Seven tips to create the best customer experience for your newborn clients

Great customer experience is essential when it comes to running a successful newborn photography business.  Without it, you will have to work that much harder with your marketing to fill your diary!

In my business, almost half of our sessions are a combination of happy returning clients and new clients that have come to us through a direct recommendation. That shows us that we are doing an excellent job of keeping our clients happy and them wanting to come back again and again.

We all know that we should offer excellent customer service, but what is the difference between good customer service and a great customer experience?

Good customer service ensures merely that our customer's expectations are met. A great customer experience ensures that we'll have a customer for life.

I know what is best for my business!

Here are seven tips to help create the best customer experience for your newborn clients:

1. LESS ABOUT YOU AND MORE ABOUT THEM

The customer's experience starts the first time they come into contact with your brand.

This may be via your social media platforms, or it could be through a Google search which leads to your website.

On these platforms, the message should be less about how great you are and more about the incredible service that you offer your clients. It’s called customer service for a reason.

We are here to SERVE, and that message should come across loud and clear!

2. PICK UP THE PHONE!

How many times do you swear silently under your breath when the phone rings? This is your golden opportunity to CONNECT with your potential client and impress them with your PASSION for what you do!

The key to having a customer for life is to be remarkable, to offer something more! That friendly person to person chat full of useful information and advice can make all of the difference.

If you have a contact form set up on your website and your potential clients leave you a phone number, pick up the phone and talk to them! It is so much better than a boring email. You will see a massive improvement in your enquiry to paying client conversion rate if you do!

2. BE ORGANISED

If you are running a professional business, then be professional. Have a watertight contract or client agreement that every customer must read and sign.

Remember a contract is there to protect our clients as much as it is to protect your business.

Have a system in place and make it easy for your clients to understand the journey they will experience with you.

There are many business management tools you can use to automate emails or text messages to keep your clients informed and reminded of the next step. Remember their lives are very hectic in the first weeks after having a baby.

Have a preparation guide you can email them a few days before the session or phone them the night before to make sure they know what to expect and how to prepare. That personal touch is always a winner!

 Also, always try to answer their emails and voicemails promptly.

4. PAMPER

The day of the session is your time to shine! CONGRATULATE your clients when they arrive at your (spotlessly clean) studio and make sure mum has a comfortable place to feed her baby.

Offer them a drink and a cheeky biscuit and make sure your clients are always aware of what you are doing throughout the session.

Make sure they feel that they are included in the selection of backdrops and accessories and let them choose the props. The pictures are for them after all!

Many of our clients are expecting a stressful few hours before they arrive. Surprise them with a relaxed and enjoyable experience that will make them want to come back for more!

It’s all in the little details, If you have a studio here are a few things you could consider having.

• Wifi access
  
  
• A tea and coffee station but remember that hot drinks should stay well away from the baby. Our coffee station is just outside the main studio door
  
  
• A phone charger, both iPhone and Android
  
  
• Water on tap (we have a water cooler)
  
  
• A washbasin or plenty of hand sanitiser
  
  
• A bottle warmer
  
  
• Extra nappies and baby wipes
  
  
• A menu for the local café or restaurant that offers take away food
  
  
• An iron or clothes steamer
  
  
• A selection of children’s toys and books to keep busy toddlers entertained.

5. LISTEN

Respect your client's wishes. If they mention that they dislike a particular pose, don’t do it.

If they show you or mention a pose that they really like, start with that pose and do it to the best of your ability.

If they prefer not to use a dummy (pacifier), don’t push to use one, and if they do not want pictures of THEIR baby on your Instagram page, for goodness sake do not ignore that request or try to change their mind. Failing to do this is a fast track to destroying the trust and loyalty you have worked so hard to build.

6. UNDER PROMISE AND OVER DELIVER

Always, always, always follow through on your promises. If you have promised to deliver a customer’s order in three weeks, make sure you get it to them in two!

Never appear to lose interest as soon as they have placed their order and paid you. I use Light Blue, a photography business management software to help me keep track of my customer's orders and ensure I deliver them on time.

Dropping the ball at the finishing line can make the difference between a client for life or a disgruntled client that will not come back.

7. SUPRISE!

There is nothing better than a surprise when you are not expecting it.

With all of our orders, we include a little gift that our clients are not expecting when they open their packaging.

Along with a handwritten thank-you card, we also include a small wooden cut out of their baby’s name that they can display in the nursery. It only costs us a few pounds, but the effect it has is priceless. It's a constant reminder of the fantastic experience they had with you!

These are the little details that help you achieve the all-important customer loyalty. It will have your clients shouting your name from the rooftops!

Remember, our clients are the ones who pay us, support our careers and allow us to do what we love. If we can offer them the best customer experience in return, then everyone wins.  

Russ