contacting clients who missed session

[Che M]

I have a relatively new client I had been seeing weekly. He missed his appointment last Friday so I called his phone and left him a message to remind him and if he couldn't make it to give me a shout when he'd like to reschedule.

This person just raves everytime he is leaving about how great the session was, (not trying to sound conceited), how he trusts my work and judgement, and hopes we can continue our professional relationship.... so I am puzzled as to why he has not returned my call....

My question is this: How would you word an email to him expressing your concern about his missing the appointment, not hearing back from him, and that you are looking forward to continue to work with him???? Just want to keep it casual and non-threatening, but everything I come up with sounds so 'formal'... sigh....

Any help would be appreciated.... TIA!

 

[Toss that Yeyo and Run]

I would just say:

Dear Mr. Whoever,

I was concerned when you missed your appointment last Friday and weren't able to call and reschedule. I know how busy your schedule can be. I have "such and such date and time" available and also "whatever date and time" available. If it is more convenient to schedule through email, please reply to this address with the date and time of your choosing. I look forward to seeing you again soon!

Signed,
CosmicTouch.


Light, simple and again giving him options to get on the table.
Good luck!
Julie

 

[Jessica <33]

People who miss an appointment without calling, do not answer their phone at the time, and do not return a call are not those I want as clients.
It is rude behaviour.

I would not follow up further or bend over backwards to accommodate them.That would just be condoning their behaviour.
Do not feed them excuses such as "I know how busy you are", Your time is important too and by making a booking with you the time has been committed to the session by both parties.

If they rebook, they need to be given the talk about keeping appointments/paying for missed appointments.

The ball is in his court, If he rings and appologises for missing the last appointment, take it from there, if not, put him in the ex client basket.

 

[softtop_2007]

I agree with Jeff. When I first opened my doors, I bent over backwards for clients. I would even keep rebooking people who continued not to show up. It was pretty lean in the begining!!

Eventually, your schedule will fill up with quality clients who value your time.

I try to put myself in the clients place. He knows he missed the appointment and may be a bit embarrassed about it. If he had a good track record before this event, I would wait a few months and then send him a postcard for $5 or $10 off. If he wants to come back he will.

Christine

PS I always call mt clients the day before their appointment. You dont know how many times people have either totally forgotten about their appointment OR thought it was on a different day or time.

 

[VanillaIce]

Never hurts to assume the best of the client when there's never been a no-show before -- could be a family emergency or something that has called him away.

 

[mrsCULLEN]

Never hurts to assume the best of the client when there's never been a no-show before -- could be a family emergency or something that has called him away.

Exactly what I was thinking BJB-LMP!

 

[Pompal 09.]

Dear Mr. Such & Such,

I just wanted to send you a quick e-mail, in order to check if everything is ok.

I am following up on a phone call I placed on "such & such date" since I noticed you haven't called back regarding you missed appointment on "such & such date".

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

cosmic

---------------------------------------

That's the best I can come up with for now.

Generally, I don't like "no-showers" myself, but have been blessed with a practice of really great clients and don't have this problem too terribly often. I am bad about assuming the client didn't care to call, and have to remind myself that sometimes bad things do happen to clients. A number of years ago, I had someone who didn't show to an appointment (back when I was pretty relaxed, so I didn't get in a huff at the time) and later found out he drowned in an accident the day before while saving a young child who had been swept into a fast running river.

Just yesterday, I was reminded again, that strange things happen to good clients. Kindly enough, this client called me from the hospital to cancel his appointment, though I am not for sure how he has his wits about him to do this. He's been in the hospital for three days now, with a major liver infection and called to cancel an appointment for this Thursday. He's a new client. Had he not called, I'd have never known what happened. I went ahead and called him at the hospital to let him know we still look forward to meeting him in the future and that we're hoping for a quick recovery on his behalf. The poor client was pretty much out of it.

So, yes, I believe that there are times when we shouldn't assume a client just "no-showed" without reason.

 

[SDress]

we lost a client for a no-show~ not because we were mad that she and her boyfriend weren't home when we arrived. her sister and brother-in-law were at the house and they told us that she wasn't home. the boyfriend had apparently beat the living daylights out of her, and she was being hidden by the family, because she didn't want to press charges.

needless to say, we haven't heard from her; she's probably embarrassed or something. we also thought it would be strange to work on the bf again, if he was still in the picture.

we'd take her back, but it hasn't happened yet..
you just never know...

 

[Lizzy Babe]

Thanks all for the suggestions. The only reason I did not just write off this client is that he was always one to keep in touch. He does seem a bit of the shy type, but is always polite and respectful.

I do give confirmation calls or emails and he did acknowledge that, however a building exploded in our small town, same type of business he was in, and I just wanted to be sure he was OK. I never heard if anyone was hurt or not. I just wanted him to know that if he could not afford to come in for his sessions until he got back on his feet I certainly understood and my door was open when he could start coming back in. I just could not get the wording right without y'alls help without sounding 'desperate'.... for lack of a better word, which I am not. I do not intend to contact him again... the ball is in his court, so to speak. If he can/wants to come back, I feel he will... I just wanted to let him know that, as with all my clients, I only wish them the best. So he is now in my inactive file for now.

