In this article I want to reframe how we see customer service in our branding photography businesses
What if instead of thinking about the 'customer service' we provide, if we tried to create an amazing 'client experience'? What do our client's experience when they work with us? How do the feel about working with us?
In this blog post, we will discuss 5 client experience recommendations that will help you look after your clients, ensure they have a positive experience and most importantly recommend you to their friends!
Although we do this stuff everyday, booking a branding shoot can be a daunting experience for most of our clients. There are a number of ways that we can walk them through the process and provide them exceptional service worthy of their recommendations.
After all, word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool, and the more we can look after our clients, the more positive reviews they can give.
Have easy-to-understand packages and pricing
Make it easy to work with you. Research suggests that giving people too much choice can be over whelming and actually stops them from making a choice. Thats kind of how I operate aswel!
Try to keep your package options for a photo session to around three, with your biggest package being the first you offer and the smallest option being sparse enough where upgrading is a solid option.
Clearly outline what is in included in each package so the client is not left guessing. I prefer to display my prices or at least have 'package starting from x' so the clients has expectations of what investment is required to work with me. ,
Make them feel at ease with the shooting process.
It is important to educate clients on how you work, your processes and what they need contribute to the shoot.
Setting expectations and being upfront with timelines ensures there is no misunderstands and miscommunication that could surprise the client.
Providing information on wardrobe tips, locations considerations and prop ideas give our clients a better understanding of what they need to think about before the shoot, and allow us to be seen as an expert in the field.
Do you have a strategy session? Who creates the image inspiration board? Should she book a makeup artist? It is a good to have a FAQ section on your website or to send to your clients so there are no surprises and your clients will know exactly what to expect from you!
The better prepared our clients are then the more confident they will be during the shoot, which creates overall better images for our clients. Thats the end goal after all isn't it?
My Branding Shoot Guide is a great example of how you can educate your clients on this process without them feeling overwhelmed.
Help them work out what they need
So many clients come to me knowing they need images but actually have no idea how many or what type.
Do they need more landscape or portrait orientation? Do they need a banner image for their website? Where will they be using these images? How active are they on socials? What props will they include in the shoot? What messages are they trying to share with their audience? Is their vibe professional and polished or are they fun and active?
Although not entirely our job, if we can help them answer these questions we can start to build trust with our clients and make sure they are feeling looked after. It also helps us create images that are super specific to their brand and will have them raving about our attention to detail when recommending us to others.
Of course, if my clients are struggling with these questions, have no idea and are starting from scratch I do refer them to a marketing professional to help them get started with this vision.
Don't make them feel like a number
No one likes be treated like a number. Every one of our clients have individual business and individual shoot needs. Although we can use software to streamline our systems, our shoot still needs to catered to the individual client.
Make sure you fully understand your clients brand and the messages that they are trying to share. Have 1-2 strategy sessions before the shoot and ensure they complete your branding questionnaire to make sure you can deliver what they want.
You will build trust with your clients and they will be more likely to feel confident in choosing you as their photographer when they feel understood by you, and can see that you can share their vision.
Be responsive to their questions and concerns
There is no such thing as a dumb question! Never assume your client knows what you do so please don't dismiss their questions or concerns about the shoot.
I get a lot of questions about make up and client wardrobes and the answers will be different depending on the client.
Maybe as an extra service offering you could partner up with a local stylist that can give clients a consult or shopping session to work out the best clothes and styling? You could give them a list of HMUA that are in their area and that you know are great at branding shoot makeup.
Having a solution for every road block that might comes up makes the process easy for your clients. They feel looked after and valued if they know that you are interested in helping them take care of the details.
Follow up after the shoot
After the shoot don't just dump the images and run. Be really clear about delivery timelines to create clients expectations on how long it will take to get the final images. I usually extend my delivery date by a couple of days, and then deliver the images before that date to give them a bit of a surprise and delight that they got them earlier.
Depending on your workflow, ask them if they need help deciding on the final images. Some clients ask me to tell them my favourites from the shoot and I am happy to share if they ask.
After the delivery of the images send a follow up email. Ask if they have any questions or issues they might other wise be embaressed to contact you about.
This is also the stage at which I send my link for a google review.
Generally if I have done my job right, they write a review straight away and are happy to recommend me to their friends and networks.
To wrap it up
These are just a few customer service tips to help you get started. What other ways do you make sure your clients feel confident and happy with your photography services? i would love to hear it!
PS If your interested in what in using my client questionnaire then click here to grab it for yourself.
Or maybe you need a Branding Shoot Guide to educate your clients more on how to be prepared for their shoot?
Or if your clients are struggling with what to wear, you can use one of the 'What to Wear Style Guides' to support them in that area.
If you follow these tips, you will be well on your way to providing an excellent service that will leave your clients happy and coming back for more!