How many is too many...emails

[CanuckSigns]

Why is it that the smallest jobs usually have the most amount of handholding needed? I just completed a job for a client, a small engraved sign, total bill was $114, however there were 36 emails back and forth about the project, some were small revisions, but most were just general questions or handholding (how big will it be, how would I install it? can you show me 10,000 pictures of other options etc.)

Obviously all of this is done after the job was quoted, so I can't tell her the price has increased because she asks too many questions. Obviously you can put a limit on the number of design revisions included in the price, but can you limit the number of questions and emails lol?

 

[Zendavor Signs]

When that happens, I start responding slower. Seems like they get the hint that way

 

[White Haus]

When that happens, I start responding slower. Seems like they get the hint that way

I almost feel bad saying this, but I also do this. Or just wait for the 4-5 "random thought" emails to pile up and address all of them at once.

Definitely a challenge to balance good customer service and looking after your clients and making sure you're not spending 4 hours on $100 orders.

There are times that I envy companies that have e-commerce, online designer, and web to print options - I would imagine that takes a lot of hand-holding out of the equation.

 

[Gino]

I've often wondered how these people are really in business. They can only form one idea about every two hours or so. They don't seem to have the capacity to form a string of questions/observations or comments and hit ya at one time. Like white haus says..... just let them build up and answer a bunch at a time. At least ya can condense you part of the equation.

 

[Ray Miller]

I try to keep them short and as I said before I use the phone more than I suppose most of you.

 

[rjssigns]

Same with texts. After a barrage of texts from a client I texted back "The worker bees are busy". Worked like a champ and will get used in the future.

 

[CanuckSigns]

Yeah, we use Gmail for our emails and they is a handy "schedule send" feature where you can write an email.and schedule it to send at a certain time, I use that quite a bit so my reply sends 24 hours later, it does help a bit

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I've often wondered how these people are really in business. They can only form one idea about every two hours or so. They don't seem to have the capacity to form a string of questions/observations or comments and hit ya at one time. Like white haus says..... just let them build up and answer a bunch at a time. At least ya can condense you part of the equation.

You can beat one client style with another... When they start asking a bunch of questions on e-mail, just reply back with only one answer to the first question. When they call you immediately after you send the e-mail, just let it go to voicemail.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

When they start stacking up, I just pick up the phone and call them so they can get it all out at once. I have to tell my wife to stop asking so many questions or texting me 1 line at a time.

 

[Stacey K]

Gee, I guess we are all pretty similar. I also just stop responding and wait until the next day until I respond.

I have one bar owner who is slightly "slow" or "special", not sure exactly but he will text and then call and then continue to call 3-4 times in a row until I answer. Drives me NUTS. After him doing this a few times I finally got snippy and told him he's not my only customer and he has to be patient, sometimes I'm on a ladder and it's not safe for me to be yapping on the phone. He finally got it through his head and he only texts then calls once and then will wait a few hours. He is a little slow so I have to be patient as well.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Gee, I guess we are all pretty similar. I also just stop responding and wait until the next day until I respond.

I have one bar owner who is slightly "slow" or "special", not sure exactly but he will text and then call and then continue to call 3-4 times in a row until I answer. Drives me NUTS. After him doing this a few times I finally got snippy and told him he's not my only customer and he has to be patient, sometimes I'm on a ladder and it's not safe for me to be yapping on the phone. He finally got it through his head and he only texts then calls once and then will wait a few hours. He is a little slow so I have to be patient as well.

Why people call 10 times in a row after the first no answer is beyond me. I'm one of 3 guys in the office and the other 2 guys are related. When they go on vacation, it's just me. I'll be helping a customer and the phone will ring 10 times in the background. When I check the caller ID, it's the same person and no voicemail.

 

[gnubler]

Equally annoying are customers who start new emails for an ongoing project when there's already a thread going...have to bounce through multiple threads now to figure out what's going on.

And the ones who start emailing about a brand new job on an old email thread from weeks or months back. I always reply back with a new email subject to help keep things sorted neatly.

Back in the day we never had this many frickin' faxes back and forth, usually 2 or 3 at the most, and people actually signed off on a job instead of "looks good".

 

[Scotchbrite]

You can beat one client style with another... When they start asking a bunch of questions on e-mail, just reply back with only one answer to the first question. When they call you immediately after you send the e-mail, just let it go to voicemail.

I've found people only answer the first question I ask and totally ignore any others. So anymore I just ask 1 question at a time.

I'd rather people email me, so I try to be responsive to emails. I guess the number of emails don't bother me so much. I do set limits in regards to when I will respond. I only do work emails during work hours.

 

[Signscorp]

I say design is $45 per half hour at the beginning of the job. If the proofs and back and forths start adding up I note the design time that we're at so far in the job. That usually pushes them to get things a little more organized.

I don't really charge it or mention it to larger clients, but it's key for the small or personal ones.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Gee, I guess we are all pretty similar. I also just stop responding and wait until the next day until I respond.

I have one bar owner who is slightly "slow" or "special", not sure exactly but he will text and then call and then continue to call 3-4 times in a row until I answer. Drives me NUTS. After him doing this a few times I finally got snippy and told him he's not my only customer and he has to be patient, sometimes I'm on a ladder and it's not safe for me to be yapping on the phone. He finally got it through his head and he only texts then calls once and then will wait a few hours. He is a little slow so I have to be patient as well.

hands full, set everything down to look at who's calling, ignore it, put it back in your pocket, get your hands full again, phone rings again, same person, ignore it, back to work, hands full, get a text, put it down again and dig your phone out, same person "I tried calling you but keep getting your voicemail"
Then get mad, stop working because you can't focus but still ignore the calls while you go back inside and find something to bitch about on S101 for a few minutes. Nope, never happened to me before

 

[FireSprint.com]

I expected to see a bunch of rants on this thread, but there are genuinely some good ideas here. You're all speaking from a position of a business owner or production manager though. You must be able to delegate your time correctly.

 

[Stacey K]

I expected to see a bunch of rants on this thread, but there are genuinely some good ideas here. You're all speaking from a position of a business owner or production manager though. You must be able to delegate your time correctly.

You are exactly right. Now is the busy season for many of us up North with larger installs (that's where the money is) so with smaller jobs or cheap people requesting multiple estimates with multiple varieties, in a nice way I say, "This is the range...s h * t or get off the pot".