Bring ’Em Back with Exceptional Customer Service

Your beautiful floral designs might bring customers into your shop, but exceptional customer service is likely to bring them back. How can you ensure that you’re truly delivering great customer service, not just being an order taker? We asked FTD team members to share their top tips for customer service success.

Shopping is a highly personal experience and every customer wants to feel good about where they spend their money. FTD Education Consultant Ann Jordan AIFD recommends using the “Golden Rule Plus One” – treat customers how you would like to be treated, only better. “Be genuine and gracious,” Ann said. “With those two things, your customer service will beat all the others hands down.”

Because flowers are a perishable commodity, educating the consumer on how to care for them is key to satisfaction. “Tell customers what to expect from individual varieties and give them the proper dosage of flower food,” recommended Keith Harbison, FTD’s Quality Assurance Manager. “Be sure to explain the importance of properly mixing the food too.” Proper education can add longevity to your flowers once they leave your shop, a key component of customer retention and repeat business. Your customers perceive value not only in fairly priced product, but in performance as well.

Ann recommends banning the following statements from your shop:

“How are you?”
Instead, try “Welcome to ABC Florist” and then begin talking about new products, upcoming events and specials. Mention something that starts a dialogue about what your shop does and the products you sell.

“How much do you want to spend?”
If you are hearing this statement in your shop frequently, it is usually because you do not have a menu of your own items, Ann said. “When we go to a restaurant, we order off a menu,” she noted. “This works in floristry as well.”

“Our minimum order is…”
Why would you start low when it’s much easier to go down in price than up? Instead, try presenting three price points from highest to lowest.

“Should that include tax and delivery?”
When you purchase other goods, such as refrigerators or even pizza, it’s understood that you’ll pay for tax and delivery. When you utter this statement right off the bat, it might cut dollars from the sale of your flowers.

“What were you thinking about sending?”
You can either design what you sell, or you can sell what you have already designed, in price points that you know work for your demographic, with cost of goods that make you money and in styles that suit your brand.

Close with gratitude.
When completing a sale, thank the customer sincerely for their business. Mention an upcoming event or promotion, or give them another reason to come back, such as a coupon to use on their next visit. Ann also recommends making a follow-up courtesy call to ensure the customer is completely satisfied following their purchase.