots we get during our session. This takes the stress off the family to remember a blanket, and find one they like for photos. Photo day is a lot of prep for families, this is one less thing they need to think about.
3. surprise and delight your clients
there is nothing better than getting an unexpected, fun surprise
Our job makes this part really fun, and easy. Here are some ways I love to surprise and delight my families:
Before sending their gallery link i send them a slideshow of some of my favorite images from their session.
Seeing their photos for the first time, and set to music evokes more emotion than simply scrolling their gallery for their first look. I made a video of how I easily make my client slideshows. Click here to see it.
send a text when their gallery is delivered to let them know
Spam happens, and it’s the WORST. I never want my client galleries to land in spam and have them waiting and wondering when they will see their gallery. As soon as I hit send on their gallery I shoot them a text letting them know to look for it.
Surprise them with an unexpected gift!
After I’m finished editing a collection I write my families a thank you note and pop it in the mail. In the note I let them know I’ve had something made and sent to their home, so they can be on the lookout for it. Then I order a printed product and have it delivered directly to their home address. This is not only a fun surprise for them, but it also shows them the quality of products they can order directly from their gallery.
I hope you found these helpful!
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