Ever since I've been old enough to have a job, I've worked in a customer service position. As I grew older, I continued in that field of work. Customer service can be a challenging line of work for a ... Read More
Ever since I've been old enough to have a job, I've worked in a customer service position. As I grew older, I continued in that field of work. Customer service can be a challenging line of work for a certain set of people, or for someone incapable of separating their personal life from their work life. I'm not perfect; I've definitely had moments where I know I've given poor customer service, but I am always striving to improve my interactions and build a rapport with my customers/clients. I recently began a new career in sales, and it has changed my entire outlook on promoting products and building relationships with my customers. A lot of what I have learned in the last few weeks in this new position are techniques that would benefit those working even in the tattoo industry.Word of mouth is what brought me to Doc Holliday three years ago when I decided to get my first tattoo. I was comfortable going here to ask about pricing and the process because I knew someone who'd been tattooed here, and I'd seen the quality work for myself. When I arrived, Aaron and the receptionist greeted me very pleasantly, patiently went over everything with me, because I'm sure it was obvious I was nervous. It was a great experience, and the fact that Aaron had been so nice to me even after I fainted maybe ten minutes into getting the tattoo is what made me come back for my second one.I'd tried reaching Aaron via e-mail the summer of 2016, but life happened and I never set a date for my second tattoo. I started to get really eager for my second tattoo a few weeks ago, so I called to ask a few questions and to set up an appointment. The woman who answered the phone (not much of a friendly greeting, and she also didn't provide her name) was impatient with me for asking about pricing, and then seemed to get very upset because she couldn't find me in her computer system. I'm not sure why that was such a big deal to her; I'd been in three years ago, and that tattoo wasn't at all in relation to the new one I had planned.Because I was getting nowhere with her over the phone, I decided to drive twenty-five minutes to the parlor and pay a deposit, because that seemed like the only way she was going to give me any answers to my question about pricing and Aaron's availability. I felt so uncomfortable when I arrived. The woman who'd answered the phone was there, plus there was another artist, and both looked at me but didn't smile or say hi at first, or even a quick "I'll be right with you" until after a few minutes. It was obvious to me that everyone was burned out, but when someone is coming to give you business, the customer should still come first. I gave her the benefit of the doubt when she was finally able to talk to me, and explained I'd called in just a bit ago and she'd suggested I come down to the store to pay a deposit. She then made the assumption I wanted something done that night, and rudely cut me off and said, "We don't have anymore openings tonight." Additionally, when I told her what the tattoo should say, she misspelled it and got snippy when I went to correct her on it. Honestly, at this point, I was ready to walk out because of how she was talking to me.I'm sure Aaron was just as tired as everyone else in the shop and ready to call it a night, but when he came over to talk to me about what I was looking for with this tattoo, he greeted me with a smile and was friendly and upbeat. He is the ONLY reason why this establishment received my business. We scheduled for a few days later for me to come in. He double checked with me on the spelling of the tattoo and the placement, and everything was smooth from there. Despite the customer service offered by some here, I still recommended Aaron and Doc Holliday to a coworker who was admiring my new ink. I simply suggested she e-mail him instead because I wasn't impressed with either the phone conversation or face-to-face with the lady working the front desk.I truly hesitated even writing about this experience, but even days later I'm still bothered and a little hurt by what happened when I called and came in. I do totally recommend Aaron as an artist, and should I ever decide on another tattoo, I'm planning on contacting him again directly and bypassing the front desk. I'll also still send anyone his way who asks me for an artist recommendation, but I think the behavior of others working here could be improved on. Read Less