Bad Customer Service | Image: jezebel.com

In the past, you might have worried a little about to whom she might complain. With today’s social media options, however, your concern should be tenfold. You cannot afford to have any disgruntled customers! In a recent survey by ClickFox, 16 percent of respondents said they would post negative comments after a bad customer-service experience compared to only 8 percent who said they would post a positive review.

Furthermore, while 52 percent of unhappy customers spout off to family and friends, an even more astounding 32 percent will stop doing business altogether with the company that wronged them. And when customers take to social media to air their discontent, more than 60 percent of consumers are influenced by these detrimental comments.

This just goes to show how serious the negative repercussions of bad customer service can be. So if you weren’t nervous in the past when a disgruntled customer left your shop or got off the phone, you certainly should be paying attention to these issues now. If you don’t, the situation could quickly spiral out of control, and the consequences could be devastating to your shop’s reputation.

The infographic below should give you a good idea of what customers hate the most about bad customer service and how they might react.

Image originally posted on Zengage, The Zendesk Blog

We hope you found this infographic interesting and that it will serve as a reminder of the importance of maintaining good customer relations at all times. If you aren’t already active on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+, we highly recommend you look into doing so. Setting up a profile on these sites is not difficult and will definitely help you manage any customer-service issues that make their way into the public domain.

And, as a bonus, if done correctly, these channels can become an additional source of business for your flower shop and help create awareness around your brand. (We will write more about this aspect in upcoming articles.)

If you have any experience of your own with managing customer-service online, or you have any questions, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

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Specifically, 81 percent of seniors who participated in a study by Rutgers University (Newark, N.J., U.S.A.) reported a reduction in depression following the receipt of flowers. Forty percent of seniors reported broadening their social contacts beyond their normal social circle of family and close friends. And 72 percent of the seniors who received flowers scored very high on memory tests in comparison with seniors who did not receive flowers.

Did you need any better reasons to send flowers than that?

Save money when you send a loved one flowers.

Sending Flowers with Wire Services

If your Grandma lives across the country from you, you may immediately turn to a wire service to handle the task. When you use these services, you typically visit the company’s website, scroll among images of various flower arrangements, make your selection and pay online. From there, the service sends the order to a florist affiliated with that wire service in the city where you want the flowers delivered. (If you call your local florist to request a long-distance flower order, that shop will usually rely on a wire service to do the same thing.)

Because florists can’t maintain a full inventory of every available flower, they will often have to substitute varieties within an arrangement when fulfilling an order they receive via a wire service. Most websites include a disclaimer that informs the customer that substitutions are a possibility, including variances in containers. As a result, the final arrangement delivered to a loved one may not look exactly like the one shown on the website image.

Another aspect of using a wire service is the possibility that you may pay extra fees—not so in all parts of the world but prevalent in certain countries. To make a profit, these wire services charge fees to cover the costs affiliated with maintaining the network, creating the website, marketing flowers in ad campaigns and other related costs of business. Typically, those fees get added to the price of the flower arrangement. In some cases, these fees can be substantial.

Finding a Local Florist

Ten or 15 years ago, that process made sense. After all, trying to locate the name of a florist near Grandma’s home wasn’t an easy task. But today, the Internet has simplified that undertaking. Using Google maps or another search engine, you can now type in Grandma’s address and then simply search for florists nearby. Voila! The search engine provides a map showing local florists, including phone numbers and, often, even direct links to the retailers’ websites. You can then contact the florist directly. You’ll benefit in multiple ways. For one, you can talk to the florist and describe the type of arrangement you want to send, and the florist can verify what flowers and containers are available to meet your desires. In addition, you’ll save on the fees you would have otherwise paid for the convenience of using a wire service.

Finding a Local Florist with Google Maps

How to Find a Reliable Florist

Concerned that choosing a “random” florist will result in an arrangement that doesn’t meet your standards? Here’s another tip: Search for a funeral business near Grandma’s home. Then call that number and ask the funeral director to recommend a nearby florist. Funeral homes develop close relationships with florists and are familiar with who provides the best service and quality. You can rest assured you’ll be referred to someone who will deliver a flower arrangement that will bring a smile to Grandma’s face—and keep her smiling for days afterward.

