Survey: the framer and the customer

According to a survey, only 30% of Italian framers ask customers for a deposit. The object of the survey was the behaviour of the framer in front of the customer.

The survey was 163 Italian framers. We do not know whether the results would be valid for the rest of Europe. Anyway it is interesting to compare your own answers to this collective interview.
We would like to make clear that the answers given to us reflect real uses of Italian framers, but do not necessarily meet the right solutions.
 

Questions asked to framers were the following:

Questions were then statistically classified. Of course there were curious sfumature, that we tried to underline by giving you some notes of them.

Do you ask customers for a sum as account?
30% of framers receive the account. The further we are from the town, the less framers ask for accounts, as people know each other very well. Anyway some of those asking for an account underline that they ask it only in case the commercial value of the pictures is high and therefore it is not a regular question. One said he often asks for accounts but find customers very upset from the request. Most of the framers anyway thinks it would be better to keep a sum for the word.
The amount of it usually varies from 30% to 50% of the price.

Do you leave a receipt of receiving of pictures to be framed?
The framers who use a program on computer usually release the receipt, obtained with the computer. About other framers, 58% of interviewed framers leave a similar receipt containing the description of the work. One said he would write everything in a notebook. Another believes it has no utility, because they forget it at home when they come and collect the goods. 1/3 of the framers fill two copies of the receipt in while only 4 framers on 163 writes three copies of it.

Who chooses the frames? The customer or you?
The answer to this question could not naturally be schematic. In fact they were quite complicated and different.
16% say the customer chooses the frame.
72% choose together with the customer everything
Of course it is difficult to understand which is the selling attitudes, which pressure or persuasion is made by the framer.
There is a percentage of 12% that is alone in the choice of the frame, as "customers trust me", they say.

Do you ask customers to leave you their telephone number or address?
6% of framers ask the complete address, in case they do not know the customers at all. One said he had started questioning his customers but then stopped because they seemed to be annoyed by the question. An other framer gives special attention to those customer that he does not perfectly trust.
90% of framers ask for the telephone number, especially when they do not leave the account. The remaining 4% has no data of the customer. "Which would be the use of it? We all know each other here!" says a framer placed in a country city.

How long does it take you to finish a work?
This is the average time required to complete a frame:
22% of the framers says at least 5 days
30% says from 5 to 7 days
33% from 8 to 10 days
15 % more than 10 days
We were particularly surprised but these answers. We thought delivery term was much longer. We had on our mind the image of old framers keeping works for months.

Do you inform them about the term for collecting the finished frame?
85% of the framers tell customers in advance the right days to come back. It is generally verbally said, unless a receipt is given, because in that case the framer would write the term on it.
7% of them asks the customer to call in the following days to see if the frames are ready.
8% instead personally calls the customer to inform him the work is finished.
Many framers underline that they are used to calling customers in case they do not come on the term. Those framers believe customer expect a telephone call, especially when the term was only verbally communicated.

How do you calculate the price of a frame?
This question largely embarrassed many framers. In fact answers were very different and interesting. We give you here a schematic and approximate classification.
10% of them admitted that prices are calculated without any special schema, but they are established by the experience.
52% calculates prices on the basis of cost of material and work. Cost of material sometimes is doubled. A certain confusion reigns on working times and tariffs on them to consider.
12% organise themselves by following their schemes, where they can find the corresponding size of the frame, with or without mountboard, and so on.
26% only has got a computer doing the job for it.
We received the sensation that the problem of calculating the price is particularly felt. Framers are conscious of the fact and would like to tend towards better solutions, the computer for example.

Do you tell them the price in advance?
76% always informs the customer about the price in advance. They use to write it on the receipt, given to them.
24% does not give any price; at least leave approximate indications. "They trust me", says most of the framers.