Ok, so I get alot of orders via myspace And i always get messages from potential customers asking me to call them Ok first of all, do u expect Publix, Walmart or BJ's to call YOU when YOU want to order a cake? Uh NO!!! The reason i check my myspace page is to check my messages and upload pics. Half the time i don't even have enough time in the day to do that so I have my personal assistant (DH) check the page for me and give quotes and things like that. Every single day i have to send someone a message saying that "I am too busy to call u, you can call me and someone will assist you"....

Have any of you gotten these type of messages from a potential client wanting you to call them?? If so, do u! I feel like this, do u expect Publix or any other grocery store bakery to call you because u want to know the price of something?! It gets so frustrating!

I just got a message yesterday from a girl (who lives in Orlando) asking me about a Betty Boop cake. I told her it would make more sense if she goes to a baker in Orlando and i referred her to someone in her area. Do u know that this chick had the nerve to ask me to call the baker in Orlando Are u kidding me...So i sent her a message telling her to call the baker herself so that there is no confusion and that i'm not going to a be go-between. I told her to call the baker because she is expecting her call. So this chick says, 'Yeah can u call her and ask her about the Betty Boop cake' So i responded back "I don't know if you read the message i wrote previously, but i am not going to contact the baker for you, you have to do that yourself. I don't want there to be any confusion regarding quotes, flavors etc'....

Maybe i'm just being a meany but i don't call people for orders, the only time i pick up that phone to call a customer is to let them know if their order is ready or if there is a problem!

Well sure I call them. ..I would expect publix to call me if they were too busy to take my email/call. This is a business and businesses return calls...or they are no longer businesses.

I would not be a go between though. I might call my friend the other baker and give them a heads up but that is it.

Thanks..Julia

i'll give em a call back if they leave a message on my voicemail, or email me...and are in the same (or close) zip code....i book a lot of orders that way.

does the myspace page draw in a lot of weirdos....just messing around killing time? not really wanting a cake just wanting to yap and waste your time?

when i worked at albertsons i had to call customers back sometimes....but they were real potential customers...i'm guessing, the myspace peeps are not?

I've called back as it's a part of business.

I don't do Myspace, so I'm not sure if this would work, but can you post a message or something on there that states something like

"Due to our high volume of business, if you are interested in ordering a cake, please call us at (insert phone # here) between the hours of 9am and 7pm"

Julia...I know its a business and this is not a return phone call this is a call me because i don't feel like calling you first! This is a person who has my number but expects me to call them for an order. I don't work like that. Of course if they call me and leave a message i will call them back and follow up but she wants me to call her never mind the fact that she has my number. Me calling her for an order defeats the purpose of giving her my number. I give them my business hours so that they can contact me.

Oh and I did let the baker in Orlando know that this potential client will be contacting her. If this were a follow-up call then i would have no problem but like i said its a 'call me because i don't feel like calling you first' (on her part). If i wanted my hair done i would not expect the stylist to call me if i didn't bother to call her...i wouldn't expect anyone to call me if I WANTED SOMETHING FROM THEM. I would be the one calling as i am the one who wants something and that I respect that people have other things to do. It's common sense!

Well, I guess I do see your point. But I guess that it is just our differences in customer service expectations. I would expect someone to call me if they wanted my business. If I want to spend xx amount on a cake I expect them to call me when I ask them to... But everyone has their own methods...

Julia

If she had called you first and left a message because you were unavailable, then you should call back.

But, no I would not feel obligated to chase down customers and certainly wouldn't act as her personal assistant by calling other bakers on her behalf. You don't want a customer like that!

I don't know...i use to work in customer service and customer relations before i started this and I truly believe in providing my customers with 100% excellent service but i just found it rather odd that people were asking me to call them. I just wanted to see if anyone else had the same problems.

So i guess my question is would it be out of the ordinary to contact someone for an order even if they have your number?

Wouldn't that be like me being desperate for business?

So far my business hasn't been hurt by me telling people that they have to contact me, i just wanted to get a few opinions. Thanks everyone for sharing!

Thats GOT to be so annoying! Sounds like Betty Boop girl is just lazy and doesn't take a hint! Just leave her be, and if she persists in annoying you, can you block her, lol!

They probably assume you check your myspace regularly and use it as a form of contact just like e-mailing or phone calls.

To me, e-mail is basically the same as picking up a phone. If I didn't answer my phone, they could me a msg and I'd call them back. If they happend to be on my website and it was simpler to just click the e-mail link than to pick up the phone, yes, I'd respond.

So I am assuming that your customers who contact you via myspace are simply under the same impression - it's a form of contact.

If I didn't hear back I'd go elsewhere, so I do answer all forms of contact.

