Suggestion while i was out

Create a Post
T

thehadmatter

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Joined
Oct 19, 2007
Posts
199
Loc
Central USA
Big sigh,
I have this scenario often and am wondering how others would handle this. I work with the boss's brother-in-law. He is here to build the frames. However, boss says he can help at the counter when I am out for one afternoon a week and one Saturday a month. The trouble is, the designs are not good. I have an especially bad one from yesterday afternoon. He claims the customer picked out and loved it after working with him unsuccessfully for a great deal of time. I will feel awful sending out something that I know looks bad. Do I work up another design and call the customer to show it? Do I call the customer and ask if he's ok with the design and tell him I don't agree with it and why? How would others deal with this. :shrug:
 
I wouldn't step on any shoes. You said the customer "loved it". Unless functionally it just won't work I'd let it rest.
 
my thoughts too Paul ...
except usually in these instances i find the customer wasn't necessarily sold on the design in the first place. I have ended up redoing pieces for people after he worked up the first design and they came in and said it wasn't right or they weren't happy and what would i suggest.
sorry guys, i should have mentioned that in the first place.
 
I once hired a guy who was doing the same thing. Albeit, no relation to higher authority. He had a great personality, full of the most randomest useless trivia, but he wasn't ready for the design counter.

There were a few projects we recalled, and I worked with him on alternate designs. I.E., we weren't actually going to frame an oil painting with a 1/2" mat around it. I was carefull to constructively explain to him why his design was not appropriate. He did get a little bit better. Although he now no longer works here because the output in the back then fell below standards.

How about bringing this up with the boss? Offer to work with the brother-in-law and pass some knowledge on to him? Give some basic rules, like "No mat widths the same as the frame" and "Museum glass is our most popular glass" (OK, that last line is just my own personally gimmick, but it works!)

I've found that my customers really get attached to one particular salesperson over another. Some even refuse to be helped by anyone else but their favorite. This is not a good posistion to be in, no matter how diplomatic you can be. Need I say that picture frame stores are a business first, then a frame shop.

Good luck!
 
Whoops my previous post was for a different thread! Sorry
Paul N said:
The customer loved it and....the guy at the counter is the boss's bro in- law....case closed....:p
Click to expand...

I'd just want to be sure that the Brother in law had to sign the design, or that you have in some way separated yourself from the design! Personally I would hate to have the customer come back and have the boss mad at me, when it wasn't my work in the first place!
 
W.C.Framer said:
How about bringing this up with the boss? Offer to work with the brother-in-law and pass some knowledge on to him? Give some basic rules, like "No mat widths the same as the frame" and "Museum glass is our most popular glass" (OK, that last line is just my own personally gimmick, but it works!)

I've found that my customers really get attached to one particular salesperson over another. Some even refuse to be helped by anyone else but their favorite. This is not a good posistion to be in, no matter how diplomatic you can be. Need I say that picture frame stores are a business first, then a frame shop.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Have mentioned it to boss, in fact asked that we start training someone else as quality was an issue. That was a BIG no can do, in fact his hours were boosted. I have worked and worked and tirelessly educated this man to no avail. And a handful of his customers now refuse to bring in work when he is here. It really has gotten messy and frustrating to boot. If I step on toes, he's unbearable to work with. But ultimately I would rather the customer be happy with their work. So I usually dissassociate myself from his work and note it in our records in case it comes back to the boss.
 
thehadmatter said:
Have mentioned it to boss, in fact asked that we start training someone else as quality was an issue. That was a BIG no can do, in fact his hours were boosted...
Click to expand...


Yeah, in that case, throw your hands up in the hair and give up. Or change venues. If you don't mind a commute to the Napa Valley, you can work for us. I don't have a brother-in-law. :beer:
 
It is true that customers will tend to want to work with the same person they worked with before. A relationship gets built and a comfort zone exists.

