How to Handle an Unhappy Photography Client

Most of us will have an unhappy client or negative feedback in our time. It can be a tricky situation to learn how to handle. If you’ve
only just started out in business, your firstcomplaint(s) can be a real knock to your confidence, but if you learn how to deal with these situations effectively, you
can really turn things around and it might even become a valuable learning
experience.

Photography in particular is very personal; we’re often
taking pictures of weddings, children or businesses, and things people feel strongly about. It can be hard not to be defensive when confronted with an
unhappy client.In this article, you'll learn a number of strategies for responding to thesesensitivesituations effectively.

Listen and Identify
the Problem

Firstly, your customer will want to be heard and whether
their complaint is right or wrong at this stage, don’t interrupt them or start
to protest, however hard this might be. It’s really important that they feel
listened to and that you take in everything they mention so that you can better
manage the issue.

Once you’ve heard them out, take a moment to think about the
situation in reverse. If this was you, how would you want the person to
respond? If you try and see things from your customer’s point of view, it makes
it easier to empathise and attempt to resolve the problem in a way that keeps
you and your client happy.

Make sure you fully understand their problem. If they just
‘didn’t like’ something, find out what exactly it was they didn’t like and why.
Think about taking notes while you listen so that you remember important
points.

Don’t Take it
Personally

When we work very hard or pride ourselves on our work then
it’s difficult not to take a complaint to heart. You have to try and switch off
your personal feelings and view the situation objectively. This comes with time
and practice so if you’re feeling stressed about the situation, don’t be afraid
to ask advice from someone, just remember not to give out personal details or be
too specific.

Don’t disagree with what they’re saying or tell them they’re
wrong—even if you think it! Flat out disagreeing with someone will come
across as confrontational and you’ll find it very hard to recover.

Face to Face, a Phone Call or Online?

How the problem is brought up and the medium you use to
respond can really make a difference. I’ve seen a great many complaints
escalate on Facebook posts when a company (or their fans) jump in feet first
and it never looks good for the business, even if you’re in the right!If you
receive a written complaint (by that I also include social media and email)
then resist the urge to reply immediately. A quick response is required in this
fast paced age but just take a few moments to compose your thoughts first.

If
you’re worried that the person can see you’ve read the message and will think
you’re ignoring them, try a ‘holding’ message such as, ‘I’m really sorry to
hear you’re not happy with your photos, let me look into it and get back to
you’. This will give you time to assess the situation and reply in a calm,
professional manner.

How something comes across when written can be interpreted
entirely differently depending on the person reading it. If the complaint seems
angry or heated then consider a phone call or meeting up face to face to
discuss a resolution. Tone of voice and/or body language can go a long way to
reassuring someone that you’re on their side and doing your best for them.

If
your client is angry, stay calm and try to cool the situation down. If that
doesn’t happen, don’t be afraid to walk away—nobody should have to tolerate
abuse.

Offer a Solution

You don’t want an unhappy client, regardless of who’s to
blame, so think of options to offer that will rectify the situation in a way
you’re comfortable with. Making excuses is just going to annoy the person who’s
complaining so you should be looking to resolve the situation and avoid
inflaming it.

Obviously your solution is going to be dependent on what
sort of problem there was or packages you offer. If a bride hates her wedding
photos then a re-shoot isn’t really possible. You might disagree with the bride
about the photos being horrible but that isn’t going to make her any happier;
you might think about offering a refund (at one end of the spectrum) or maybe a
free framed print or canvas (at the other). It all depends on what your problem
is and how you’re equipped to deal with it.

If a commercial client is unhappy with photos of their
business premises, then a re-shoot may be possible but if they agree to that,
think about throwing in something a little extra too—maybe a small film of
the building too if that’s something you’re able to do. Giving something more
as you’re trying to resolve the original issue can really help regrow trust
between you and your client.

Sometimes There is No Resolution

Unfortunately with some people, there will be no resolution
and you have to learn when to walk away. I once had a client who wanted a
headshot for a website and had recently had one done that she was using but
wasn’t happy with. There was nothing wrong with the photo so I offered to
re-edit it for her rather than her shelling out for another shoot but she
insisted on a new one so we booked it in.

When I arrived she had a makeup
artist there to do her makeup which rang a few alarm bells, as this was just a
simple shot for a website. We took a variety of poses in two different outfits
(I’d suggested she bring a change of clothes) and before we left I asked if
there was anything else she’d like that we hadn’t covered, to which the answer
was no.

The photos were edited and finished and sent over to her at which point
she complained she didn’t like them. Long story short she had no reason she
could pinpoint for not liking them, refused a re-shoot, didn’t want a refund
and had decided to still use them on her website. At this point I felt I'd done all I could do.

