Hey guys, there is something I want to run by you, I hope you can help.
So, one of my biggest issues right now is communication with costumers. There was a time when I was able to reply to everyone on the same day, and I wish I could still do it, but nowadays that is simply not possible. Usually I can work on 4-5 blades a week, that's the baseline I use to estimate the timeline I give to new customers, but the truth is that most times it takes longer than expected. There are a lot of variables I cannot measure: some clients end up wanting more blades, or more complex designs that take longer, I may screw up something and need to start over, I may have personal issues that don't allow me to work as much, you name it... At the moment I have 139 names on the waiting list, many of those customers are already waiting more than what I told them it would take, and I also have many unanswered messages from new interested customers. Basically I can tell with some certainty the least amount of time needed, but not the exact time it will take. Replying to everyone takes a lot of time, time that I can use to actually build blades, so in the sake of transparency I want simplify this process and hopefully make it easier for both sides.
But before getting into that there also another aspect to be considered. This is something I didn't advertise (until now), because frankly I don't even like doing it, but sometimes I do accept priority orders. Sometimes customers don't want to wait as long and ask me if they can pay more to get their blades faster. I do not always accept, as I feel it's not fair to others already waiting, and it also may lead to more delays. I only do it if I get an opening either because someone changed their mind, or I feel I can squeeze in one more blade on that batch. My goal is to make it fair to everyone, knowing that they have this option.
This is my idea: creating a number system instead of just giving a timeline, which is clearly not working. There would be two lines, the regular one and the priority line. I would reserve one spot per batch for the priority line (normally one batch per week), and the other spots would be for the regular line (3,4,5... it really depends on the complexity of the orders). If I don't have priority requests then I will just work on the regular line. Every customer already waiting will receive a number according to their current position on the list. Those interested having priority will also receive the corresponding number. The numbers will be updated weekly on my website and everyone can check the current status.
The only issue I'm seeing here is with the priority line, I have no idea how many customers are interested in this, but for example if there are 10 names on it, it will mean a 10 week waiting period. It's really not that fast, but still a lot faster than being on the regular line. I don't want to have a big priority line, that goes against its purpose, so the key factor here is finding a correct fee to apply to these orders, in order to keep the waiting time relative short, but still fair in terms of pricing for both parties.
Please tell me what you think of this, is there something I'm missing? Is it fair to everyone?
