A new client that found me online picked up a cake this past Saturday. I have yet to hear anything re: the cake. I am sooooo curious what they thought. Has anyone ever called a client to get opinion on their cake? Is it cheesy to do that??? Unfortunately I only have a phone number. If I had an e-mail I wouldn't feel awkward sending a followup mail. Is no news good news??? Or did her husband tell her I told you so! Right now I would appreciate any criticism re: my cakes good or bad. There is always room for improvement I guess. Thnx.

I don't think I would make a phone call - no news is probably good news. On all wedding cake orders tho, I do send an email survey. This way I know if they liked it or not and they usually add a blurb at the end that I can use for my testimonials.

I don't like to call either. May be is true no news are good news.

KoryAK: Do you send like a sheetspread (Excel) to answer or just an email with the questions? I've been meaning to do so, but don't know exaclty how.

This is what I send. I have it saved in Word and I just cut and paste it into an email and make any changes I may need for that particular client.

Please contact me to arrange the return of your equipment deposit.

Customer satisfaction is very important to us. Thank you for taking the time to fill out this brief survey to help us make sure we are continuing to provide excellent service.

Please rate each item on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being lowest.

The ordering process:

Was I prompt and informative at our face-to-face meeting(s)?


Were the samples adequate for you to get an idea of the product that I provide?


Were the subsequent phone and email conversations helpful?


Did you feel there was open communication? That I was receptive to your ideas?


Did I provide the correct amount of ideas and guidance without being overbearing?


The Product:

Do you feel that I accurately interpreted your needs and wishes and provided the product that you ordered?


Please rate the look of your cake


Please rate the taste of your cake


Would you recommend me to a friend?


Comments:

I don't see anything wrong with a follow-up call. Just tell her that you were wondering if the cake met her expectations and let her know that you appreciate her business.

Thanks KoryAK. I'm going to start working on it.

As a matter of fact, I go out of my way to call new clients. I always give them a call the week after. Typically I say something along the lines of, "Hey, I just like to call all of my new clients, even though I never doubt a cake, but I like to check and make sure everything was satisfactory." They are always pleased with the cake and are typically quite tickled that I call to make sure.

Here is my philosophy: CALL!!

I always call......I ask if the client was happy with the cake, and how it went over. Then I tell them that if they need anything else, just let me know, and thanks for the business.

It is called customer service............it is a good thing.

I have called to follow up and make sure a client was pleased. I don't do it for every order. I have always gotten a favorable response from the phone call, customers seem to appreciate that I care enough to make sure they were satisfied.

I don't see anything wrong with calling. Just a quick " I just wanted to make sure everything was to your satisfaction." With the poor customer service we all experience a nice gesture goes a long way.

Hope they have nothing but great things to say!

I'd call...ask how the event went and if she was pleased with the cake. Go for it. I think that it would make her feel comfortable ordering from you again because she would feel you care and she's not just "another cake order".

Noosie- your cakes in your photos look great! I'm sure they were happy with the cake! I used to wonder about this too but not so much anymore.

I'm one of those people who doesn't like to be called by the bank or the car dealership, etc. to see how I liked my service. And to me, that kind of falls into that category. Other people, I understand really like this. If its going to drive you crazy, call. If not, drop them a little note if you've got the address...or just wait until their next order

I don't usually make a phone call. But I do have comment cards that I send with the cake when being delivered. I have preprinted envelopes with paid postage so that all they have to do is fill it out and drop it in the mail. I also gather other info from my clients so that I don't forget an anniversary or birthday of the names they supply me with. If I don't receive an email or a call, I get a card. There's may be a great reaction from the consumer when they receive their cake or I may receive an email or just another referral from that order. Sometimes they call me.
Don't see anything wrong with a follow up call if you choose to do so though.

I think it is polite to call-good customer service! They will know that quality is important to you, and in a world where everything seems so hurried and mass produced, they might like the attention and time you took to make sure they were satisfied.

I just wanted to thank you all for your advice regarding this topic. I called the client this morning and left a very brief message if the cake was to her specifications and hoped it was a wonderfull birthday celebration. She just left me message saying thet the entire family really enjoyed the cake and looks forward to using me again. Outside of family and friends, this was my 2nd paying custom cake order. The curiosity was really getting the better of me so I am glad I called + if there was anything wrong I would want to know right away in order to improve it. Thanks again. I cannot even begin to tell you how lucky I am to have stumbled across this website.

"It's like I finally found people who speak my language!!! WooooHooooo!!!"

I call all my customers! They actually like that I call them back to see how everything went. I actually found out that a 3d cake started to lean, she wasn't even going to tell me, but since I called she did. If I don't know something went wrong, I won't know how to fix it the next time.

Yeah!!! i'm so glad they loved it. Was it the cutie patootie Elmo cake??? Soooo cute!!! I agree, it is great customer service. I like to check in with clients too!

Thanks Lisa (mommyedzards)!!! Yes it was the elmo cake. Now I can focus my efforts on an upcoming 3D Pikachu cake. It's funny when I first began I was always dreading the first request for a character cake!

I'm glad you got good feedback, always makes you feel you have done your job well.

I usually wait for the customer to call, which is about a week later or never. I think I will take that advice and just call the customer. Then I will sleep better.

I never call either, because I'm one who doesn't like to be called (plus, I'm a wimp, and I'd hate for some bride to chew me out a week later because of this, that, or whatever...Since I'm my own worst critic, I dream up all kinds of things that *could've* gone wrong, lol).

I love the email survey idea. I think I'll use that, if you don't mind, because I'm always dying to hear some feedback, but I basically never get any. No thank you note, no testimonial note, nothing.

Thanks!

Yay noosie!!! I knew it would turn out like this for you! But it feels good and boosts your confidence when you hear it! And I agree with momof4, I'll rack my brain thinking of what could have gone wrong. And if something is wrong, I want to know for future.