Episode 162: Choose Words Wisely, Clarify Your Message for Top Customer Service
Fresh off a marathon photo shoot (including a brand-new "Go Big or Go Home" arrangement built with Lori-approved pink), Vonda and Lori queue up a replay of one of their most useful conversations — because heading into Valentine's Day, the words your team uses on the phone can be the difference between a delighted customer and a bad review. "Long stem roses," "big vase," "cube" — these phrases mean something precise to a florist and almost nothing to a customer. Here's how to close that gap.
You're speaking florist; they're hearing static
The hosts run a live experiment: Vonda, the designer, describes an arrangement the way designers do — "a cube vase with roses, alstroemeria, hybrid lilies, wax flower, Veronica, and assorted foliage." Lori, playing the customer, hears "roses... blah blah blah." Too many flower names in a little box she can't picture. The fix is to translate: "a beautiful variety of flowers including roses, in a short glass square vase — it would be lovely on an end table or bedside table." Name the star or two, give the container in plain language, and anchor it to a place in the recipient's world. For office deliveries, paint the picture against the desk: something compact for the cubicle, something the height of her computer, or something that takes over the whole desk.
"How many stems?" — answering the un-answerable
A Flower Clique member posted the question every shop dreads: how do you handle "how tall will it be, how wide, how many stems?" The consensus from fellow shop owners: stay warm but general, because a stem-by-stem promise sets you up to fail. Have real averages ready — measure your tall vase arrangements and be able to say "typically 18 to 24 inches, depending on the flowers, because every flower is unique." If the item is on your website with a description and dimensions, walk the customer to it. And remember what's behind the question: the customer just wants to know they're getting good value for their money. The episode's best line came from a member: asking how many stems is like asking a caterer how many slices of cucumber will be on a veggie tray — the answer is enough to make it look good.
When customers push on prices, don't argue — acknowledge that costs are up everywhere (anyone who's been to the grocery store lately knows), and let them decide. Sometimes people just need to say it out loud and move on.
Designer's choice needs a little description too
Lots of shops go heavily — even exclusively — designer's choice for Valentine's week, and the hosts get why. But from the customer's seat, a website that's nothing but "Designer's Choice" banners with no visuals or detail sends less-confident buyers straight back to Google to find another shop. The middle ground: give a little structure, like "designer's choice in pink, red, or white — you choose the palette, we choose the flowers." Trust is the currency here; regulars who say "just fix something nice, your usual" don't ask about stems at all. Vonda adds a succession tip for owners: hand those trusted orders to a named designer out loud — "I'm passing this to Susie, she does a great job" — so customers learn to trust your team, not just you.
Last-minute callers get A, B, or C
Come the morning of the 14th, the phone rings off the hook with same-day requests. Lori's script: lead with the good news. "The good news is you got in by the skin of your teeth — I have three beautiful choices." Don't ask open-ended questions; offer compact, medium, or showstopper, already made and waiting in the cooler. Think of it like buying a minivan in the trim-package days: A, B, or C, no customization — unless someone's spending enough to make it worth your designer's time. The customer never needs to know you're cranking them out.
Make the ones you're sick of (the salt-and-vinegar-chips rule)
Lori confesses she once demolished a full bag of salt and vinegar chips and couldn't face them for months — but her family still loves them, so she keeps buying them. Same with that arrangement your designers groan about (looking at you, Beautiful in Blue). You may be tired of it, but customers still love it, it's fast to produce, and if it's priced profitably with strong perceived value, that's exactly the kind of design you want to make twenty times a day.
Key takeaways
- Describe arrangements in customer language: one or two star flowers, plain-English container, size in inches, and where it would sit.
- Keep size answers to honest averages ("18 to 24 inches") and point to website descriptions instead of promising stem counts.
- If you go designer's-choice-only for the holiday, offer at least a color choice and enough description to earn a stranger's trust.
- Build a three-choice script for last-minute Valentine's callers and sell only what's already made.
- Keep making the profitable crowd-pleasers even when your team is sick of them — you're not the customer.
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist