Customer service in any business industry is the lifeline of any successful company. Whether that company is a small mom and pop shop like my most favorite local grocery store, large companies like Target, or luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, customer service must be at the forefront of client management.
Prior to starting my photography career, I worked at Stanford Health Care in Palo Alto where I had the privilege of working in Administration under Amir Dan Rubin. Amir as President and CEO set our organization apart in the health care industry. Each employee, regardless of role were required to take continuing education on customer service and was a requirement of employment. We knew that patients had the choice to choose where they received their care, and most often they chose Stanford because of our stellar customer service.
Every physician and employee operated under a model known as CICARE. We were educated on how our body language when entering or leaving a room can make a person feel. Stanford has the belief that “we can teach the skill but we cannot teach heart. Having the heart and the love for what we do every day is not something that can be taught”. Three years later, I have taken what I learned at Stanford and made sure to set those same expectations with my clients. It is the experience from start to finish that sets a business up for success or, also failure.
When I first met Amir, I honestly thought there was no way he would remember my name or anything that we discussed during that brief interaction. I was wrong. We had a beautiful holiday party at a museum on the Stanford campus and I brought my poor husband, he was not super excited to attend! However, when Amir came in, he walked up to me and introduced himself to my husband and talked to him for quite awhile. We were in a room full of physicians and board members yet, he made us feel we were just as important. That is my goal, for each of my clients to feel and know they are just as important and valuable as each other.
We have all had terrible interactions with businesses and from the beginning, I wanted to make my studio a safe place where trust was built and I delivered on my promises. Those promises are an extension of the high quality products that I offer, professional make up for my clients to feel their best, and doing viewing sessions after a portrait session so we can discuss the collection and wall art in person.
My art is my life’s work, it is a part of me and I want to make sure I deliver the best care to my clients. I intentionally ask my clients for reviews after their session and delivery of products so I can see where I can improve and where I am doing well. I welcome feedback as I have this personal drive to have the most well rounded photography experience in the Central Valley. From the relationships that develop as my clients continue to come back to me for major life milestones, my business is a direct representation of who I am.
We seem to live in a world of every changing technology and a society that operates on instant gratification. To me, that is not a way to create value. Value comes from time, attention to needs and wants and the ability to deliver. By providing value, you, my client will continue to come back and share your stories with me; by way then letting their close friends and family of the value they found in the experience that I provide. From the beginning of my business journey, I had this profound passion for having the opportunity to capture my client’s families during pivotal moments in their lives. Possibly a selfish feeling! But, I want to create memories for families that they will look back on and feel pride.
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Happy Capturing!
-SL
