Customer Survey

I asked some clients, ex clients and folk who decided not to book me to take some time to complete a questionnaire for me.   My questionnaire was called…

“Things I do right, things I do wrong, things I don’t do but should and things I do but you wish I wouldn’t. “

I reckon on the whole (ok, overwhelmingly)  folk are pretty happy with how I run my business and how I do my Job.

With about 100 people invited to complete the survey I got 20 replies.  This apparently a very good response rate.

Here are a selection of replies.

I asked…

When you first made contact with McBeth Photography, how satisfied were you with the response? Was it timely, informative, friendly?

• Yeah, it was fast and personal, and easy going.
• We were very satisfied, the response was fairly quick and keen to get to get involved.
• Very quick responses, very happy with the speed and quality of the response – both friendly and businesslike (a difficult balance to get right)
• Very quick response, answered all questions in a friendly manner

How do my Photography wedding packages compare to others?

• 76% of respondents said mine were better value.
• 80% said my albums were better quality.
• 93.3% said the quality of my photography was better.
• 85.7 said my customer service was better.

If you chose another photographer for your wedding day, please tell me how you made that decision.

• Groupon offer by a photographer we were already considering.
• The venue we had booked highly recommended a particular photographer / company who had shot weddings there before and they felt were very suited and would do a good job as they knew the location and format.
• We did chose another photographer but only because they made us an offer we couldn’t refuse otherwise we would have booked you.

Rest assured people, you will never see my wedding photography  promoted on Groupon and the like.   I am a believer that if you offer your work for much less than the competition then you must think that that is it’s worth. Wedding photography is like any demand driven market, I charge as much as I can get while still getting bookings.   I have know doubt that if I charges £500 for a Saturday wedding that I would be inundated with bookings.  I don’t want that.  I want couples to book me because they like me and my work.  I appreciate that many couples simply cannot afford what I charge and that’s a shame but I will never cheapen my brand, my image and my work by scratching around at the lower end of market.  As David Ginola, Cheryl Cole and Jennifer Aniston said, “because I’m Worth it”.

How satisfied were you with the quality of service ON the wedding day? Was I on time, was I friendly? Was I dressed appropriately? Were my interactions with your guests appropriate?. Did you perhaps find me bossy? Please be honest here.

• You were relaxed and friendly. You definitely weren’t bossy. Some of our guests mentioned that you were so relaxed and friendly it was like you were a long term friend.
• Not bossy at all. You struck a great rapport with everyone from the off, and got the job done without being obtrusive.
• Overall very pleased with the quality of service on the day. Interactions with the guests were friendly and Craig was very discrete (we hardly noticed he was there, but he captured some really natural photos). The group shots were very efficient, we got all the groups we wanted. The only thing we would have liked were a few more pre-ceremony pictures of the bridal party. The dress code at our wedding was pretty formal and Craig was dressed relatively informally; I would have preferred a bit smarter but it was not a big problem. My suggestion for this would be for McBeth to find out the dress code and adjust accordingly.
• Everyone hates a bossy wedding photographer, and you certainly weren’t that. We thought you were fantastic on the day. We didn’t have any comments from our guests.

How satisfied were you with the quality of service AFTER the wedding day? Why? Did you receive your images in good time? Are you happy with your album? Have I dealt with any issues in a timely and appropriate manner?

• We had the images on drop box when we got back from honeymoon- it took a little longer to get the USB stick through but you kept us informed and we had access to the photos so it wasn’t really an issue.
• I am delighted with my album. We originally went for the cd but later upgraded to a full album and its beautiful. I was desperate to get the pictures so it felt like ages waiting but that’s me being impatient and not your fault! So yes we did receive our pictures in good time.
• Again, all great. All delivered on time as agreed to a quality that made us thoroughly chuffed.
• Very satisfied. The pictures and USB of the images came through really quickly, you provided everything we asked for and I thought the presentation of the USB was very professional and a great way to keep the photos safe.

Overall, I tend to have a relaxed approach to my photography and customer service. Were you ok with this? Would you rather I have a more formal, businesslike approach? Again, please be brutally honest.

• Not at all!! There are too many ‘stuffy’ photographers out there – as long as people are polite, allowing their sense of humour and personality across without the confines of formality is refreshing when dealing with suppliers linked to weddings!!
• I liked the relaxed approach and felt this made the process less painful as not everyone enjoys having their picture taken. I think you have lovely way with your clients, professional but friendly.
• Relaxed and friendly is certainly our preference when it comes to being involved in such an intimate and important event. It was great that it did not feel too much like a business transaction.
• Nah, there are enough fuckwit drones out there that suck the life out of what should be a very happy day. Maybe more businesslike in the non-on-the-day stuff. Stunning website, but not HTML mails or email tag. It all suggests professional. But, once people see the images on the site, there are no worries with quality AT ALL.
• Nope, loved the relaxed approach. Felt like having another mate at the wedding.

If there was one thing you think I should change in order to improve my customers’ experience, what is it?

• I would have preferred the pictures from the pre wedding shoot and the pictures from my wedding day as actual pictures (small size) to have looked through rather than having them sent as an email. This would have been easier to show the people (parents) who were helping us select the ones we wanted for our final album.  Noted, from now on I will be offering the option to have a proof book printed. 
• Faster delivery of the soft copies of the final photographs.  I will try my best but in busy times there could be slight delays. None of my clients have ever had to wait more than 3 weeks to see their wedding photos.
• On the day, just right. Out-with that, answer emails more quickly!  I admit it, I’m a bit crap at answering emails. I’m working on that I promise.  Rest assured though if its important I will get back to you straight away, either by email, text or phone. 
• I think you have great expertise, you obviously know your way around a wedding – I think that we would happily have taken more suggestions from you about what could work/we should do to get better photos. You gave us plenty of direction – but I’d probably say don’t be afraid to tell brides and grooms more and share your opinion – it’s very valuable.
• Craig we were delighted with our overall experience with Macbeth photography. You did a fantastic job and we were delighted with the end results. I know I should try and think of one thing you could change but I am struggling to find one so well done and keep up the good work!

So that’s it folks.  That was a cross section of replies. Hand on heart there were no responses any more negative than the ones you see above.  I would be happy to show the full results to any clients or prospective clients who want a wee look.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to help me with this.  It really is very much appreciated.

Craig xxx