I am really feeling a little uneasy about my wedding cakes lately. I don't hear anything back from the brides. Once in a while I get a call saying that they loved the cake. And once I got a complaint, but the majority of the time I don't hear anything. If I know the brides, I always get positive feedback. This is the first year I have been in business and I don't know if it's normal not to hear anything back. I guess I have been doing business so long for family and friends that I am used to hearing from them on how much they liked the cake.
Is no news good news, or should I be worried?
Don't have my pictures up, but do have a website.
www.cascadescakes.com
Anne
If there were a problem, you'd hear. Oh boy, you'd hear.
Remember that no matter how much you care, it's ultimately a business transaction both for you and the customer. She's not there to stroke/bolster your ego, and you shouldn't look to her for that.
I don't know if I expressed myself right in my last post, but I am not worried about getting my ego stroked, I am more worried, since I am fairly new at this, if I am good enough.
Family and friends might just be being nice.
I've seen alot of post where the decorators were getting feedback and I was just wondering if this was common.
If no news is good news, then I am just as happy not hearing from them.
I made up a survey that I email to all my brides in the days following the wedding. I don't get them all back, but I get a lot more feedback that I used to. Here it is:
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:
Anne,
I felt like you're feeling when I first started out last year. Last year, I did 12 weddings and only heard back from 3 brides. I began to think, that they couldn't have been pleased if I'm not hearing back. This year, I've already done 8 weddings and heard back from 3. I guess that it's like life in general. They come back from honeymoons and life goes back to normal. No time for anything, much less a thank you note, etc. I don't worry when I don't hear back anymore. Another poster was dead-on...if they weren't pleased, YOU'D MOST DEFINITELY HEAR ABOUT IT. LOL.
Amy
I wouldn't worry about it - most of my brides don't call afterwards unless they have to return a cake stand or other equipment that they have rented.
I send out a "thank you for using my services" letter after the wedding - it is a combination "thank you" letter and "referral" letter (if they refer my service to friends, and I book their wedding, I give the original couple a thank you gift certificate towards a cake).
The letter also mentions that I would love to see a photo of them cutting the cake when they have time to send it - it sort of plants the idea to send feedback! I find that I do get a little more now - still not everyone, but more than I was getting before the letter.
Nicole
I worked for years in customer service taking customer comment calls. on average, if I took 100 calls, 99.5% were complaints, .5% were positive. When I got the positive ones, they were so few and far between, they got me flustered. Most people don't take the time if they are happy with something, they only take the time if they aren't happy.
The company that made our wedding cake sent out a follow up letter as well. They sent it a couple of weeks after our wedding. We were happy to send a picture of the cake cutting. Our cake was yummy! LOL
I wouldnt worry about it. I havent done any wedding cakes yet though. When I got married it was the last thing on my mind to let the cake decorator know I liked the cake. I did like it very much!! ( I never met the cake decorator though, the cake came as part of the reception, though I did get to pick it out.) Maybe I would have if had I met her, I dont know!! I would assume they were satisfied if you dont hear anything. Now I wasnt satisfied with our photographer and you better believe they heard from me.
Now that I do cakes though, I know how important feedback is.
I hear back about 20% of the time, through an email, a phone call, or a card (got one 6 months after the wedding one time). Since the life of a newlywed is busy enough, I don't sweat it. Like it's been said before, you'll always hear if there is a problem or complaint.
Occasionally, I'll send a card or an email just to say congratulations and thank you for using our services. I'm not particularly consistent with that, though.
I sent a follow-up thank you letter, too. However, I'm LOVING the idea of just "mentioning" how much I'd like to see a pic of them cutting the cake. LOVE that!!! It would be great to see the other side of our cakes for a change. I always see the face of the person that purchases the cake, but to see the receiver would tickle me pink!
Amy
I find that most brides expect you to design what they requested. You met or exceeded that. They are happy but they don't always tell you. I meet them years later when they come in with their sister to order. They say, you did my cake and it tasted so good people were fighting over it and it was so beautiful. Once in a while I get a note or a call.
Funny timing for me to find this thread - I am just beginning to decorate cakes (have only done a few) and am now realizing how important feedback is. I got married 2 years ago and the lady who did our cake did a wonderful job making gumpaste bearded irises for our cake - not an easy task, and she did exquisite work! Also, a guest at my wedding who works in the wedding industry, does LOTS of weddings, and tastes lots of wedding cakes, told me the cake was the best she had ever tasted. It really was yummy - we had the top tier on our first anniversary and it was STILL DELISH! But I never sent my cake lady any kind of thank you note!!! I am so embarrassed about that. 
