Customers really matter!

Customer service is the focus of this particular blog!

While our middle son is away on some work experience we decided we would spruce up his bedroom and surprise him- off we set with a spring in our step, money in hand, to our local branch of Focus. Found exactly what we wanted for an incredibly cheap price and were ready and willing to buy. However, because some of it was the only example on display, guess what? (and this could only happen in the UK) we couldn't, for whatever bizarre reason, buy it! We were expected to order the items, wait for 2 weeks and also pay for the priviledge of delivery when we could have been sold everything there and then and the shop would have benefited from an immediate sale. So annoyed were we that we left and came home with an empty car feeling frustrated and infuriated with such an inferor service.

It takes so little to help customers, big stores bleat on about customer service, but actually it is simple- customers want to buy what they came searching for and it really isn't rocket science to help them and get it right. At White Cloud we honestly do feel that good customer service is the key to successful business. If you don't have customers you don't have a business and making customers happy is what matters.

To end on a cheerful note, Parcelforce exceeded expectation last week when they delivered a duvet and some pillows to France for us, but too quickly, as the parcel arrived at our customer's holiday home before he did!

from lambs to rams to ewe- why wool works!

How do sheep survive in harsh conditions? New Zealand has been enduring a really hard cold winter, not so great for humans but wonderful for wool quality as it strengthens fibres and that is what makes, for example, Merino wool so prized. Shaun, a massive Merino ram managed to evade shearing for several years running and was finally captured in 2004! His huge wool fleece was auctioned for charity and bought by the then Prime Minister, Helen Clark. As far as we know, he still holds the World Record. Unless, of course, you know better? ...

Wool is the traditional present for a 7th Wedding Anniversary - something we learned when a customer chose to buy her husband a lovely White Cloud wool duvet and wool pillows. In the past few weeks we have sold a lot of beautiful white lambskins for newborn babies - these lambskins come from a specialist supplier in New Zealand. Babies thrive on the softness, the tactile quality and natural warmth of the wool.

A Dog inspired Blog

We were told a really touching story this week; one of our very first customers rang to tell us that her much loved dog had died and that she decided to bury him with ... his favourite pet rug which she had bought from White Cloud several years ago. It was such a touching thought that it finally provoked us into commencing our blog.... so this first one has something of an animal theme:



How do you spot a NZ Sheep?

Ever since we spotted a model sheep in Dunedin two years ago, we have been searching for another one exactly the same. The opportunity of a trade stand at Burghley Horse Trials in September made the search a lot more urgent... and, great news, finally, after hours and hours on the internet, we have found one! Prices had rocketed and were more than double than those on the website, but after a lot of pleading an older model (!) has been found and "Wellington" is now safely packed up and travelling to us on a one way ticket in the next container. He will be taking pride of place at Burghley, safely tethered and doing what he can to promote New Zealand wool (wool pillows, wool duvets, wool underblankets) Who knows, he may even be contributing to the Blog in the future ...