I have recently begun doing woodworking full time. I have spent years building in the film and theatre businesses, but am now striking out on my own doing bookcases, furniture, custom trim, and other.
I have had been steadily busy since January and have a string of very happy clients. What do I do in the event that I deliver a project to a client and they say something like “This isn’t what I wanted or expected” or “This isn’t the quality I believed I was paying for” or ???
It hasn’t happened yet, but I am certain it will and I want to have some ideas has to how to proceed in this type of situation.
Thanks for any responses.
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Replies
malevitt ,
The fact that it has not happened yet is a good thing , you must be doing a good job and doing what your clients expect .
imo the key to successful business relations with your clients is communication , mainly before you begin the project . Make sure the clients expectations are in line with what you plan on doing .
It's better to spend an extra few hours and sketches before hand to make sure you are all on the same page . In time you will develop a sort of sixth sense if you will ,on what each person is mostly concerned with ,many times it is color , the stain or the wood color . When I sense they are concerned with the wood all being the same color I have this little talk about how all the wood we use in their job may not come from the same tree and in some species there is a greater range of natural grain and color variations . I say something like we could make it out of Formica if it needs to be all the same color and usually they say something like we love the colors of the natural woods and understand there will be some lighter and some darker boards , that will take care of it before it is a problem .
Make sure you have a scaled copy of the plan with all dimensions on it to have them sign your copy and leave a copy for them to keep . A few times upon delivery they have said something like hey that looks much larger then I thought it would be . I say well lets look at the plan , their memory quickly returns especially when they see their initials on my copy .
In the unlikely event of a water landing , and they are simply not happy ask what you can do to make it better ,once you hear the problem they are having try and come up with the best available solution . If they just decided they don't want one that big and with no fault of your own and you need to rebuild a piece , hey it was not your fault but try and make it right once they see you going to far reaches to be part of the solution they will be as cooperative as you are in my experience .
good luck dusty
Excellent advice about trying to stave off problems before they even start by being comprehensive about the scope of the job. Doing that due diligence will significantly reduce dissatisfied customers in the first place.
The other thing, if someone doesn't like what you did, is to say, "OK. What can I do to make it right?" You might have to eat a job here and there, but it's the best thing for your business in the long run. A satisfied customer will tell others how you went out of your way to please; someone who is disgruntled will also talk...
It's true that there are people who are impossible to please. And you'll soon learn how to avoid them. But going in with an open, positive attitude - and conducting yourself that way through the course of the job no matter what happens - will go a long way toward building a better relationship with your client. No one wants to listen to complaints or excuses. Just deal with the problems calmly and professionally as they come up and you'll do all right. It helps to look at things through the eyes of your client, too.
Good luck with your new venture..
ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
Working to get it right for the client is the single most trying in custom furnituremaking. It drives me crazy. Fortunately, I believe that I've got a 100% satisfied rate after 28 years in the business. So I must now be completely nuts. Welcome to the club.
Dusty.. You came through again....
imo the key to successful business relations with your clients is communication , mainly before you begin the project . Make sure the clients expectations are in line with what you plan on doing .
Nothing to do with woodworking but I have traveled the world 'fixin' print shop equipment. Presses, Binders, Cutters, Cameras, Computers, Whatever wich is MANY things..
I ALWAYS talked about the problem. If an issue... I'd tell them I'll put your old parts back on at no charge... Sort of jokin' but very true at the same time.. I found that nobody can please everybody. No matter how we try! Lots of folks out there that will do anything to get away with something....
I have lost MANY thousands of dollars (over many years) doing my work for folks like that. I STILL listened to them. Even if HOSTILE! They may have had a point I overlooked. I never settled anything 'at the moment'.. I'd go back to the hotel, have a good dinner, And a 'few' and then think about it when I was relaxed.. Sometimes they won, sometimes I did. Even if I lost I could walk away thinking.. I did my best at the time for them bastards!
