Studio Tour
Studio Floor
The main studio floor is the part of the studio where guests reside. This is where you will spend most of your time and energy and where the magic happens for the guests. You are a big part of that magic and it all begins with…
The Greeting
Greeting a guest is an important first step in helping them feel comfortable in our studio. For a new customer the studio is a wondrous place, full of creativity and inspiration but it can also be a little intimidating.
Always greet the customer with a smile and say. “Hello”, “Hi there” or “How are you today?”
Be friendly and courteous, but not overbearing. We paint pottery, we do not sell cars.
Never assume you know why they are there. For example, asking a guest “Are you here to pick up?” will make little sense to someone that has never been to the studio before.
Allow new guests to get a feel for their surroundings. They will often let you know that they are just checking us out and are not going to make anything today. If that is the case: Tell them your name, give them a business card, invite them to have look around and feel free to ask you questions.
We like to know how they found out about us, so casually ask in passing. (And pass this info on to Allie or Steve!)
Engaging the customer and helping them to feel welcome is a great first impression to make. Even if they decide that this isn’t their day to paint, they will remember how welcoming you are and they will come back.
The Phone
Answering the phone is often the first contact we have with our guests. Some guidelines are as follows:
Answering with a smile really carries through to the person on the other end of the phone.
“Thank you for calling The Painted Pig , this is _____, how may I help you?”
Answer by the third ring. Carry the cordless phone with you to make it easier to answer.
Be polite and give them good, accurate information.
Don’t just answer but add on. For example, if they ask for our studio hours today, give them all the hours for the rest of the week. If they ask about pricing, inform them of specials and events.
Always thank them for calling and bid them a good day.
Even if you are very busy, it is still important to answer the phone. Let the caller know you are helping a customer, take their name and number, and tell them you will call them back ASAP. Please, make sure to call them back. The same goes for the Call Waiting. If you don’t answer the beep, you may have just sent a birthday party elsewhere!
The Kiln Room
The kiln room includes 4 kilns, a glazing area, clay drying area, and any pottery that is ready to be glazed and fired. We process all of the pottery, clay, and glass orders through this space and it is important to keep these areas tidy and organized. Everything has a certain place to go once it is ready (or waiting) to be fired, so it’s important to know where that place it. Please pay attention!
The Desk
Our Desk Counter is where we check out guests, wrap and package orders, and guests can pick up their finished items.
The Paint Bar/ Sink
We will go over this in the Paint Your Own Pottery Section, but this is where we go over how it all works with our guests. Underglaze “paint” bottles should all be facing frontward, in number order. 4 bottles of each color, with more in the “Paint Closet” around by the stairs. If we are out of a color, please note it in the Slack Channel so it can be ordered on the next shipment. The sink is where we wash and disinfect all tools and brushes that our guests use. Guests are welcome to use the sink as well.
Paint / Storage Closet
Extra Paints, trash bags, swiller mop, and internet are all in the closet!
Downstairs StockRoom and Kitchen
We have extra bisque stored for upcoming parties or camps, extra stock waiting to go out, as well as custom pottery orders waiting to be picked up, clay supplies, and extra door hanger paints all stored in the Stockroom. It is important to keep things tidy back here or it gets really crowded. The kitchen is open for use, please clean up after use! This kitchen and walkway should be clean to offer to Parties for their use.
Up the Back Staircase….
We have extra storage up there. Off-season bisque, decorations, door hangers and samples!