Why Client Experience is always first  …   my off-beat approach

Client Experience First.  Photos Second.

My approach to client experience is not typical.  I don’t give fancy welcome guides, a boxed gift in the mail after booking, glitter, or personalized stuff.   I would love to do these things…  I’m certainly not knocking it….  But honestly I give my clients THE MOST valuable thing I could ever give…  and that is my time.  I don’t mean the time they are paying for…. I mean the above and beyond time.   

Yes I’m a good and talented photographer (even though it feels awkward to say)…..  But I don’t look at myself and say wow, no one can take photos as good as me.  I Iook at myself and I know that the VALUE in working with me is in customer experience.  The whole package of that, combined with great images.  Great images aren’t enough in my opinion.

Customer Experience is the #1 core value of my business.  

So I teach my team, experience first, pictures second.  It takes a lot of pressure off because we CAN control customer experience 110%!  We can’t always control being the perfect photographer, we are human.  I teach my team to let go of perfect and focus on how they interact with the client… and a crazy thing happens….  The photography part takes care of itself because the day is running smooth.  

Clients will attach memories to the way we treat them.  We have the opportunity to give their photographs GREAT memories attached to the photos themselves.  I’m surprised how often I have to explain to another photographer that we should never plant a negative seed to our images.  Example: by saying “your gallery is ready, despite the cloudy weather and late start time, I think they turned out great”….  That gives the client the opportunity to see what is wrong with the images (even if there is nothing wrong).   What if we say “I’m so excited your gallery is ready!  Y’all seriously rocked it out and were so cute we didn’t even need the full hour”  ….  Now the client is attaching a positive feeling to the images.   It seems small, but that is a big difference in a delivery note.  

A few examples of my client experience looks like this:

-All emails answered in 24 hours… even if I sneak in my office while my husband does bathtime… or stay up a few extra minutes.  Some people would look at this as poor time management or say I have a crappy work/life balance.  I say my clients are worth it.  They are my biggest honor, and my biggest place of gratitude when it comes to my business.  Happy clients trump magazine press any day.  You will never catch me saying “you should hire me because I have shot over 100 weddings, or because I have been in magazines”…..  that tells the client ZERO about what working with me will be like.  I suppose it gives me value and a nice resume, but it is just not what I consider to make me different from any other photographer.  

-Sessions are always turned around with in a week, usually less.  If I was running to the post office once a week who knows if this would happen?  

-Weddings are always turned around in 2 weeks or less.  Just like some people roll their eyes that I have no welcome guide…. I can’t fathom taking 8 weeks to deliver a wedding.   Neither is wrong or right, but I give my clients what I would value most as a customer.  Time, positive energy, and the biggest hugs if they will let me!  

Sidebar:   I refer our loan officer to people time and time again because he answered my calls at 9 at night.  Time = Value…  Just saying…  

I believe in boundaries, but I also believe if I’m only taking 15 weddings a year, to bend over backwards for those couples and be there when they need me is not too much to ask….. after all, it is a pretty nice size investment on their part too.

On an actual wedding day my most important part of client experience is being totally present…  making sure I pay close attention to the bride and groom and what they need.  I always communicate so they know exactly where I am and what I’m working on.  If I take a break to eat I make sure they know that.  Communication, kindness, and the couple is always right.  We can control having that type of attitude each and every time.  Oh and smiling!  We should always be smiling!  Even if the couple is not around; their parents, guests, and VIP’s are.  Even if our back or feet hurt… SMILE.  That is something we can control that can attach positive memories to our service.

I believe in beautiful images, but I also believe in perfecting everything that we can control.  I want couples, families, and their guests to remember how happy, friendly, and attentive we are.  I want to attach the most positive experience to those beautiful images.

Amazing client gifts are certainly on my bucket list, I’m not saying they are not of value…. but I’m just not there yet.  And that is ok, I spoil my couples in my own way, and that’s what makes this whole experience unique.  I don’t expect to be perfect, but I will always give my perfect effort.