You’ve heard the saying ‘The customer is always right’? Well, while that may not be true, you need to weigh up whether fighting your point
will get you anywhere, or just damage your reputation. People are much more
likely to talk about a bad experience than a good one and it only takes one
person telling their friends and family and writing a few online reviews, to
put a serious dent in your hard earned reputation. Even if you don’t consider
the complainant to be right, you should still try your best to make sure they
go away with a positive feeling about your company.

If you’ve offered several
solutions that they’re unhappy with, try asking them what they feel would
resolve the issue and then consider their response. Some people just like a
good argument or fish for a freebie, so if you think that’s the case and you’re
against continuing any further with them, try and end the conversation as
politely but firmly as you can.

Nailing Expectations

Use the complaint or feedback to improve your service, rather than letting it get you down. Think about what you could change in your business model that would prevent the same issue cropping up again. Something always worth looking at is client expectation. As a photographer, this is easily achieved as we’re often booked way in advance for things.

I think the biggest cause of
disappointment when it comes to expectations results from a lack of
communication or miscommunication.– Rob Lim

As a wedding photographer, meeting up with the bride
and groom (often more than once) before the big day is essential to chat about
what style of photos they like (formal or more quirky) and find out a bit about
them so that the photos, although keeping the photographer's style, are more tailored to
suit the clients' particular needs and wants.

If you’re a commercial photographer, it’s great to nail down
some key points before your shoot. What will the pictures be used for? Is there
a message the company is trying to get across? Are they a really formal, professional
looking outfit or more your ‘chat over coffee’ type of business? It’s good to
have a regular brief form that you keep for occasions such as this and either
meet up beforehand and make notes, or send the brief over to the client and
have them fill it in. Keep it short though, you don’t want to annoy the client
before you even start! Bryan Caporicci has a good blog:Setting Client
Expectations in Your Photography Business which can help you get started in knowing what to ask and what information to
find out prior to a shoot.

If similar complaints keep cropping up then it might be you
have a problem. As I mentioned, look back at your business model and try to
make positive changes. One thing you might want to do is actually request
feedback on a more regular basis so that you can really nail down the issues.If you didn’t want to do this publically, you could ask someone objective to
take a look at the areas where you think there are problems and get some advice
about changes. Independent portfolio reviews are great but cost quite a lot.
Think about contacting your local business advice centre to see if they can put
you in touch with a mentor.

How to Choose Clients

In a service-oriented business the degree of happiness of
your clients after they received what they paid you for, not only affects your
bottom line, but also can make or break it. -Julia Kuzmenko McKim

In her article, 'Choose Your Clients Wisely', Juliadiscusses the balance between client maintenance and
profit.

The clients you choose can be a big part of
preventing complaints before they arise. Decide what kind of photographer you are.
If you’re a wedding photographer just starting out, don’t decide you’re
suddenly in competition with the top photographer of your area and start
charging thousands for a wedding. If you get the customers in the first place,
you’re likely to hit disappointment when you can’t deliver.

We have a company in the UK called Max
Spielmann who have photo studios/shops on most of the high streets. They do
incredibly cheaply priced family portraits including prints and they’re very
popular with a large group of parents. I don’t do family portraits now but I
used to when I started out and if I’d tried to compete with Spielmann I’d have
failed miserably. Their customers were just not my customers even though the
nature of the businesses were similar. Don’t base your business model on someone else’s
or try to follow popular trends. Do your own market research and chose your
offering and prices on what you know will sell to your customers… not someone
else’s.

Conclusion

Getting complaints can hurt, no doubt about it. Generally we
pride ourselves on our standard of service but at some stage, someone being unhappy
is inevitable and all we can do is deal with it in the best, most professional
way we can. Here’s a summary of things to remember from the article:

• Listen and identify the problem.
• Don’t take it personally.
• Think about how you communicate—face to face,
  phone or written?
• Offer a solution.
• Learn from the experience.
• Nail client expectations.
• Choose your clients wisely.

Trying to avoid complaints entirely is obviously the best way forwards, so put a lot of thought and research into how you choose your customers in the first instance. We might think a customer chooses us but in reality, that will only be if what you put out there appeals to them, so target yourself appropriately. Once you have that initial contact with a client, meeting and chatting about their expectations, wants and needs is essential. That way, everyone knows where they stand and what is expected.

It's unlikely you'll go through life without a single complaint though, so when the worst happens, remember to remain calm, polite and helpful. Don't make excuses or be defensive, just try to offer solutions and resolutions and hopefully you’ll
turn your unhappy customer into a happy, loyal and repeat customer.