Kevin Price, Host of the Price of Business (Business Talk 1110 AM KTEK in Houston, TX) interviews Emily Worden of eThreads.com
1) Tell me about your firm (number of employees, location, type of companies you work with, etc.)
We have 5 employees in our studio at Somerville, MA. Somerville has the largest collection of artists outside NYC, and we are lucky to be surrounded by such creativity. We review every custom order, cut it out by hand, sew the bags together, then press the bags and quality check. Customer service is a huge part of the job – because every bag is different, we have to spend a lot of attention on details and customer preferences.
2) How do you demonstrate that your customers are appreciated?
First, we review each order to be sure the colors and patterns work well. If we think something else would match better for the bag, we contact the customer to confirm. We send out fabric samples to help customers make decisions. We send updates about their bags in progress. Their finished bags are published on our social media so they can share with friends. We write handwritten notes to each customer and wrap their bags in recycled gift wrap. We follow up on each order to be sure the customer is happy with their purchase. If they are unhappy, we work to fix it.
We highly value our customers – we wouldn’t be in business without them! We regularly interact with them on social media, getting their opinion on new bags and designs. We adjust the zippers on their bags so it is most comfortable. We make bags different sizes to fit their particular needs.
Finally, we record info on our VIP customers to send out special gifts. We remember their anniversaries, birthdays and special events. When a big date is coming around, we offer the VIP a special discount. Our social media followers also receive special discounts and early notices about sales. We keep track of everyone’s purchases so we can offer complementing products on future visits.
3) What do you do to make potential clients feel like they will be well taken care of if they hire your firm?
Our attention to detail, quick response time and open communication with customers. We respond to customer inquiries within hours, not days. We turn around special orders very fast. Even though we’ve made thousands of custom bags, we’ve never gotten a detail wrong – each fabric, lining, zipper and hardware color is double checked to be sure the order is correct. We follow up with customers while they’re bag is being made and continue to follow up long after they’ve received the bag. Our customers know when they buy an eThreads bag they are buying personalized attention, high quality and excellent service.
4) How is your approach different than the competition?
First, if we think an order doesn’t look right, we’ll suggest alternatives or send fabric samples so the customer gets a really beautiful bag. We also adjust zipper and straps depending on the customer’s need. We send a handwritten note with each order. We keep our costs lower so we are able to charge lower prices than our competitors, something our customers have mentioned they really appreciate.
Contact info:
Emily Worden, owner, eThreads.com
www.linkedin.com/in/emilyworden
Email: emily@elementalthreads.com
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