Customers in line!!!

[cegates]

I am very, very excited to suddenly have the phone ringing and people asking me to quilt their quilts or make t-shirt quilts! Right now I have one set of t-shirts in hand, but 4 appointments with new customers and 2 other promises but nothing scheduled. How do you decide who gets their quilt first? I am inclined to put them in line as the tops or t-shirts are delivered to me, but would like to hear what the pitfalls are of doing it this way. I know that some of you schedule time ahead for customers who have not dropped off (or finished) their tops yet. Some advice? Thanks in advance.

[meg]

Congrats on your growing business!

I don't have customers but I have friends that I quilt for so they are very patient and understanding.

It's first come, first served.

And I do at least 1 practice piece and 1 project of my own in between others.

I pad the turn around time by at least 2 weeks...cause you never know what will come up.

I only keep 2 of their quilts at my house at a time.

More than that is just too much for me to look at and I worry about something happening to them.

I took in 4 big queen sized quilts from one person once and will never do it again.

I went from worrying that something would happen to them to feeling overwhelmed by the sheer unquilted yardage.

Good luck!

[Quilting Heidi]

Since  I only quilt part time this is how I do it:

 

1st come 1st served - call me and get your name on a list with an estimate of when you're quilt will be up.  I have gotten pretty good at estimating how long a quilt will take me based on the initial contact with the customer.  I find out if they want custom or e2e and what size the quilt is.  

 

Two weeks before I'm ready for their quilt I call them to set-up a drop off appointment.  If I know it is going to be a custom quilt and I feel like I might need more time to think about their quilt I'd call them earlier.

 

This method has worked really well for me over the past 5 years.  As Meg stated above build in time for your work and for life emergencies because they will happen and you will get burned out at some point.  My biggest problem is dealing with all the unexpected things in life which is further compounded by working full-time.  I too never keep more than 2 quilts in my home at one time.  I just don't want the stress of it.  If I have lots of e2e I might consider more because I can do those quicker but I mostly get custom work.

 

Heidi

[Zora]

With VERY few exceptions, I quilt them in the order I get them.  I don't "save a place in line" because I've been told too many times that somebody is going to bring a quilt, then it never shows up.  When I get it, I will quilt it.  I do custom only, and I will NOT promise a quilt by a deadline.  I will ask when they would like it, then I will tell them if I can get it done by then before I ever accept the quilt.  If that's not OK, they can take it elsewhere.  I have plenty to do!! 

[Primitive1]

I do them in order that they come in, I give each quilt a # and if someone calls and says they want to be put in line, I give them a # and then let them know about a week before their # comes up and if they don't get it to me in time, I move on and load the next quilt.  If they had an issue beyond their control I will put them next, if they just don't come or don't call, then they go to the end of the line and if I still don't hear back from them then they go to the back of my book....and if I ever do hear back again, I will remember who they are.  Now if I get someone who truely has an emergency or if they are planning a quilt as a gift, I will do my best to work them in but then they understand that they are charged a rush fee.  I don't get many of those though.  I am currently down to 3 quilts in my home and have had up to 17 waiting for quilting.  I know I have more coming in and am trying very hard to get and stay current, but when you have one of those weeks where you take in 5 or so, you just can't stay current.  I am really hoping to have time to quilt some of my own, I know I should put them in line but then I feel guilty quilting my own when a customer is waiting....something I have to work on.

[Sandra Darlington]

Right now I am not taking any quilts due to my cancer diagnosis, but this is how I was doing it. 

 

When the customer first contacted me I would ask the approximate size and if it was E2E or custom, then if there is a deadline and, if so, when.  I know about what I can do in a week, so I schedule quilts accordingly. E2E are no problem and I can do them rather quickly and can guess the time it will take me.   Custom...well, that is another story.  Each one is very unique and I try to guess how long it will take me and then double the time.  If I finish earlier, great, but they seem to take me longer than I plan.  

