In my line of business, mistakes are inevitable. Irrespective of how steadfast a crochet artist is, or how many calculations they do (which can be a lot sometimes), there's always going to be at least the tiniest tweak or mistake in a project. This means, crochet projects, as art, aren't always perfect, but these imperfections are what give the art its originality and beauty.
Even when the same person makes the same design on two different occasions, they can never be identical. Be that as it may, I, as a crochet artist, always strive for perfection, not just because of how delicate some projects can be but because I always have my customer’s satisfaction at the back of my mind.
This is easy because I question every step I take, every row I make and every increase or decrease I apply. “Would this action lead me closer to the ideal image my customer has in mind?”
For the longest of times, this worked, even when I took on “surprise orders” with nothing but a picture of the recipient. However, there was this particular surprise order that didn't turn out as well as I imagined.
A client ordered a crochet item for a friend of theirs and wanted it to be fully exclusive, this meant I couldn't contact the original recipient, nor could I get their measurement.
I took on this project because it was a relatively small project and I thought nothing could go wrong until things went sideways.
On the said date, I delivered the package to the original recipient and she was so pleased with it. Being that we met in a public space, she didn't want to try on her gift there. I told her to try it on whenever she felt comfortable and let me know if it was a perfect fit.
The text message I saw from her the next day broke me. She wasn't rude, neither did she complain bitterly but she was dissatisfied. The item wasn't a perfect fit and needed huge readjustments.
Now, the thing with crochet items is that they can't be easily amended or readjusted and 80% of the time, they have to be remade from scratch. This didn't deter me. Instead, I fixed a date to collect the crochet item and remade it from scratch.
Yes, this took more time and resources than I have bargained for but the satisfaction and pure joy I saw on the clients face after I re-delivered the package was priceless. She was overjoyed and this was the point when she began advertising my crochet brand.
Shortly after, she too ordered an item for her friend with the sentence “I trust your judgement” and this meant a whole lot to me.
As business owners or entrepreneurs, the way we handle setbacks or flaws says a whole lot about who we are and what our business stands for. It's very easy to dismiss customers and their feelings but on a broader scale, this does more harm than good.
This post is in response to the ‘don't go initiative’ which can be found here. Don't hesitate to share your entries.
Images belong to me. Translated with DeepL.
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LEER EN ESPANOL
En mi sector, los errores son inevitables. Por muy constante que sea un artista del crochet, o por muchos cálculos que haga (que a veces pueden ser muchos), siempre habrá al menos algún pequeño ajuste o error en un proyecto. Esto significa que los proyectos de crochet, como arte, no siempre son perfectos, pero estas imperfecciones son las que le dan al arte su originalidad y belleza.
Incluso cuando la misma persona realiza el mismo diseño en dos ocasiones diferentes, nunca pueden ser idénticos. Sea como fuere, como artista del crochet, siempre busco la perfección, no solo por lo delicados que pueden ser algunos proyectos, sino porque siempre tengo en mente la satisfacción de mis clientes.
Esto es fácil porque cuestiono cada paso que doy, cada fila que hago y cada aumento o disminución que aplico. «¿Esta acción me acercará a la imagen ideal que mi cliente tiene en mente?».
Durante mucho tiempo, esto funcionó, incluso cuando aceptaba «pedidos sorpresa» con nada más que una foto del destinatario. Sin embargo, hubo un pedido sorpresa en particular que no salió tan bien como imaginaba.
Un cliente encargó un artículo de ganchillo para un amigo suyo y quería que fuera totalmente exclusivo, lo que significaba que no podía ponerme en contacto con el destinatario original ni obtener sus medidas.
Acepté este proyecto porque era relativamente pequeño y pensé que nada podría salir mal hasta que las cosas se torcieron.
En la fecha acordada, entregué el paquete a la destinataria original y ella quedó muy satisfecha con él. Como nos reunimos en un espacio público, no quiso probarse el regalo allí. Le dije que se lo probara cuando se sintiera cómoda y que me dijera si le quedaba perfecto.
El mensaje de texto que recibí de ella al día siguiente me destrozó. No fue grosera, ni se quejó amargamente, pero estaba insatisfecha. La prenda no le quedaba perfecta y necesitaba grandes ajustes.
Ahora bien, lo que pasa con los artículos de ganchillo es que no se pueden modificar o reajustar fácilmente y, en el 80 % de los casos, hay que volver a hacerlos desde cero. Esto no me desanimó. En cambio, fijé una fecha para recoger el artículo de ganchillo y lo volví a hacer desde cero.
Sí, esto me llevó más tiempo y recursos de los que había calculado, pero la satisfacción y la alegría pura que vi en el rostro de la clienta después de volver a entregarle el paquete no tuvo precio. Estaba encantada y fue entonces cuando empezó a promocionar mi marca de ganchillo.
Poco después, ella también encargó un artículo para su amiga con la frase «Confío en tu criterio», lo que significó mucho para mí.
Como propietarios de negocios o emprendedores, la forma en que gestionamos los contratiempos o los fallos dice mucho sobre quiénes somos y qué representa nuestra empresa. Es muy fácil ignorar a los clientes y sus sentimientos, pero a gran escala, esto hace más daño que bien.
Esta publicación es una respuesta a la iniciativa «don't go», que se puede encontrar aquí. No dudes en compartir tus entradas.
Las imágenes me pertenecen. Traducido con DeepL.
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Crocheting is not for the weak none for the lazy hands. Remaking a project from the scratch when there is a mistake is why most people can't handle this craft.
I love the way you pay attention to what your customers want and what is best for them. I wish you a continuous success in your life of work.
It's a craft that requires patience😄.
Thank you for the well wishes.