A simple resize that is not simple
A customer brings in a solitaire engagement ring to go up a size. At the bench, your jeweller loupes it and sees that two of the four claws are worn almost flat. Sizing the ring will stress the setting, and if the claws are not retipped the diamond could be lost within the year.
The jeweller puts the ring aside and writes a note for the counter. The counter rings the customer, who does not answer. They leave a voicemail. Two days later the customer rings back while a different assistant is on, who does not know about the note. The ring sits in the 'waiting for customer' tray for a week and a half.
When the customer eventually agrees, she asks why it is now late. And if she does not answer at all, you face an awkward choice: do the resize only and hand back a ring you believe is at risk, or wait indefinitely.
Why approvals stall
Extra work is found at the bench, but approval has to come from the counter, and the only link between the two is a scrap of paper. The customer hears a verbal description on the phone, 'two claws are worn', which is hard to picture and easy to dismiss as upselling.
There is also no fixed price in front of the customer, because the counter has to look up or guess the cost of retipping two claws in 18ct white gold while on the call. Customers who are unsure say they will think about it, and then the thread is lost.
Finally, nothing records the answer. If the customer declines retipping and a stone is lost later, you want a clear note that the risk was explained and the work declined.
What waiting for approval costs you
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| Jobs parked on the bench | Bench space and attention taken by work that cannot proceed |
| Verbal descriptions | Customers suspicious of extra charges |
| Prices guessed on the phone | Inconsistent quotes between staff |
| Answers not recorded | No evidence the customer declined advised work |
| Promised dates missed | Customers unhappy with a delay they did not cause knowingly |
The risk side matters. A customer who declined claw work and then lost a stone may remember the conversation differently. Your terms and insurer decide where responsibility lies, but a dated record with a photo makes that conversation far easier.
How we connect the bench to the customer's phone
- At the bench, the jeweller scans the job and taps 'extra work found'. The tablet camera takes a close-up photo, ideally through the loupe or a bench microscope camera if you have one.
- They pick the work from your price list, such as 'retip claw, 18ct white', and the quantity. The system calculates the price from your list, so the counter never guesses.
- The customer receives a text or email with the photo, a plain explanation in your own words, the price, and two buttons: approve, or continue without the extra work.
- If they approve, the job moves back to the bench queue with the new work added and the new total. If they decline, the decline is recorded with the photo and the job continues as originally agreed.
- If there is no answer after a set time, a reminder goes out, then the job appears on the counter's call list so a person phones them.
- Every approval or decline stays on the job record, visible to anyone who later opens it.
The photo is what makes it work. A customer looking at a clear picture of a worn claw next to a healthy one understands the problem without needing to take your word for it.
The bench, a month later
Worn claws and cracked shanks are still found. But the jeweller photographs them in a minute, the customer can answer from their phone, and the ring goes back into the queue instead of into a tray.
- Extra work is explained with a photo rather than a phone description
- Prices come from your list, the same whoever is working
- Approvals and declines are recorded with a date
- Fewer jobs sit waiting for a phone call to be returned
Does this happen at your bench?
- Jobs regularly wait for customers to approve additional work.
- Extra work is explained to customers verbally over the phone.
- Different staff quote different prices for the same extra work.
- Declined work is not written down anywhere reliable.
- Resizes and repairs miss their dates because of approvals.