I am so stupid...when I have email orders sometimes I forget to get the person's phone number. Which is really bad because now I have a customer's cake due next week but they never got back with me to confirm cake flavor or any of the details other than putting a deposit and sending me a pic of the design she wants.
I have emailed her like 4 times now with no response, and its the same email as she has had for two years (repeat customer).
ARGH!!!! I guess I hope she calls me to confirm...I hate to make the cake without knowing what she wants (I'd probably just do what she ordered last year which was chocolate and vanilla) and then have her not pick up the cake, but on the other hand she has a deposit put down so I can't just not make it...
*sigh*
Note to self: GET PHONE NUMBERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (In all her old emails, even contact forms from my site, she never included a phone number...nor Paypal payments....)
Yeah..I always forget to do that too..Even though I prefer email..If I haven't heard from a customer etc I like to phone.
What should I do if I can't call to confirm the order? (Deposit paid) I mean for all I know, she could be deathly ill and not want the cake any longer....on the other hand, her computer could have a virus and she hasn't thought to call me....(another recent customer had a virus and I had to play phone tag a few times to finish confirming her order.)
I'm very busy and do not want to do her cake if I cannot get ahold of her but on the other hand I don't want her showing up for a cake I don't have. *sigh*
You could try the phonebook...I know...needle in a haystack but I have resorted to that...Do you have an address...You could try and search through that...If only email addresses we trackable through the web like type in a name and all their emails addys come up...Yah right!
This happened to me too one time. I didn't get their email response after three days, and I ended up finding the # on whitepages.com...have you tried that? Hth!
I'll have to try it...although she goes by a name I don't think its her real one and most people use cell phones these days.....
Nope no phone numbers listed in the white pages online under the address and her (husband's?) name....
If you know her home address, just stick a note on her front door asking her to call you.
I'm going to throw a postcard in the mail with an urgent note to call me...if I send it tomorrow she should get it Tuesday.....although its gonna cramp my style not to be able to bake her cake until I hear from her. Grr.
I guess I could just bake what I think she'll want and then upsell that flavor to her when she calls. haha. (Choc and Van like last year)
Facebook search by email?
I was going to suggest that too
u know what I always forget..... How did you hear about us???
DH gets frustrated cause we used a few ways of advertising and we want to see which one(s) working better.....
Just maybe add that to your signature so When you start an email it's already on there... Just a thought...
Try spokeo.com it shows cell phone #'s and landline# just put in name, city, and state.
Man there is no phone number anywhere, on any site.
Hopefully she'll respond to my postcard.
u know what I always forget..... How did you hear about us???
DH gets frustrated cause we used a few ways of advertising and we want to see which one(s) working better.....
I always forget that, too. My husband wants me to ask every single enquiry I get where they heard of me... I have it on my order form, but I don't often ask when people phone and call (and may not go ahead and order).
I think the postcard/note on the door idea is a good one. The other idea (that you could incorporate on both an postcard and e-mail) is to say "if I haven't heard from you by x date/day of the week, I'll go ahead and make the flavors you ordered last year." That way, you at least give her a firm deadline and you can move forward with the order, knowing that you've done what you can to clarify details and she has a legitimate heads up.
I think the postcard/note on the door idea is a good one. The other idea (that you could incorporate on both an postcard and e-mail) is to say "if I haven't heard from you by x date/day of the week, I'll go ahead and make the flavors you ordered last year." That way, you at least give her a firm deadline and you can move forward with the order, knowing that you've done what you can to clarify details and she has a legitimate heads up.
True but on the other hand if I don't hear from her...is she going to even be picking up her cake?
I HAVE had people cancel a cake even after they've paid a deposit....I only require $50 deposits....
I guess I'll have to though....
Its just worrying me because she was emailing me back and forth pretty good when she placed the order but now....nothing.
I think the postcard/note on the door idea is a good one. The other idea (that you could incorporate on both an postcard and e-mail) is to say "if I haven't heard from you by x date/day of the week, I'll go ahead and make the flavors you ordered last year." That way, you at least give her a firm deadline and you can move forward with the order, knowing that you've done what you can to clarify details and she has a legitimate heads up.
True but on the other hand if I don't hear from her...is she going to even be picking up her cake?
I HAVE had people cancel a cake even after they've paid a deposit....I only require $50 deposits....
I guess I'll have to though....
Its just worrying me because she was emailing me back and forth pretty good when she placed the order but now....nothing.
Time to start charging a much larger deposit. People are less likely to walk away if they have plunked down a bigger chunk of change. I require a 50% non-refundable deposit for any order.
Also check facebook by name and location. I have about 6 email accounts and the one I use for facebook is not the one I give out. Do you freeze your cakes. I'd bake the choc/ vanilla and freeze. If she calls great. If not, they're simple flavors you can use for a later cake.
I think the postcard/note on the door idea is a good one. The other idea (that you could incorporate on both an postcard and e-mail) is to say "if I haven't heard from you by x date/day of the week, I'll go ahead and make the flavors you ordered last year." That way, you at least give her a firm deadline and you can move forward with the order, knowing that you've done what you can to clarify details and she has a legitimate heads up.
True but on the other hand if I don't hear from her...is she going to even be picking up her cake?
I HAVE had people cancel a cake even after they've paid a deposit....I only require $50 deposits....
I guess I'll have to though....
Its just worrying me because she was emailing me back and forth pretty good when she placed the order but now....nothing.
Time to start charging a much larger deposit. People are less likely to walk away if they have plunked down a bigger chunk of change. I require a 50% non-refundable deposit for any order.
I guess its because I'm "too nice"....I know things happen and I don't want people losing a hundred bucks just because something comes up or somebody gets sick or loses a job. I don't feel bad keeping $50 but I'd feel bad keeping half the total.
Kitagrl, You can be nice and still do more to protect yourself. Collect a bigger deposit so that the customer has a bigger investment and will be motivated to finalize decisions, respond, etc. If a situation comes up where you opt to return part, even all, of that deposit, you have the option to do so.
Remember, if it's in your contract that you keep a certain amount upon cancellation, it means that you are entitled to do it... not that you have to.
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