Introducing Joe, our new creative lead as we discuss what excellent customer service looks like today

I was chatting with Joe, our creative lead, the other day about customer service in a digital world. What does that look like? Do people want our undivided attention or is everyone so busy that excellent customer service looks more like understanding the client’s viewpoint and catering for it without even having to speak to them?

Here we explore how EMFD has always looked at customer service, our relationship with our clients and what the new digital era can bring to the party.

The reason for this chat was that Joe has recently stepped up with a promotion to ‘creative lead’ and is, naturally, excited about what he can do to shape the business and make it the very best it can be. 

Joe speaks about his background working in various businesses connected to floral design along with the challenges of leading a team of 15 and some of the issues they had in creating a great experience for their clients, getting the website working better, workflow processes etc.  

“As the newly appointed Creative Lead at our floral design studio, I am thrilled to be joining this vibrant team and contributing to the exceptional customer service we provide. 

With a diverse background spanning various customer-facing roles, I have come to understand that the customer experience is the driving force behind any successful business.

My journey began in the world of interior design, where I honed my skills in truly listening to clients and transforming their ideas into reality. This required meticulous scheduling and coordination with suppliers and tradesmen, ensuring that every detail was executed flawlessly.

Surprisingly, my path led me to explore administrative roles, where I discovered a deep satisfaction in managing logistics and organisational aspects. In one notable experience, I successfully designed and implemented a website featuring an extensive range of over 12,000 products. 

Leading a team in handling orders, picking and packing, and ensuring timely deliveries, I realised the crucial role customer service plays in maintaining smooth operations.

However, my passion for the creative realm beckoned me back, and in 2016, I made the decision to retrain as a florist. Drawing upon my past experiences and my profound love for flowers, I made the move to transition into this field. 

Currently, as I delve into the captivating world of event floristry, I have the opportunity to combine my affinity for logistics with my innate design skills, allowing me to deliver unforgettable experiences to our clients.

I am truly excited to bring my diverse background and expertise to this role, further elevating our commitment to exceptional customer service. Together, we will continue to create stunning floral arrangements while providing a memorable journey for each and every client we have the pleasure to serve.”

EMFD has always had a reputation for bringing a client’s vision to life in such a way that the comment: “it is exactly how I imagined it, only better” is a very common response - in fact it was said only last week when we created a Japanese Sakura arch but using birch trees, eucalyptus and gyp instead of cherry blossom. The result was a highly fragrant transformation of a challenging space to wow guests at a 50th birthday party.  

This event was a case in point of what a client needs from us in terms of, not only understanding their vision, but also managing it within their budget and then making sure it is logistically sound. 

Right now everyone’s budgets are squeezed and we need to be the most efficient we can be to save our time, our client’s money and give excellent value for money.  

On a complicated job like this, we use project management tools to help us communicate together more effectively. This way one of the team can manage the logistical elements and communicate these to the creative team who adjust their vision depending on the inherent costs involved in creating it. 

If we do this well, the customer receives one quote that covers all of their needs and meets their vision, whilst we are able to do a great job, make a profit and avoid unnecessary problems.

By using project management systems, we are able to track the communication on a job between different team members and ensure that during holidays and sick leave, the work stream can be picked up by a colleague and the client is not left hanging.

These systems ensure that the contact details for each ongoing project are kept in one place so we can quickly and easily find a client’s details and get in touch to update them or warn them of a problem without each of us having to keep separate records.

As we improve our systems, we can spend less time on managing the information we are gathering and more time actually working on the important things like new design concepts, speaking to the client about their event or project. 

By connecting emotionally with the client, we are better able to step into their shoes, see through their eyes and make good suggestions for them regarding how to get the best result we can within their context.

Other ways we use digital systems to complement a business with an artisanal core, are the tracking systems that let the client know when their bouquet has been delivered or where it is in the delivery process. 

We all know how hard it is to wonder if our gift has been received and, if so, why have we not had a call? This alleviates this problem for our clients and costs nothing. 

Not all of our systems are highly complex though. One of our most effective systems is the photograph we take of our bouquets and send to the customer so they can see what was delivered in their name. For our HNW clients this is a dealbreaker because what we send says something about them and they are extremely anxious to know that we are saying something positive! It is for this reason that I speak about our ability to not only protect brands but to galvanise them because when the recipients really love what they receive our clients can bask in the reflected glory.

If you would like to put our customer service skills to the test we invite you to get in touch and be sure to feedback to us!