Thanks again for all your replies.

 

[jasmin2236]

This sticky situation - no shows!

I recently had an incident with one of my regulars (3 years). His appointment was on a Monday, and on Sunday I called his cell phone to confirm his appt. - I always confirm appts. (which in the past he had asked me to do, rather than his home phone since he always gets his messages or is more available) and confirmed his Monday appt. by leaving a message on his voice mail.

It was a 6:00 (a much coveted time slot) appt. He had not shown by 6:15 (very unlike him), so I called his cell phone again, and once again I had to leave a message, in which I said it was 6:15 on Monday, and that he had a 6:00 appt., and that if he didn't show up in a few minutes I was leaving and releasing the remainder of the time.

He called on Wednesday, finally, and said he had trouble with his cell phone and didn't get the message until that morning. He was all apologetic, but he just forgot. (I believe the confirmation call is a courtesy - clients should remember their appts. on their own.)

We rescheduled and he came in for his usual 1-1/2 hour appt. When he was going to pay me, I told him I had to charge him for his missed appt. (which I have posted in many places, including the intake form, website and around the office). However since I was having a summer special, I told him I was only charging him for one hour, for each appt., rather than 90 minutes.

He paid by check and said he would call to reschedule (he always makes his next appt. before he leaves).

Needless to say, I have not heard from him, and I feel he won't come back because I enforced my policy. I had gone in solely for his appt. (and had refused 2 other people for that 6:00 time slot), and when he didn't show, I was upset. He wasn't sick, there was no emergency, the car didn't break down - he just forgot.

I felt justified in charging him and as a result, I probably have lost a client. We had a good relationship, I liked him and we chatted about social things as well. I know he needed and enjoyed the sessions we had together - perhaps after a bit he will realize it when he starts to hurt again. I wonder if his pride will get in the way.

What do you think?

 

[s h a h i d]

Gosh, Cosmictouch & Healer611 I'm sorry to hear about those situations...very stick indeed! Hard to say what the best course of action is here. I'm sure others will be able to point out things that I'm missing.

I agree with the whole confirmation call being a courtesy and that it's up to each client to remember their own appointment. I mean, we're all adults, right? They remember to go to work that day, right? lol (Maybe that's a little apples & oranges, but I think y'all know what I mean.) Point is, my belief is that if you make a commitment, you should abide by it. When clients schedule another appt before leaving, I write it down on the back of a biz card for them. I just started doing this (dunno why it took me so long) and it has been well-received and much-appreciated. I haven't noticed any real change in no-shows, but then I'm relatively low-volume at present, with a few select clientele that are pretty loyal and responsible. Every so often, though...

I personally found that no-shows tend to happen on the first or second visit. Thus, I tend NOT to schedule new clients during the coveted time slots unless the day is slow. Often, I'll try to schedule them as my last appt of the day. That way if they don't show up, I still lose the money but the silver lining (I guess) is that I can at least get an early start on my evening, rather than having to wait around for another appt after a no-show on an early slot. But if they're a pretty well-established client, like y'all described, that's a tougher call.

I came up with phone scripting that I actually typed out for certain situations. That way I'm not fumbling around when leaving a message (or even actually talking to them). I also then don't forget anything if I'm using the script as a cheat-sheet. I'd be happy to post the scripting for the relevant scenarios if y'all would like.

When someone no-shows (or cancels without proper notice) I give them one freebie. At that time I remind them of my cancellation policy and inform them that next time they'll have to honor payment. (Of course, uncontrollable dire emergencies don't count against them. They couldn't be helped.)

Healer611, I think if this client was pretty regular and otherwise problem-free for 3 yrs or so, I might've given him a freebie, even if it's a non-emergency and he forgot. Irresponsible on his part, yes. And I totally understand your frustration when you had to turn 2 other ppl down for the same slot. THAT is the most irritating thing. But if he was otherwise relatively loyal and consistent I might have given him a second chance...letting him know, of course, what your usual policy is and that next time it'll be enforced. Don't worry about it at this point, because hindsight's 20/20 and there's no use wasting energy on the past Everything happens for a reason, and perhaps he will indeed come back later, seeing the error of his ways. Maybe if you don't hear from him for a while, send him a "we've been missing you" type letter with an enclosed coupon for a discount off of a session after a few months and see if he'll bite. Cosmic, I might do the same type of letter for your recently-inactive client, too

This may get a bit philosophical for some, but I try to look at each unmaterialized appt (no-show or any kind of cancellation) as the Universe at work. There've been times where I've had clients cancel unexpectedly, only to have someone else call up and want an appt that day, often for later in the day. This meant that I got to give myself a break, maybe run some errands, or catch up on some MT housecleaning (SOAP notes, newsletters, confirmation calls, etc etc) that had been lagging for a while. Maybe the Universe just saw that I needed that particular time to MYSELF to do something un-massage-related. Or maybe a phone script needed to get written or a policy needed some special attention. Most of my no-shows have somehow presented some lesson or some growing pain that my young practice needed to go through. Thing is, the minute I started thinking about the positive aspects that came of those situations (which are quite challening at times) the more new clients the universe threw my way. I reckon in the end, it evens out. It just $ucks right now.

