Capturing a great photo is just the beginning. In a world saturated with images, it’s what happens before and after the shutter clicks that truly sets you apart. Let’s dive into the side of photography that’s rarely seen—but always felt.
Customer success and customer experience are the secret ingredients that turn one-time clients into raving fans, repeat customers, and your best source of referrals.
What Is Customer Success and How Is It Different from Customer Experience?
Customer success is all about helping your clients achieve their goals—whether that’s a smooth picture day for a school, stunning team photos for a league, or family portraits that make everyone smile. It’s the end result: did your client walk away happy, with what they wanted?
Customer experience, on the other hand, is about the journey. It’s every touchpoint, from your first email to the final delivery. Was the process easy? Did you make them feel valued? Did you solve problems quickly and kindly?
Both matter. And both are totally in your control.
Customer Success with Organizations: Schools, Leagues, Studios
Your organizations want more than just great images. They want a partner who makes their job easier and their community happier.
How to shine:
- Communicate clearly and often: Set expectations early (timelines, process, what you need from them). Send reminders and updates so there are no surprises.
- Be a problem solver: If logistics get tricky, offer solutions. If a deadline looks tight, let them know ASAP and suggest a workaround.
- Make their life easier: Create simple guides or FAQs for parents, offer to handle customer questions directly, and check in after delivery to make sure everything went smoothly.
Scenario:
The league coordinator is overwhelmed by parent questions about orders. Instead of leaving them in the dark, offer to field those questions yourself—or provide a ready-to-send FAQ. You become the hero, and the organization remembers how easy you made their lives.
Customer Success with End Customers
End customers are the parents, guardians, athletes, families...You know, the people buying photos!
This is the heart of it all: for families, each photo captures a memory they’ll hold onto. A great customer experience can make those memories even sweeter.
How to outshine the competition:
- Lead with empathy: If a parent isn’t happy with a photo, listen first. Thank them for their feedback, and offer a solution—whether that’s a retake, a quick edit, or a refund.
Pro tip: Even if it costs a little in the short term, the trust and goodwill you gain are priceless. - Be accessible: Make it easy for customers to reach you. Respond quickly and kindly—no one likes waiting when it’s about their kid’s smile!
- Follow-up: After delivery, send a quick note: “Did you love your photos? Anything we can improve?” People remember when you care.
“Brand loyalty is built by always doing what we say we’ll do: getting images out quickly, having good customer service, and supporting people if there are issues. If you take too long to respond, one unhappy parent can spread a lot of negativity.” – Rose Coleman
Scenario:
A parent emails you, disappointed with their child’s photo—they blinked, or the print quality isn’t what they expected. Instead of getting defensive, you thank them for reaching out, apologize, and offer a solution. Maybe you arrange a reshoot or issue a refund. That parent goes from frustrated to loyal—and probably tells their friends how awesome you are.
Customer Experience: Every Step Matters
The Experience Is the Product
Great photos matter, but in this business, what people remember is the experience. You’re building an experience that kids want to share, parents want to buy, and schools want to book again and again.
You're not just delivering files. You’re delivering:
- Excitement leading up to picture day
- A smooth, confident shoot
- Images that truly wow your clients
- A frictionless ordering process (PhotoDay will take care of that part 😉 )
- A follow-up that shows you care
From the child in front of your lens to the organization that hired you, everyone should walk away thinking: “That was easy. That was fun. That was worth it.”
Make Kids Feel Like Rockstars
Want to know how to get genuinely awesome photos that everyone will love? Loosen up and have some fun! When kids have fun, it shows in the images—and that energy is contagious. They're your best promoters: whether they’re showing off silly proofs at lunch or posting glam portraits to their Instagram.
Simple moves that make a big impact:
- Hype them up during the shoot: “You look awesome—this one’s going viral.”
- Keep posing fun, not stiff.
- Let them peek at the back of the camera (within reason).
- Make it feel like a moment, not a chore.
They walk back to class glowing. Teachers notice. Parents hear about it. You become “the cool photo person” they all remember.
“We hire for personality and attention to detail, not camera skills. We can teach photography, but you can’t teach passion or friendliness.” – Jason Marino
Get Parents Genuinely Excited
Parents aren’t buying a print—they’re buying a feeling. If their kid comes home saying, “I felt like a superstar today,” half your work is already done.
How to keep the momentum going:
- Use language that builds hype:
“🎉 It’s live! Your superstar’s photos are ready. Tap the link and prepare to smile.” - Deliver fast, simple galleries with zero friction.
- Make everything feel modern, mobile-friendly, and share-worthy.
The goal? Make it so easy and delightful that they tell other parents before you even ask.
Did You Know? PhotoDay makes it easy to track customer feedback and satisfaction through Net Promoter Score (NPS). NPS is a proven metric that measures customer experience, predicts business growth, gives customers a voice, and provides valuable insight into how a business is performing. Learn more.
Keep the Organization Coming Back
Behind every volume shoot is someone managing the chaos—an overwhelmed school secretary, a league coordinator, a daycare director. If you make their life easier, they’ll bring you back every year.
Win them over by:
- Over-communicating (in a good way): Clear timelines, reminders, zero surprises.
- Handling parent questions so they don’t have to.
- Delivering on time, every time.
- Following up with a “thank you” and asking what could be better next time.
Pro tip: Randomly stop by to say hi with coffee and snacks or surprise them with a framed group photo. Tiny gestures = big memories.
“Building these connections is like the most important thing. Assuming that you know how to operate your camera and you know how to take beautiful pictures, that's not always the most important thing to a school or a preschool.” – Aimee Juarez
Pro Tips for Going Above and Beyond
- Set expectations: Over-communicate about timelines, what’s included, and what happens next.
- Be proactive: Don’t wait for complaints—check in and ask if everything’s going well.
- Personal touches: A handwritten thank-you, a quick follow-up call, or remembering a repeat client’s name can make a huge difference.
- Learn from every interaction: Treat every complaint or question as a chance to improve and grow.
- Track and use your NPS feedback to celebrate your wins and spot areas for improvement. Happy parents are your best marketing team! PhotoDay Users, learn more here.
“No one wants to stand around for hours on picture day. We sell our leagues on the fact that we’re fast, efficient, and stick to schedule. That’s why they come back.” – Beth & Brian Evans
Unforgettable Experiences = An Unforgettable Business
We’ve seen firsthand that lasting success comes from creating unforgettable experiences—not just transactions. Above-and-beyond service helps your business earn priceless word-of-mouth, loyalty, and new customers. When you deliver an experience people can’t help but talk about, your reputation does the marketing for you.
