Episode 6: Four Must-Know Rules for Customer Service
This episode starts with a shared frustration: Vonda has left three unreturned messages trying to schedule a physical, and Lori's dentist office closes for a two-hour lunch and won't book after 4:30. Must be nice — but as the hosts point out, a flower shop could never operate that way. When you run a small business, your reputation is everything, and every unanswered call is a customer who may never call back. So Vonda and Lori adapt four rules of customer service from the corporate world and apply them straight to the flower shop — then run all four through the scenario every florist dreads: the negative online review after Valentine's Day.
Rule 1: Acknowledge immediately
Timing is everything — and not just for complaints. Vonda extends the rule to the ringing phone: answer before the fourth ring, because a customer ready to order flowers who hits voicemail will simply hang up and call the next shop (Lori admits she does exactly that). What about the classic bind — a customer at the counter and the phone ringing at once? Vonda's script: tell the in-person customer "I just want to acknowledge this caller — take a look at this and I'll be right with you," then give the caller a choice: hold briefly, or leave a number for a call-back. The principle underneath: whether it's a call, a walk-in, or a complaint, people want to be heard now. Even when you can't solve it on the spot, "I hear what you're saying" goes a long way — because their perception is their reality.
Rule 2: Don't over-apologize
If it's your fault, say "I'm so sorry that happened to you" — once. Then move on to fixing it. Chronic apologizing is annoying, and worse, it shapes the customer's story: an employee who apologizes on loop is broadcasting "yep, we screwed up, badly" and that's the version that gets repeated around town. Acknowledge, apologize sincerely, solve.
Rule 3: Don't shift the blame
This is the hard one, because sometimes you know exactly whose fault it was. Doesn't matter. Never throw a coworker under the bus to a customer — Vonda says that in nearly two decades of shop ownership, blame-venting was reserved strictly for her husband and co-owner, never for customers. Take one for the team, let the buck stop with you, and settle up privately afterward ("you owe me big"). To the customer, you're the shop, you take ownership, and you'll make it right.
Rule 4: Give more than they bargained for
The article version of this rule says deliver $60 of value on a $50 order — and profit-minded Vonda immediately pushes back: give away $10 of flowers on every order and you can't pay your staff. The smarter play is perceived value that costs you little or nothing. Her favorite example: a florist friend who rewarded early Valentine's orders with an upgrade to "priority delivery" — a customer-chosen three-hour window, a $24.95 value, at the regular $12.95 charge. Or the Zappos move: an occasional surprise shipping upgrade that costs pennies and creates delight. Even overstocked inventory works: upgrade an arrangement into a nicer keepsake vase you need to move — but tell the customer you're doing it ("I'm upgrading you because I value you as a customer"). Under-promise, over-deliver, and get a little glory for it.
The four rules meet a bad review
Now the stress test: a one-star review lands after Valentine's Day. First, check Google, Yelp, and Facebook daily so you catch it fast. Before responding, look up the transaction — sometimes the reviewer ordered from a different shop entirely, or is an imposter, and you can politely say you have no record of the purchase. If it's real, respond the same day with all four rules at once: acknowledge you found the order, apologize once, don't blame the driver or the designer, and invite them to call so you can make it right. Remember who you're really writing for: everyone else reading that review to see how you respond. A calm, generous reply often makes the reviewer look unreasonable and wins you customers. One unhappy person used to tell 10 people; now they influence a hundred. Lori's favorite closing line, borrowed from the restaurant world: "I'm sorry that was your experience — here's what I'd like to do to make it right."
Key takeaways
Answer by the third ring, and acknowledge every customer — in person or on the phone — immediately.
Apologize once, sincerely, then pivot to the fix; over-apologizing rewrites the story against you.
Never blame a coworker to a customer. Own it publicly, sort it out privately.
Add perceived value that costs little: delivery upgrades, surprise perks, keepsake-vase upgrades you announce.
Check reviews daily, verify the order really happened, and respond same-day for the audience watching how you handle it.
Post these four rules by the shop phone so the whole team serves customers the same way.
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
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Real Life Retail Florist