I actually found her business card a few days ago and thought "I really should send her a note and a picture of us enjoying her cake." I haven't done it yet because I'm so embarrassed I didn't do it 2 years ago, but I will work up the courage and get it done... I'm sure she will think it is crazy to send her a note 2 years after the fact, but better late than never, I guess...
I fair rarely get any feedback from the bride/groom. If I happen to see them out and about, I get to hear it then, otherwise most of the feedback comes from people who were there.
I have asked quite a few for the cutting ceremony photo and permission to use them as a reference. I forget to ask many times.
Part of it is just what was mentioned above .... you're a vendor and you provided the product/service that was paid for. Period.
The other part is something that I plan on addressing in the wedding workshop I am putting together. "Kids today" (that phrase makes me officially old, you know!) do not understand the proper etiquette of thank you notes after a large wedding. They are not just for the gifts (material things), but they are for the people who worked very hard to make the wedding a success ... from the cake maker and photographer to the best friend who acted as wedding coordinator to the 2 cousins who decorated the reception hall for you, to the niece who took care of the guestbook, etc.
But as far as the original question on this thread ..... no news is good news.
As you say, you're a vendor. Why should you get a thank you note? You did what you were paid for. You did it because you were paid for it. And there's nothing wrong with that.
I checked out your site and your cakes are all gorgeous! Have you thought about putting a comment gallery on your website? The webhosting I use has one that's really easy to set up. My site isn't really ready for public yet, but if you go to www.papercakes.net and if you go to the "guestbook" page you'll see how it's set up. It still needs some tweeking like the rest of the site but I think like indydebi pointed out, most people my age don't even think about sending thank you notes or feedback to vendors. Plus, I know w/ how busy I am I might "intend" to send a picture and a comment and then just forget to do it later so I thought the online message was a big plus because they're more likely to actually get to that (only takes a few minutes) AND my potential customers get to see all the positive feedback.
Thank You all for your comments. I feel much better now. I guess my insecurities are getting the best of me. I want so much for this to work out that I maybe be worrying a little too much.
Believe me, I didn't mean that I expect a thank you note or praise. I was just trying to get some constructive feedback.
Thank You. All of your ideas really helped.
Anne
I checked out your website and your cakes are beautiful! 
I'm confused,you said in your second post that you are "fairly new at this", but your website say's you've been doing cakes for over 20 years, specializing in weddings. 
Did you just mean you were new to not getting responses? or did you just start doing cakes for more than just friends and family?
Anyway, your cakes are gorgeous! 
anne i've just gone to your web site....hun you have nothing to worry about. your work is absolutely gorgeous!! the only worrying you should have is if you have enough time to create your beautiful work. bride's can be a bit lazy, especially the bridzillas out there. so take it easy, kick up your heals and wait til the next order!
I am new at doing this as a business. I had a shop about a year ago, but lost the lease. I live in a small town so I didn't do many weddings that year. Now I have a legal kitchen in a cottage built in th back of my home. Very hard to do in CA!. Got lucky. But now most of my cakes are weddings since part of the agreement with the city is that I deliver everything. Since my town is so small I have to travel to big cities around me to make a go of it. In a small town you inevitably get alot of feedback (good or bad). So I am insecure about my cakes competing in the bigger cities. Thats why the question on feedback. I have been doing this for 20 years but not for a living. Kept myself busy with friends and family, but when you are doing it for free of course they like it.(LOL)
some places that provide a service or product request feedback...some restaurants have a comment card...car dealerships send endless feedback forms...retail stores and schools have surveys to find out how they're doing. I'm not saying it should be part of conduct of etiquette but possibly a comment card or the like sent to/with customers periodically as a helpful tool to keep a vendor on target. Asking a bride to do this is also a great source of hopefully positive contacts for future brides to view showing that not only do you provide a beautiful cake but the overall experience was pleasant.
JMO
I hope I didn't offend you , that wasn't my intention. And I forgot to say I LOVE your kitchen behind your house. The black/white check theme is really cool! Your so lucky to have been able to do that.
On this topic, I have an advantage over most of you ..... I stay and cut the cake (I'm usually doing the buffet, too) so I not only get to hear feedback from the bride, but also all of the great comments from the guests. You'll never get that from a survey card.
I know how you feel...I have been doing this for three years and in that time I have only had one complaint. It was when I was new at this and I truly did make a mess of that poor girls wedding (in my opinion) everyone else tells me I was too hard on myself and there were only a few mistakes..as I did her flowers and catering and cakes and all decor and it was a huge wedding and out of 5 people to do the job 3 didnt show! So my assistant and I struggled and barely got things together. It is posted somewhere in the disasters.
But I know we put so much time into our art that we feel very personally about it...most people do not really even see it as an art.. and just see it as a service and one that we were well paid for. A few out of the couple of couple hundred people I have worked for have been kind enough to send a card. But I kinda try to hang around long enough when setting up (on the ones who dont get us to serve it) and see the reaction of some of the party or family. I cater and do wedding planning etc. so many of the times I am lucky enough (or maybe just serving cake and get to) to see the bride and grooms reaction! Thats better than a card anytime. I will never forget one in particular a simple three tiered fondant cake with champagne colored roses and a TX groomscake delivered to the country club right by my house and the girl whom I had thought such a little prissy thing that she probably wouldnt be pleased with anything ...surprized me and actually teared up and said...Thats exactly how is imagined it! Its perfect! You have made this part of my wedding just what I dreamed! I had to rush out...I was about to cry too!
Most do see it just as a job...but you would know if they WEREN'T happy... and occasionally getting those thanks are just the "icing on the cake"! (yeah I know) 
On this topic, I have an advantage over most of you ..... I stay and cut the cake (I'm usually doing the buffet, too) so I not only get to hear feedback from the bride, but also all of the great comments from the guests. You'll never get that from a survey card.
I do this as well, so feedback independent of what I hear at the cutting may be rare, but this weekend was different for me. A birthday cake on Friday and 2 weddings on Saturday, about 60 miles apart! Monday I got the nicest voice mail on my cell phone from one of my Brides, thanking me for everything, that the cake was beautiful and delicious, she loved all the extra service, right down to the little "Midnight Snack" box I left with wrapped pieces of cake in it for them, tied with an illusion bow and labeled with a heart-shaped label with their names on it. Said she'll DEFINITELY recommend me to her friends.
Tuesday I got a wonderful 3-mail from the man who ordered the birthday cake for his wife's birthday. Told me her jaw dropped when she saw it; that she loved all the little details I put in to it, down to the leaves and vines near the roses.
It's days like these and comments like those that make doing it all worthwhile!
One think I do, is put a Thank You note in the couple's card box. I take a digital picture when I set up the cake, go home and print a thank you note, using their cake as the cover design, only in a "grayscale" format ... lighter than a true photo, with the "Thank You" sentiment over top in black. I hand-write a note inside, thanking them for asking me to bake their cake and telling them I hope they enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed making it for them. I also leave self-printed business cards on the cake table when I leave after a cutting, with their wedding cake picture on the cards. I may not hear back, but I can tell when I'm getting a referral because the new client has a specific business card with them ....
Works for me!
HTH,
Odessa
Odessa - I LOVE the idea of the midnight snack box and hope you don't mind if I borrow it!
Odessa - I LOVE the idea of the midnight snack box and hope you don't mind if I borrow it!
You all can feel free to steal this idea! (especially since I pretty much stole it from that weddingdiva herself, MS!)
I actually altered something I had seen on a Martha Stewart wedding show once .... and made it my own. It has actually morphed through the years into 2 pieces of each kind/flavor of cake, wrapped in napkins (think the 60's and 70's here, kids), put in a few forks and some extra napkins, tie with a bow (6" wide illusion works really well here), and put a label on it (that I print on my computer with a radiant pink heart on it and names in black script on the heart) -- "Jim & Jennie's Midnight Snack". Remind the couple to take this with them when they leave the reception ... after all, at 3:00 a.m., when they realize they're starving, who wants to get dressed to try to find something to eat? And if you live in this area, there's no 24-hour room service: you're lucky to end up at a 7-11 for a Slurpee and a hot dog!!! Yummmmm!!! 
I had one couple once who took their midnight snack box in the limo with them to Metro Airport in Detroit. Their honeymoon plane was leaving at 7:00 a.m., they had to be there at 5:00, so they hired a limo for the drive from the reception to the airport (not from the church to the reception as is traditional here), and enjoyed their goodies in the back of the limo. The Bride called me after they got back and told me it was the best part of the night .... having their wedding cake in the quiet with just the two of them, and reflecting on the perfect day they'd had.
Those are the stories that keep me going!
Odessa
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