I'll never forget the first time, when I had employees, a customer came in and specifically asked for someone else. For Christ's sake!
They had ME standing right there!!! :shrug: :fire: :confused: At first I felt offended but then, after reflection :icon11:, felt complimented because I had customers coming in that were comfortable with employees I had hired.

:thumbsup:
 
Could you discreetly phone the customer and talk about the design without being critical? I might say something like, "The top mat on this frame design doesn't seem to work as well with the art as ________ would, so I just wanted to give you a call and verify that we have noted your selection correctly."

That way, you could re-open the design conversation without ruffling anyone's feathers.
 
Jim Miller said:
Could you discreetly phone the customer and talk about the design without being critical? I might say something like, "The top mat on this frame design doesn't seem to work as well with the art as ________ would, so I just wanted to give you a call and verify that we have noted your selection correctly."

That way, you could re-open the design conversation without ruffling anyone's feathers.
Click to expand...

I agree with Jim. My sister helps customers when I am away from the shop which is very seldom and never for more than a day. Inevitably, someone will come in and instead of asking them to leave their art for me (as I have suggested), she wants to design it.

First of all, if it is a new customer, I especially want to make sure they are pleased. If it is a repeat customer, I pretty much know their styles and preferences.

To avoid any dissatifaction with the customer and any hurt feelings with my sister, I call the customer and express that I am doing a followup check on their choices before I process it. If there are any reservations, we handle it over the phone or the customer comes back for another look.
 
Don't call the customer, just do the job. Brother in law will never learn to sell or build his confidence at the sales counter with whatever he does sell, being picked apart with a jaundiced eye. Perhaps the customer actually did like the choice, calling the customer will do nothing but create second thoughts in their mind. It could also lead to the loss of the entire sale.

Everyones taste is not precisely what your is, there are some who would actually think that, gasp, you have bad taste.

The worst case scenario is, after showing the job to the customer, you simply let them pick out another frame and matting and just do the job over if they hate it as much as yourself. This would also be a good check mechanism for you, knowing if they hate it, you are going to have to do it over, might just help you to present the finished job without rolling your eyes or giving some other body language that you don't approve of the choice.

Above all else, calling the customer is the worst thing you could do, simply because you are creating doubt in the customers mind about the design quality that your shop may put out without you there to supervise. You are also taking the risk of insulting the customer if it was their design to begin with.

John
 
I wouldn't call the customer. The designer is the boss's family, you aren't. Should one of you be fired for going behind the back of the other who do you think would be first to go?
 
Here's my update. After taking in all of the advice, I have decided to go with the design, present it as if it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (gagging will commence after customer leaves). I am hoping I am completely off base and the customer does love the design, though previous experience tells me I am not.
Please don't confuse my comments with the attitude that I am sooo much better at this. This is not arrogance on my part, but rather an instinct based on previous experience and previous customer feedback.
And a new joy for this morning, customer walks in ready to pick up frame job. My co-worker had taken in a rush order, didn't write it up as a rush order so it was not finished. Luckily the frame was in and completed. However, he had measured the frame size to match the edge of the paper. And it is supposed to be matted!!!!!!! Ouch! I very begrudginly cut a 1 inch mat to put on it and am sending it out as he has on the order. I think it looks horrid, but what can I do.
I am now throwing my hands in the air! WC, I may take you up on the offer to commute if I can find a good deal with the airlines!
 
thehadmatter said:
After taking in all of the advice, I have decided to go with the design, present it as if it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (gagging will commence after customer leaves).
Click to expand...

I would certainly not present it as the most beautiful thing... what if the customer doesn't like it after all? He/she won't trust you anymore either.

I would just be very neutral about it. Try to see customer's reaction when it's picked up. If you see he is not happy, engage in conversation. Re-do the whole thing if that's what it takes. I assume after this happens a couple of times, your boss might not be so happy with the family employee. It will cost too much money.
 
Create a Post
Back
Top