Make Zazzle Messenger More Clear To Customers On Who Can Help Them

[Jo_P]

Maybe I’m in a minority, but I feel like there has been a massive uptick in the number of customers messaging me to help with their open orders.  It would be great if there was more clarification to customers when they message on who to contact for which issues.  Below are just some of the things I’ve gotten lately. At least half (if not more) of the message I get are for things I cannot help with as a designer.

“I ordered invitations earlier today, but I forgot to put the time! Could you please add that the bridal shower is at 11:00 am?”

“What is going on with my order? Order ID----------” (by the way, I don’t think this was even one of my orders as it does not match any of my order numbers)

“My name is Mary ------” (yep that’s all it said, and she never responded)

"Hi I just placed an order with you and realized that the wording on one of my signs is wrong

would I be able to send you the updated one?"

“Hi there, in my invitations could make the girl’s hair black?” (this was on an already placed order)

“When I go to preview the invite there is a weird IM over the text. I already purchased it and I’m worried the invites will be ruined. Can you please help?”

“I ordered a sign a couple of weeks ago and still haven’t received it.”

“so I placed an order originally for 40 baby shower invitations, but wound up editing them and getting an order of 25. Would I be able to get reimbursed for the 40 previously ordered?”

[Cat_Ritchie]

At this point I just take it as a given that 90% of the messages I get will be for things that I cannot help with. I have a whole document filled with boilerplate responses to point the customer in the right direction, but I still think that Zazzle needs to do more to deal with the issue. It’s not like I’m sitting here monitoring my messages 24/7 so it almost always means that there’s a delay in getting the customer to the correct person which can’t be good for customer relations. 

Obviously, there’s a larger issue here - people don’t understand the POD model and they think that Zazzle like Etsy, so they’re assuming that we produce and ship the physical products. I don’t know how to solve that - maybe Zazzle can take some of the money they’re getting from the new Marketing fees to do some PR addressing the issue, because I really think it’s a branding problem.

Nevertheless, I continue to think that there are a few simple changes that would help a lot.

When you go to a creator’s store or profile, and click on the message button you get this popup which makes it pretty clear who to contact for what.

BUT - when you go to the product page and click on the link directly under the title (which is a much more obvious place for the customer to click) you get this popup.

And when you click on the message button here, it doesn’t give you the choice to contact support, it just takes you directly to the chat system. I’m guessing that maybe the problem is that you can’t make a popup spawn another popup? Even if that’s the case, it seems like you could simply re-work this popup so it looked something like this:

There is a tiny message when chat first comes up that tells the customers to contact support for issues related to their order, but people obviously don’t read it. 

Maybe it needs to function as some sort of a popup that they have to check OK on or something before they can get to the message system.

I had pretty much made peace with the whole chat system, but honestly with royalties being cut in half, I’m starting to feel taken advantage of even when the message is for me. Do I really want to spend hours helping someone customize their order so I can make pennies on an order? I guess that’s a different conversation, but I have to say that I’m not feeling very enthusiastic about designing at this point.

[jadendreamer13]

I mostly create home decor and accessories, not invitations. I’ve only received one message from a customer asking for help. So, it looks like this issue is mostly related to invitation products. (I also don’t accept custom orders because of the extra effort involved without additional pay). I understand your frustration, though.

[Carolyn_D]

I totally agree with what Cat wrote:

“Obviously, there’s a larger issue here - people don’t understand the POD model and they think that Zazzle like Etsy, so they’re assuming that we produce and ship the physical products. I don’t know how to solve that - maybe Zazzle can take some of the money they’re getting from the new Marketing fees to do some PR addressing the issue, because I really think it’s a branding problem.”

I recently received a not great review on my product for a shipping delay. I also received a message from a customer who was furious about the sloppiness of the printing on a trivet. Both clearly thought I handled production and shipping. 

[Mari_Holly]

Do I really want to spend hours helping someone customize their order so I can make pennies on an order? I guess that’s a different conversation, but I have to say that I’m not feeling very enthusiastic about designing at this point.

I feel exactly the same way too

[JerryLambert]

I just had a customer tell me “I thought that you made and shipped the products” even though I have a note that says that I do not handle shipping or product fulfilment inquiries. I don’t blame the customer, it is easy to miss. 

