feedback after final delivery

[Charlie Wiser]

Do you always get a phone call, email or letter of appreciation after you have sent out the discs? It leaves me wondering whether I did a good enough job when I don't. I've not done that many to date.

[Brent Hallman]

If you haven't heard back from anyone, why not give them a call and see if everything is satisfactory. If they say they are not happy, find out why and what you can do to rectify the situation. If they are unhappy find out why and use that as a lesson of what to do differently next time.

[Aaron Mayberry]

If I don't hear back from them after a week, I will usually send them a follow up email asking if they got the DVDs. Most of the time they are just too busy or don't even know to call or email, as most people who get a video haven't married before :D

[Charlie Wiser]

The fear of disapproval....

[Don Bloom]

It's my experience that if they don't call, write or email they're generally happy. It's the ones that DO call that you gotta watch out for. It's true 99% of people that are happy forget to let us know but the ones that aren't happy, oh yeah they'll let us know fast and in no uncertain terms and once they find 1 thing they don't like they'll hate the whole thing.
Maybe it's just a Chicago thing ;-)

[Chris Harding]

Hi Charlie

I find that I get much the same as Don so I assume that they are happy. I do get a bunch of brides that will email me and express their thanks but generally I don't think that people bother. If you go buy a new home theatre do YOU go back to the store and tell them how good it is?????

Funny, sometimes I get back emails from weddings that haven't gone so well (just generally tough shooting conditions) and the B&G absolutely rave about how good the DVD is!!! Then you do a shoot that goes like clockwork and you think "This must be the best wedding I have ever done" and you get not a peep from the bride!!!!

I personally deliver my DVD's so I can't really email them to ask if they got them??? I guess we need to work on the assumption that "no news is good news"

Chris

[Philip Howells]

Charlie, our practice of being present at all approval showings mean we not only get their John Hancock on the actual disk signing off their 100% satisfaction (this disk becomes the master from which all copies are made) but we're present to receive their thanks - and quite emotional it is sometimes.

Never fear disapproval - just practice at getting it right. About 70% rising to 80% of our clients approve the first edit. I have no shame over the 20-30% who need some small changes - it simply means their wishes and preferences as expressed in our client document weren't clear enough.

This way I know that no bride is going to be a bad reference.

[George Kilroy]

I use to do the same as you Philip, that is sit with them when they first watch it but I found that most of mine would rather watch it on their own, I also feel that it doesn't put them under any pressure or obligation to be be polite to my face, though I know some wouldn't be if they wanted to say something. And to be honest I've work so closely with the material to get it to completion that I don't want to watch it all again.

What I do is give them a seven day period during which time I will keep their wedding as a project, I ask them to contact me within that time if there is any problem or comments they want to make. If I have not hear from them I call, email or write to remind them that I will be removing it and this is their last chance for any alterations or complaints. I would say that I get maybe 2 or 3 a year who spot a technical glitch or ask for something to be changed/removed but I can't remember ever getting an out and out complaint. That way I can clear the material without any nagging doubt in my mind that they'll come back with something long after I've cleared the project. As I've said elsewhere I have built a half day into my price structure to allow for this re-MPEGing and disc burning if it is necessary.

Also I'd much rather know if there is a problem so that I can have a chance to rectify it before it gets out and all their friends and family get to hear about it.
If it's good they'll show the DVD, but if it has just one problem, it will grow in their mind every time they watch it and they'll make a point of telling people.
Though I'm really trying to cover myself against future come-backs, it is also very pleasant to get their positive feedback and praise.
I pride myself on not only giving a good service but making sure that they have a DVD that they are completely happy with; the way that I expect business to treat me.
A good reputation will smoulder for years, a bad one will spread like wildfire.

[John Knight]

Originally Posted by Philip Howells

Charlie, our practice of being present at all approval showings...

I just had a mental image of the couple watching the screen, while you are sitting there eye-balling them, holding an approval form. Twilight Zone theme music playing in background..... ROFL

[Chip Thome]

My day job experiences mirror Don's, almost exactly. Most of those I dealt with though, that ended up hating everything about their purchase, there were telltale signs going in, these people were going to be trouble. For 99%, what everyone else has said here is how people are, reasonable.

You should be doing some form of sales follow up though, be it a call, email or a nice thank you card. The card, they can open it when they have time, unlike maybe when you may choose to call. If you fear disapproval, keep your personalized note away form the subject of how well they liked your work. Tell them how lovely the wedding was, and how you appreciate being able to be part of "their day". If there are glaring defects in what you did, this should be enough to have them respond back requesting correction.

If you do NOT ask them about their satisfaction though, it really is tough to ask them then to refer you to others without coming off like a complete bozo.

[Kren Barnes]

same here, i personally deliver the DVD to the B&G and do a follow up call after 2 weeks to see if all is well..we use the feed backs we receive for our testimonials..

Cheers!

Kren
Vertical Video Works | www.verticalvideoworks.com

[Michael Simons]

No news is good news.

[Cody Dulock]

Sending each of your couples a post wedding survey is a great way to understand what worked and what didn't. Consider it R&D... unless of course you don't care about what makes a part of your business successful.