 

I try to do them in order, but all too often they are for a deadline of a shower or some other important occasion.  I really try to work them in ahead of something that doesn't need to be done till Christmas, for example.  Yes, I've done several Chrostmas quilts in 2013.  (They weren't done in time for 2012, so the piecers were determined to not wait so long this year.  LOL )

 

I rarely charge a rush fee, but I do have it on my intake form that anything needed in 2 weeks or less is subject to a $25.00 rush fee.  A week before Christmas I was begged to quilt a lap quilt for a woman's Step Mother who was dying from cancer and the gal had a flight to catch in a few days.  She had not planned to make the quilt, but her Step Mother said the only thing she wanted for Christmas, other than seeing her family again, was a quilt her daughter in law made for her.  So the daughter in law stitched all night and day and finally got the quilt done.  I said under the circumstances I would do it right away.  I picked it up in the morning, quilted it and returned it to her the next morning.  She had the binding ready, went home and sewed it on and got to the airport by evening for her flight.  She planned to stitch it on the plane.  Whewww.  It was worth it to me do feel good and it was worth it to her to pay me $25 extra to rush it.

[JenniferBernard]

This is a really good discussion and from my experience very based in real life experiences. I, too, keep a list in the order that quilts come in. If someone calls for an estimate I ask if they want to be put on my list now and then schedule an in take date. If the quilt on the list doesn't arrive on time then of course we go on to another quilt. I think it is a little humorous that clients might actually think that we are sitting in our quilting studios twiddling our thumbs just waiting for their quilt to arrive. We are business people and we just keep on working.

I always tell customers that want custom jobs that it will take a long time. I really do a lot of thinking and sketching about custom work. I have to gear myself up for them and definitely don't do 2 back to back. Rush jobs also depend on what is going on in my life and sometimes if I feel I need to earn more money with the extra effort.

[ffq-lar]

To schedule successfully (Yay! that you have customer in line!) you'll quickly learn your capacity. Depending on the hours you can dedicate to the job and your family needs, you may shoot for 8 or 10 or 12 quilts per month. The determination of the number of quilts you can handle is whether they are E2E (easy), semi-custom, or custom. Say you figure you can schedule 12 spots per month. An E2E will take one spot, semi-custom maybe two spots, and custom three or more spots. I've had a custom on the frame for two weeks--that's four spots on my schedule. As you schedule your customers, ask about the intricacy of the quilting and the size of the quilt top. Then you can decide how many "spots" the quilt will require. Once that month is fully scheduled, the next caller can be told that your next available opening is in April--and would they like to be scheduled to have a quilt finished in that month. Stress that you'll call then for the drop-off in March and their quilt will be quilted and back to them sometime in April.

The communication between you and the customer is crucial so no one is disappointed. Have a professional-looking intake sheet with everything spelled out, an estimate of the fees, and a place for the customer to sign stating that they understand the process and the work to be done. 

First-come-first-on-the-list is what works for me and is fair to all. But the control and structure that come with a monthly schedule will keep you and them happy.

 

This is invaluable advice given me when I first started-- 

Allow yourself time to for your family and your own projects. You might inconvenience a customer by scheduling their quilt a month later but they'll never remember it. If you disappoint your family or friends by missing a fun time or important milestone because you had to finish a quilt--you'll remember that forever. 

[RoseCity Quilter]

Some really good advice here. This is what I do....

I am a shop owner. Even though my partner (hubby) and manager take care of a lot of the daily store duties, I can be called away from my longarm at any time, and I certainly have lots of interruptions. So I no longer promise a finish date to anyone! Wow, did deciding to do that ever take a load off! I keep a list, 1st come 1st served, and let them know 2 weeks before I think I might be ready for their quilt and ask them to make an appointment to bring their top in for a consult how their quilt will be quilted. I do a lot of custom and really like to do a couple edge to edge in between the custom jobs, so am considering having two lists, a custom and an edge to edge and alternating between lists. Not sure about that idea, just considering it.....

[AHuffman]

I take them as they come too- but not based on a phone call. I get too many calls telling me they have cut out their fabric and will have it done soon for me (yeah, right). I have one appointment block a week at a local quilt shop where I schedule appointments 15 mins apart for both pickup or drop off. Occasionally I'll schedule a pickup appointment to be 30 mins if I know they have more than one top they are bringing me. 