Forgot to add that, yes, I agree that that particular customer is pretty ignorant

MacsMom...The thing is when i check myspace messages its usually late at night and i'm not going to call anyone after 6pm. If i just so happened to check my page when i have down time then yes I would send them a message telling them to contact me or i would have my personal assistant (DH) contact them via email to answer any questions they have. My thing is, if u have my number already wouldn't it be easier to call me rather than taking the time out to send a message asking me to call u?? Maybe its just me, but i do see what you all are saying and i appreciate the advice. Like i said, i do follow up calls if they left me a voice message and my DH does respond to the emails. I guess i just have to take a different approach!

OMG! I can't believe that some poeple actually DO give out their bank account number. Otherwise, why would people continue trying to scam others into doing it? Have you blocked him already?

As for being the go-between for the customer and the other baker I agree with you for not wanting to get involved. If someone contacts you via your myspace page then I think you should contact them. My reason behind this is that putting your cakes, etc. on myspace is no different than having your own website. This may be your customers' first point of contact with you and your business. I work in a bank and if we never returned calls when people left messages we would have a lot of unhappy customers and potential customers and our manager would be furious. First impressions are important.

Just to play devil's advocate... I have some very loyal customers that anytime they call first ask if I'm busy or would like to call them back at my convenience to place an order. Maybe some people assume you would rather call them or hammer out details via e-mail instead of getting an interupting phone call while your working on a cake!? (Although this particular lady doesn't sound like she thought that far ahead...) Maybe some of the others did!? Just my opinion!
Lori

I would call because I like to think I offer more than Publix/Kroger on all things and service is just one of them.

I have forms to fill out on my site for contact and they put in their email and phone (as well as other info, like event date...) and then a message section. It drives me bonkers when people fill out the date and phone number and in the message section say, "call me to talk about my wedding cake"

A lot of it i'm certain is a personal issue. I don't want to feel like I'm begging, or like I'm not in charge of my business. "Hi, I'm calling to talk about your wedding cake..."

I don't mind calling people who fill out the form thoroughly and then say in the message, "I'm interested in talking to you about my wedding cake" It's just a whole different vibe...

But yeah, if you don't can't answer the phone all the time, if someone calls and leaves a message, you need to call them back, or have your message tell them to keep calling back until you answer. I don't remember what my phone message says, but it's long and to the effect of, thank you for calling, leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible, please be aware that approaching weekends, my focus is on the cakes, and I will return your call as soon as possible, if your wedding is this weekend and you have a question about your cake or delivery time, please a number where you can be reached. You can also visit me online at ..... or email me directly at....

I'm amazed people make it to the end. haha!

MacsMom...no i didn't book him...after all the hard time he was giving me i told him i couldn't do the cake anymore.

Sugarplumfairy...my number is on the page for them to contact....if they are not going to contact me then i might as well take my number down off the page and just wait for someone to email me. I thought that would be the most convenient way so that they won't have to send a message they could simply call me. There are alot of people who advertise their business on myspace who put their numbers right next to their default pic so that u can't miss it. Its not that i don't return calls, like i said when i read the email its late and i won't call them back that night. Most of the time they will say, 'can u call me or give me ur number so that i can call you' Well my number is on my page therefore it makes no sense for them to send me an email stating to contact them if they already have my number. I don't really have a problem with contacting them if in fact they couldn't get ahold of me. But i always return my calls, if in fact they called me and answer messages. So the person is not ignored.

Lori,
If a person calls me and i'm busy doing a cake, my husband will talk to them and give them all the details so i don't mind the phone call because what i'll do maybe during downtime is contact them again after my husband takes the order just to make sure everything is in order...so as i said the person is not ignored at all.

Indydebi, thanks for that...i was starting to think no one would really get what i was saying...except for a few people that posted. I really do appreciate the responses and everything but i was starting to sound a bit redundant I do call back if there was a message left for me, I do send an email back if i was emailed...i don't however, call the client if they have not bothered to call me. I'm not comparing myself with Publix or Walmart but i'm just saying that if I need a cake from Publix I am not going to expect them to contact me for an order, if i want it i make it happen by making the first move and calling. And let me say that sometimes when its really, really busy you may not have time to check your email so thats why the phone number is up there so that there is another way to communicate to me!

I've experienced some of this when I was working a lot with younger people on internships.

I was their boss but they would email me and say call me I have a question.

I've talked at great lengths with other colleagues (they've had the same experiences) and we believe it's a product of a couple of things: not understanding proper etiquette and using technology (texting, email etc) as a main source of communication.

[quote="indydebi"]

That's how I read your initial post and I agree with you.

If someone leaves me a voicemail, I will return the call. If they send me an email, I will email them back. If they send me an email that pretty much says, "I want to order a cake ... call me and I'll tell you about it", then I zap them an email telling them, "Here's the info I will need when you place your order .... give me a call when you have this info so we can hammer out the details for you!"

There's a difference between "the customer left a message" and the person who is expecting you to drop everything and chase them for the order.

quote]

LOL Deb we must think alike. I work the same way.

Kivia---

We wouldn't have done it either. You did the right thing.

Please don't send her our way! However, anyone else in Orlando would be greatly appreciated!

Paul & Peter