Hope that helps...
Hugs
~Jyoti

 

[Farah]

jyoti -

Thanks for your insight to this. I always give my client an appt. card for their next appt. also.

I guess at the time I was pissed that I came in for just his appt. that day (no others since I try not to work on Monday), and I went out of my way to accommodate him, refused others that day, and I felt I did everything right.

You're right - I probably should have let it go with a "warning" and tell hime that if it happened again I would have to charge him in full. I will send him a letter in a few months with a coupon, as you suggested, hoping he'll come back. If he does, I would think it would be a little uncomfortable - awkward - with excuses on his part, unless, of course, he tells me why he wasn't rescheduling (I doubt it, but we both would know!).

I also know things happen for a reason and usually take the "extra time" as a sign I needed something else. You can't change what happened, so go with it.

Thanks again.

Donna

 

[lynnet bielech michaels]

When someone no-shows (or cancels without proper notice) I give them one freebie. At that time I remind them of my cancellation policy and inform them that next time they'll have to honor payment. (Of course, uncontrollable dire emergencies don't count against them. They couldn't be helped.)

That sounds like a very reasonable policy. You're getting your point across without enforcing your policy arbitrarily, and they now feel indebted to you for your mercifulness.

For some reason this reminds me of a few years ago when I was taking piano lessons with a really great (and expensive) teacher once a week. I had a busy daytime job and I called her up from work one day to say I might have to work late, can we reschedule. She was unable to reschedule though I tried about 5 different times in the next few days, nor would she agree to a double-length lesson next week to make up. She also informed me that I would have to pay anyway.

I did not like this rigidity--sure, I knew the 24 hour policy, but life interferes sometimes. I had about 2-3 more lessons with her, then let her go, because I no longer felt comfortable giving her my money, and I was also afraid the same situation would happen again. Ironically, she did extend the length of the following week's lesson but she did it in a non-consensual manner--"Let me show you this technique" and keeping me there past time, and I wanted to leave.

I guess the lesson is, if the client's an ass, dump him, but if he's sincere and wants to make the relationship work, cut him a bit of slack. I'm hoping to keep these lessons in mind when I start practicing.

 

[Christian]

When someone no-shows (or cancels without proper notice) I give them one freebie. At that time I remind them of my cancellation policy and inform them that next time they'll have to honor payment. (Of course, uncontrollable dire emergencies don't count against them. They couldn't be helped.)

That sounds like a very reasonable policy. You're getting your point across without enforcing your policy arbitrarily, and they now feel indebted to you for your mercifulness.

Thanks

For some reason this reminds me of a few years ago when I was taking piano lessons with a really great (and expensive) teacher once a week. I had a busy daytime job and I called her up from work one day to say I might have to work late, can we reschedule. She was unable to reschedule though I tried about 5 different times in the next few days, nor would she agree to a double-length lesson next week to make up. She also informed me that I would have to pay anyway.

I did not like this rigidity--sure, I knew the 24 hour policy, but life interferes sometimes. I had about 2-3 more lessons with her, then let her go, because I no longer felt comfortable giving her my money, and I was also afraid the same situation would happen again.

I understand both points of view here. I side with the client if it's a one-time thing and they're otherwise a reliable client. I would side with the teacher if this isn't the first time it's happened or if too little notice was given.

When a client has to work late and may have to miss their appointment, I let it go ONE time. I do not consider it a dire emergency, however. (An emergency is an accident, sudden illness, an injury, etc--not an extended meeting or whatnot.) Other factors figure in here (perhaps a little more subjectively than should be, but hey--we're human ) such as how regular the client is, how punctual they are, how often they have to cancel and reschedule because "things come up", whether or not I've taken time away from my other location to be here for them (and thus given up any money I would've made there), how popular the time slot is, how much notice they've given (did they call first thing in the morning or with only a couple hours to spare?), etc.

If a client is in a particular job where they work erratic hours, or they're going through a spell at work where they're short-staffed or something and they often have to put in extra hours lately, I encourage them to either schedule for later in the evening or on their day(s) off (I avail myself 6-7 days a week, and weeknights till about 10.15pm). If a client had to reschedule due to work, especially if it was for the second time, I would insist they pick a different day or time to prevent this from happening again. Because missed appointments do not pay the mortgage! (Mortgage companies do not care whether your clients make their appointments or not. ) And every time slot someone occupies and then cancels on is an expired slot and lost money.

FWIW...

Hugs,
~Jyoti