 

I do screen for custom quilts on the phone. I tell them that my turn around time for an all over pattern is 3 weeks but if they want custom my next custom is *** month. I've started keeping a list on each month and I'm only accepting 2-3 customs a month. Even that might be pushing it and I'm considering limiting it further. So, if you called me today, March 21, my next custom opening is August. I don't want to stress about custom quilts too much. They are what builds my reputation but they take too long to make the kind of $$/hr I need. 

 

When I meet a customer we talk about ESTIMATED delivery time. It isn't a promise but an estimate. If the quilt is for a special occasion I'll make a note so I can plan accordingly. 

 

I really find that the Machine Quilters Business Software helps me stay on track and organized. My accountant really likes the financial reports I can print from it. I like being able to print out my work log by target date. 

 

Congratulations on watching your business grow! Good for you!

[ffq-lar]

I want to add that whatever system works for you is the one to use--and revising your policy occasionally can make your life easier.

 

My own system has several drawbacks. I have a long backlog of customers and sometimes they are eager to get on the list and agree to a spot that is many months away. If they find another quilter willing to take their quilt before my scheduled spot sometimes I call them for a drop-off appointment and the top has already been quilted by someone else. Very seldom do they remember to call me to cancel and they're usually very apologetic. But that still means I now have a hole in my schedule. This could be alleviated by me asking for a non-refundable deposit or taking their quilt right away and storing it for months. This doesn't work for me mostly because I don't want the accounting hassles nor do I want 40 quilts in my custody. I roll with this situation--mainly because I have notes on my schedule for people wanting to either jump ahead if there's a cancellation or who tell me to call them any time I can fit in another top. Or sometimes I use that extra time to sneak my own stuff on the frame--or a top from my sister, who waits patiently for her own spots on my list.

 

Another issue I have is my customers using their scheduled spot as a self-imposed deadline to get a top finished. I have people asking for spots when the top is just a glimmer in their brain--no pattern decided upon and no fabric chosen. Just with other plans, this can backfire when they don't plan well and either the top is late or they resent me because they spend long hours and miss family time because they need to get the top finished in time. I had a quilt scheduled for last October and it was dropped off on October 31st. Amazingly, my customer thought that was fine. She thought since she got it to me in October that her quilt would be next in line. We had a talk and I explained that she would be bumped because I couldn't disappoint my November customers by delaying their quilts and I wasn't going to bust my hump doing an extra quilt in November during my Christmas rush. Her quilt was quilted the week after Christmas, when I usually take a hiatus to recharge. So much for that plan!   

 

So I guess the best advice is to try to plan, discard the plan for another if it doesn't work for you, never be afraid to set and stick to your rules--it's your business after all-- and try to never let it overwhelm you.

[JudithWashburnQuiltStudo]

Angelia,

I like your process.  Do you have quilters call before they have the quilt done to schedule.

[AHuffman]

Angelia,

I like your process.  Do you have quilters call before they have the quilt done to schedule.

 

Judith, when  customer calls and they tell me that they don't have it ready, I tell them to call me back when it is done. Or, if they wear it is almost ready we make an appointment and they know they are to bring the top ready to the appointment. I suppose I'm pretty rigid about it. I just kind of shut them down if they call and it isn't ready. I've been burned too many times for me to operate in another way. I will say that one thing that really helped was deciding to add a computerized system to my Millie. I actually have 2 Millies- one with IQ and one with Quilt Path. Once I added the computer I could bring my turnaround time down from 8 weeks to 3 because the computer can churn out the pantos. Doing 2-3 a day is absolutely doable so, for example, I had 17 customer quilts in March. There is no way I could have done 17 without a computerized system. 

[klwheeler]

I got a burn out and was getting repeat business. I was mostly quilting all night and working a day job too. I just had a customer who was dropping 5 quilts at a time and I would custom quilt them and get them back to her in a week. She never seemed happy but dropped more off each time. That was it and I have never had such a client. I quit taking quilts for a while and wonder if I will get the repeat clients back again but really needed a rest.

[elkayr]

so if we're not having fun...we shouldn't do it? 

[LFQuilts]

If we aren't being respected, we shouldn't do it.  This entire business hinges on educating customers that more is involved than just pushing a button - even if you are working with a computerized system.  Even allovers take time to do. 

 

Lynn