Increase the text size of the "Creators are only responsible..." notification on the message screen

[ClareS]

I know that the team is trying to steer customers towards the customer service team when they try to message designers but customers are still messaging us with non-design messages.

I noticed that there is an alert on the actual message page before the customer types in their message to us - saying (again) that Creators are only responsible for artwork. But the font is tiny and it's a light grey colour. Any chance the tech team could make it bigger and bolder so the customer is more likely to read it?

[LMGildersleeve]

If we are "only responsible for artwork" that really doesn't explain to the customer we can't change the color of the product after they put it through the purchasing process. The customer probably still thinks we can change the color before Z prints the design, thus still giving them the idea we can do the changes.

I've not seen the message Clare is referring to, so if that is made clear my apologies for the post.

[Cat]

Oooo... that message must be new! At least I haven't seen it before. It's not perfect, but it's a vast improvement over nothing! Here's what it looks like for those who are curious (sorry for the snark that I added to my mock message - I do tire of fielding questions that I cannot answer over and over)

[Cat]

BTW, in my ongoing attempts to head off customer misunderstandings, I've put the following messages into my personalized notes (the ones you can find under your account > advanced settings)

Message customer gets when they put something in their cart:
Thanks so much! Please Note: Print orders can't be modified once placed, and will print exactly as they appear in your cart, so please check for errors before placing your order.

Message customer gets when they complete their purchase:
Congratulations! Your order is now complete and has been handed off to Zazzle's team for processing/printing & shipping. For help, please choose "Customer Care" below. Thanks for choosing my design!

It hasn't fixed the problem - not by a long shot, but it has improved the situation and I am getting fewer requests for changes to completed orders. If anybody wants to use my verbiage, or suggest an improved way to word it, please feel free!

[ClareS]

Cat - thank you - I couldn't figure out how to add the screenshot!

All of my messages say:

Please message Zazzle's customer services team at www.zazzle.com/about/ask if you need assistance. 💬

And while it helped reduce the messages I still get too many.

Lynn-Marie has a point about the "artwork" not being clear. I do get lots of people telling me they've made a typo, or they'd like a different colour, or it wasn't aligned properly and can I fix it. All AFTER placing an order, I think that they think I am sitting here at my kitchen table manually processing these things and mailing them myself!

[Cat]

@ClareS Ha! Right? I'm always laughing to myself when I get messages like "I know you're working on my seating chart, I just wanted to make sure you understood my directions." Do they think I'm churning this stuff out in my basement or something? Or yesterday's gem "Just checking to be sure the flowers don't cover up my zipcode" as if I'm sitting there monitoring everything they're doing on the site - I don't even know if they were referring to something they were working on or an order they've already placed!

I think the basic issue is that customers (at least some percentage of customers) don't understand how Zazzle works. They think it's like Etsy or something, and I do believe that Zazzle's push to put designers up front and center over the past few years (calling us "creators" and encouraging customers to contact us directly) has compounded the problem. Ultimately, I think what we can do is limited because really it's a branding problem that Zazzle needs to address - and I'm not exactly overflowing with suggestions on how they should do that because the business model is a bit complicated. 

But I've switched my tactics recently. Instead of trying to explain that it doesn't work like they think it does, I just try to explain how it actually does work. So phrases like "the system automatically sends your completed design directly to the shop for printing and shipping - and it does not allow me to modify or even see your order" seem to work well. 

Anyhow, I feel your pain, and I am heartened that Zazzle is at least making an attempt with this little notice to explain how it works.

[KeegansCreation]

Yes! Using the term "creators" rather than "designers" gives the impression that we are literally creating the product rather than putting a design on it. I had a recent after-order request to check how a design looked from somebody who did think I was doing the printing. After I said "I'm not allowed to see what changes you made to protect your privacy" she said "but I thought you did the printing". We are not creators. We are designers.

I like the auto messages you made. That's a good idea. I can do that.

[ClareS]

Keegan - I totally agree, I'm not sure why Zazzle changed from calling us designers to creators, I think it adds to the confusion.

I use "I can't see your order for the protection of your privacy" an awful lot in my responses!

Cat, I have been doing exactly the same thing. Explaining how the system works, so at least they know the next time around!

[Lisa-B]

Hi All,

Thank you for your feedback on this issue, I have passed this onto our Team now 😊

Lisa🌸

[PetalsPalette]

@Cat thanks for the insights and tips. I am glad to see this thread.