[Anne]

@jophb  If it wasn’t so awful, that would be just a hilarious summary of conversations.

It would be great to have the option to just op out of the entire chat system. I don’t want it. 

[Jo_P]

@Anne  haha right? I know. It’s also hilarious how the customers just disappear after you respond most of the time.  Can’t tell you how many times a message comes through with no context and I have to say, ‘I’m so sorry, Zazzle didn’t provide any additional information with your message, could you let me know what you needed help with?’ or something along those lines. And half the time you never hear back haha.

[Jo_P]

@Cat  for sure room for improvement on how they could clarify and make clearer to custoemers.  Even if the ‘questions or comments about their artwork’ clarified BEFORE YOU ORDER haha.  Aka, once you have placed the order you need to contact Zazzle for all help. And maybe an easy to access place of how they need to cancel and fix orders.  Or at least clarify that creators/designers cannot make changes to your orders. I don’t know the best way, but I think there could definitely be some easy changes that would help this situation.

Oh and yes, I keep a set of responses as well along with the customer service link and such. Even though I write back as nice as possible, it still feels like I’m saying ‘not my problem’ haha

[Connie]

@Cat , I didn’t realize that the option to contact Zazzle for customer service doesn’t always show up, depending on how they get to the Message button! Here I thought people just don’t read any more!

[Cat_Ritchie]

@Connie  Ha! Well, people DON’T read anymore, but yeah, the popup screen situation isn’t helping.

[CLC]

On the product page the “Maker” contact information used to be  listed on the bottom left with a message contact button and the graphic artist was listed on the right with a message button. They have now removed the “maker” contact information and the only contact information on the page is to us. We should have no contact with marketplace customers. I had a customer contact me last night that they needed a change on their order and they paid $25.00 for rush, I reached out to them told them to cancel but have not heard back, I also contacted this marketplace through contact us, and gave them the customers order number and change information, I got a customer service reply back, “In this case, the customer would need to reach out to our customer support team directly in order for us to assist.”…would love to, how do I do that? Why would you waste all this money on product, printing, rush shipping and then refund it all and get a horrible review?

[Laura]

I wish we could opt out of the chat system. In fact, I wish Zazzle would retire the program altogether. No idea what the cost/benefit of the system is for Zazzle, however, based on the responses here (and from other threads), I gather the current system isn’t much of a benefit at this time for designers/creators.

There must be a better way for designers to communicate properly with customers rather than spend most of their time fielding questions which should be automatically, first and foremost, directed toward Customer Service. Only after it’s been determined that it is truly a design/artwork question, the proper CS representative would directly email designers regarding these questions - not thru the current chat system (some designers/customers have “opted out” by not providing their phone number).

Also, as stated above, it truly doesn’t leave our customers a postive impression when chat messages end up being a back and forth with the customer/designer before they reach out for Zazzle Help, or worse yet, go unaswered.

Again, imho, at this point it seems the best option would be to retire, or at least, “hide” the chat system. We designers did fine communicating with customers prior to it being such a relatively new, major part of the Zazzle communication system.

[Jo_P]

Have gotten 4 messages just in the past two days of things I cannot help customers with… one customer sent the wrong item. One printed too light. Two that needed changes made to orders they just placed. PLEASE Zazzle make it more obvious on who customers need to contact!!!

[BevStuff]

I rarely get messages for any custom work, but earlier this year someone messaged me if I could change a foil print postcard graduation design into a 5 x 7 size. In hopes of a good sale (mine have been dismal for a year), I said I could. But, man, that one little “yes” turned into her wanting a gob of other things; things not doable in Zazzle, like the grad name set up in foil print script on back with a gold border! I had to tell her Zazzle only prints on front. I could do a similar in black & white on back. So I did it up & sent her the link,  When I heard nothing  after a day, I inquired if she was intending to buy, telling her I get paid a fee for the art work, which was why I was asking. She replied, “No. Zazzle cards aren’t good quality.” What a cop out.
That cemented me never agreeing to custom work ever again. And it so states in the little blurb in messages.