Great advice from the other posters!
I am an Autocad user and do most of my drawing using it, but am trying to learn Sketchup to be able to present perspectives to the client. This really seems to help them visualize the piece.
I also make sure to keep the customers involved during the construction process-have them over to decide on trim/molding choices, "final" design before assembly, color and finishing, etc. In fact, I probably become a pest. "This one or this one?"
Enjoy the learning experience!
Pete
The advice given already is excellent. I think the consensus would be to make sure you and your clients are communicating clearly from the beginning. Having everything down on paper is key.
The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is absolutely true. The more accurate the drawings you show to your client, the less likely the two of you will be on different pages at the end. Use whatever tools you have available to make sure your drawings clearly convey what the client is after. A little time spent up front can save a lot of time and money later.
PCM mentioned SketchUp. If you aren't using it, perhaps you should look into it. You can't beat the price and it is certainly easy to use once you get going. the learning curve is relatively short and shallow.
If you want to give SketchUp a try and need a hand, let me know. I'll be happy to help.
Dave
If you have a feeling it's going to happen, it's a sign that you need to beef up your design consultations, contracts, and communication in general. I can't necessarily help you with all that, but it doesn't take an expert to see that it is time. Design seems like a squishy area were disputes are involved, I think this is one reason why working on speculation is appealling. How well do your customers know what they are getting? Are they the designer, or are you?
Brian
Being in construction, I have this happen sometimes, what looks good on print sometimes does not look good in real life. Alot of times it is a proportion issue (I thought I would have more room) but, I have a print to always back me up, as well as a spec sheet that details the "specs" involved. Usually if it is something simple I can accomadate my clients. The best thing to do is have everything up front with no surprises.
Here's some of the things I do to help avoid customers being unhappy. Keep in mind that I do woodwork as a side job. Not for rent money.
When they ask for a specific type of wood, I show then a sample of the wood. I get the OK before any work is done.
I go to their homes to see where the work is going to utilized and try to suggest ideas about size and design. This also allows me to see the color and design of the other pieces in the room. I can now say things like.. I'll try to match color like that peice, and trims like this one. The customer gets a very good idea what the new piece will look like before I pick up a pencil. When I do initial sketches, it's with them by my side in their home. This allows me to show them how tall/wide/deep their peice will be in relation to the room and other existing pieces.
I ask them to come see their piece being built at a specific time. At this time the piece can be dry fitted together. The piece should stand on it's own without glue.I tell them that this is the time to show their concerns. It gives me a chance to show them the craftsmanship that went into their piece that may not be seen later. (M+T joints ect)
I ask for part of the payment just prior to finishing. I ask them to come to my shop to make the payment. This gives them one last chance to see the piece before finishing. If I need to make a change this late in the project at least the finish hasn't been applied yet. I give them a sample to take home of the wood with the finish they chose. This is their last chance to show a concern on finish choices.
When done, they chose the wood after seeing a sample.
Helped with disign, and OK'd drawings.
OK'd the workmanship and up to finishing time.
Approved the finish after seeing a sample.
If someday this still leads to a unhappy customer. My plan is to try to work things out within the origanal piece. If it can't be done, l'll return all the $$ paid, and take the piece home. If they were respectful during the process I might bring them a bottle of wine, or send some flowers. But respectful or not I won't work for them again.
The easiest way to avoid dissatisfied customers is - to not have them as customers in the first place.
I don't do woodworking as a full-time job, but I do sell a good deal of my furniture and carvings. It's been my experience that customers that want to dicker (excessively) over a price quote are the ones to avoid. Note that I'm not talking about the customers that ask for a less expensive piece by using less expensive wood or leaving out some of the more expensive details, I'm talking about the ones that demand 10-15% (sometimes more) off of the quoted price just to grace you with the order.