You can also use a reliable online florist directory that lists recommended florists in your area. We’ve started building a directory of recommended florists in South Africa, and may extend this service to other countries in the near future.

For more information on finding a florist online and ordering flowers safely, read this article.

Make a Personal Delivery

Live close enough to take flowers to Grandma personally? Consider creating an arrangement in a fun, cheerful and reusable cupcake vase. You simply place individual stems of flowers in holes located on the top of the cupcake-shaped holder to create the floral frosting. Available on Amazon, the vases are available in a variety of colors—pink, yellow, white, turquoise and chocolate brown.

A reusable cupcake vase makes it easy to create a portable gift – Photo courtesy of Joster International

More Information:

Get the Research. Want details on the research proving flowers’ effects on seniors? Check out information published by the Society of American Florists: “Flowers & Seniors Study”

As always, we would love to hear you. What has your experience with using wire services been, or do you prefer searching for a local florist. Let us know in the comments below.

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Online Shopping

Perhaps one of the most significant developments in this “age of the internet” is our ability to buy virtually anything online, from flowers to gifts, to clothing, accessories, software and even our groceries. Yes, there is no doubt that online shopping, otherwise known as e-Commerce has become an integral part of our lives.

But Just How Big is e-Commerce Really?

The e-commerce sector continues with a double-digit growth year over year. Since many of you have online florists or you have your own flower or gifting website to support your bricks and mortar florist business, and if you don’t, you should seriously be thinking about getting one… we thought we would share some interesting statistics with you about online shopping and the e-Commerce industry. Conversion rate optimization specialist Invesp has created this great infographic that highlights some interesting facts about the E-commerce industry, its growth and the latest trends, and gives us a good idea of how big e-Commerce really is…

The e-Commerce Infographic

Infographic by Invesp

If you are viewing this article in an email, click here to see the infographic.

History of the Internet

In 1979 – Michael Aldrich invented Online Shopping

In 1990 – Tim Berners-Lee created the first World Wide Web server and browser

In 1994 – Pizza Hut Offers online ordering on their Web Page

Netscape launches the first commercial Browser called Navigator

In 1995 – Amazon starts selling Books Online

E-bay is founded by Pierre Omidyar as AuctionWeb.

Interesting Facts

• More than 85% of online population has used the internet to purchase something.
• More than 50% of the online population has shopped online more than once.
• 73% of Consumers prefer Online Shopping because it saves time
• Global e-Commerce sales are growing by more than 19% a year and will be at almost $1.4 trillion by 2015
• e-Commerce Sales in US are growing at 10% a year and will grow to $279 billion by 2015
• There are more than 178.5 million consumers in the USA and will grow to 201.1 million by 2015
• 54% of online shoppers are of the age group 18-30 years
• 75% of online shoppers use credit/debit cards for online shopping
• India is the highest growing and Portugal the least growing e-Commerce country right now
• Residents of North Dakota spend the highest percentage (16.9%) of their income on online shopping whereas residents of Maine spend the least percentage (1.83%) of their income on online shopping
• Illinois has the lowest average shipping time of 2.55 days, whereas Hawaii has the highest average shipping time – 4.10 days for online orders
• 40% of the items that are sold online are Books
• The Mobile e-Commerce market is growing year over year and will be more than 23.8 Billion by 2015

It has always been vital for businesses to be present wherever their customers are, and clearly more and more customers are turning to online shopping.

So how about you? Have you already got a strong online presence? Are you investing in e-Commerce for your bricks and mortar business? Tell us about your own online strategy in the comments below, and if you have any questions regarding e-Commerce or an online strategy for your business, ask away…

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like” button, “Tweet” button or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe to our Updates, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Related posts:

1. The Effects of Bad Customer Service
2. How to Find a Florist & Save Money Sending Flowers
3. Organic Flowers: The Greener Way