parisianevents

Ooh! I'm glad I asked! Thanks for the info!

I was wondering if you have to be a member to read this forum. I got a google alert today and it was one of the messages that I posted on the forum. Was I able to read it because I'm a member, or can anyone who gets the alert read the post, whether they're a member or not (I hope I'm explaining myself correctly..) Thanks!

Quote: Originally Posted by princessina I expect a timeline that shows what I should be focusing on right now, so many months out, and what I should be thinking of. I think it would help me to easily keep track of what's been decided on and what's coming up. Ohh, something useful we do use is google docs, basically a shared document that we can make changes to. Ah! This is a very good idea, and not something that I currently do. So, for instance, on the first of the month, I could provide my clients with an email that says something like," Its October, Only X months to the big day! This month I will be confirming vendors, while you and your sister finish up the favors.." or something like that? Great idea!

As soon as I read their message, I do reply with a "got your message and I'm on it.." type email. But I think that, even though I try to to reiterate it as much as possible, people forget to consider the cultural differences. Especially between Americans and French (or western european, I guess?) People are sooooooooo laid back here, it's absolutely maddening sometimes. In the States, people come to work at 9:00, they start working at nine, take an hour lunch at 12 (maybe even working through lunch) and then answer there phone until 6 or later. In France, people arrive at 9, say hi to everyone in the office, grab a cup of coffee, then ease into work around 9:45. Lunch is 2 hours long, and it seems that people stop answering the phone at 4:30 in preparation for being closed at 5! So if I phone a vendor at 10:30, the best case scenario is that they get back to me by 4:30 that afternoon, but typically it won't be. You can't really call back the same day, and not too early the next day either, otherwise you'll come off as the "pushy american", which could get you blacklisted and then they NEVER call you back at all(no joke!). So protocol is to wait until late afternoon the day AFTER your 1st call, and if you're in luck, they'll have your answer...If not, you have to wait another day. Its really frustrating...but I do let my brides know that the answers coming, it just can't come as fast as it does in the States... What are some other ways that communication worked or didnt work between you and your WC? Kim

Hi Everyone! I'm a newbie on these boards, and am a WC in Paris, France. I created my company a few years ago, and so far business has been very good. I'm always looking for ways to improve, though, which is why I've joined this board. I'm interested in finding out what destination brides are looking for from their WC. One question that I have is about communication. On my follow-up questionnaires with my clients, I've received a few comments about emails not being answered as timely as they'd like (not HUGE complaints, mind- but like 4 stars out of 5...I want that 5th star!! ). When my clients sign with my agency, I send them information in their welcome pack that explains the hours that we're open for business, and also that their emails will be returned as soon as possible. Because we are between 7 and 9 hours ahead of our clients, there can often be quite a delay between their question and my answer. I was wondering if some of you could tell me your expectations from your destination coordinator as far as response-time goes. I see that a lot of the destinations on this board are Mexico and the Caribbean, so I don't know if there is a big time-zone difference or not...but for those of you who are dealing with more of a distance, how do you feel about this? Any information that you can provide will be helpful! Thanks! Kim

Thanks everyone for making me feel so welcome!

Bonjour! My name is Kim, and I'm an American wedding planner in Paris. I also write a blog called "parisian party" where I talk about French wedding trends, fashion, customs, etc. I found this forum ages ago, bookmarked it, and then lost it! I'm glad that I found it again and I look forward to contributing in any way that I can! Merci!