Most people who know Art Conforti of Beneva Flowers & Gifts in Sarasota, Fla., already are familiar with his shop's "Yes We Can Commitment," which empowers employees to do anything but say "no" to a customer. What they may not know is just how far the longtime florist is willing to go to make a miffed customer happy again.

Several months ago, a customer placed an order for the shop's "dinner and flowers" package. A Beneva employee processed the order without realizing that there wasn't enough time to arrange for the dinner delivery through the company's third-party vendor. When the shop contacted the customer to see if the delayed delivery was acceptable, she was upset -- her order was intended for her mother, who was in her 80s, and it was important to have it delivered on the exact date.

"Because of 'Yes We Can,' the decision was simple," Conforti says. "We told her 'no problem, ma'am. We'll take care of it.'"

Conforti made a quick call to an Italian restaurant for a to-go order, and the shop delivered the flowers, the dinner and a complimentary balloon, all on time.

"The customer was so happy because we exceeded her expectations," Conforti says. "That's what it's all about."

Read more about how to defuse customer service problems and get tips on working with angry customers in the July issue of Floral Management magazine.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 

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