For the most part, I patiently explain that I cannot compete with shops that are set up to specifically produce a lot of one partcular, standardized design. What my customers are paying for is something that's not inherently obvious when one views the finished piece - customization to the specific person's desires. I graciously thank them for their consideration and decline the order. They usually go away mad - that's generally confirmation of my first instinct.
dk & All ,
You brought up the point about the potential client offering you less than what you have asked for , I only do custom orders I never try and sell a piece already made there is a huge difference in value perception .
I typically ask for a deposit when we put it on paper with a contract and separate sketches to define the parameters and scope of the job .The few times over the last 27 years or so that the client was reluctant to give me the deposit or wanted to wait or wanted to give me much less than what I asked for were to me indicators that when the job was complete they may also not have wanted to come up with or maybe offer less money then what was due .
Trust yourself and your gut instincts when it dosen't feel right it probably isn't. A good friend with a huge wwing business was working with a client on a $100.000 kitchen , he needed the job but the client asked him to start the job with no deposit and small incremental payments or something like that . He asked his attorney about this transaction and the advice given has stuck with me forever ." Whenever you do something different than normal , it will probably cost you something extra "
I won't work for those folks either once I figure out what they are .Fortunately for me the majority if not all my clients have been referred to me and most have seen some work I have done so the credibility factor is already there and my job is to design and make sure I explain each facet of the job by showing pictures of similar details and actually showing them a piece of molding and door style and of course color , which to me has been the toughest part of custom work . I make a few stock color samples in the zone they ask for and if that is no where near correct I have learned to send them directly to the paint store I use with plenty of wood samples from thier job and the paint store will mix or show them color until they are happy . I tell them to pick it out and I'll pay for it .
This method has never gone wrong , since they picked it out they will like it.
dusty
Like others have said, communication is the key. If you keep your customer in the loop during the construction process, and allow them to make decisions QUICKLY when needed, you will avoid dissatisfaction completely.
I always give the customer an opportunity to make a change when the job is complete, before I apply finish to the project. They come to my shop, and "sign off", so to speak. I've never had an issue in 20+ years, and if you follow these simple guidelines, you won't either.
The key, in any business, is to avoid working for the type of customer who isn't going to be satisfied no matter how hard you work towards perfection for them, no matter how much money they are paying you. Losing a customer like that is like losing cancer, if you asked me. Stay away from them, as they will take 10 years off of your lifespan. You will learn quickly how to spot them up front.
Jeff
Jeff,
Excellent point about choosing the right clients. I very quickly get a feel of whether of not I want to deal with someone or not. One might argue that rejecting a client is a luxury, but working for an impossible client is more costly than not working at all. I also try to get to know the clients as well as possible. Establish a relationship and trust.
Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Edited 7/8/2008 2:28 am by flairwoodworks
From another post.. Not mine..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UxksytZMaU
Says it all and then some!
This did in fact happen to me. It realy comes down to communication,I did not communicate the cost of the pc. and had to setal for less moeny, but the lady did except the pc. .
So make sure you talk and talk with your clients
I find pepper spray works great:) Seriously all you can do is do your best and make sure you understand what your client wants and you communicate what is really possible. Their is always somebody who will rightly or wrongly (I hope it is always wrongly) be a pain in the you know what.
Good luck.
Troy
I agree with everything that's been posted about communication with the client, and also trusting your gut instinct. You've got to be able to walk away from some jobs.
Just a small additional point - many years ago I started using a Technical Spec sheet, which accompanies the drawings that each client approves when an order is placed. It specifies what materials are used where, exactly what hinges, drawers, finish, etc. It prevents honest misunderstandings in many cases. There are well-meaning customers who can easily have misconceptions and develop unrealistic expectations. Things that you take for granted are not necessarily obvious to the client.
David Ring
http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e
Once you've been in business a while, you will encounter some customers who seem to be expecting too much. If it's a repair they want it to look like it is new-or something like that. If you think that you might not want to do a job for this customer trust your insticts!
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