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Just wondering how everybody else gets by with customers mobile phones/ answer phones.
Nearly every day we book appointments with customers wanting us to give them a ring 10 minuets before we call so as they can come from work or where ever, which we do obligingly. Here lies the problem, you give them a ring and their answer phone comes on, you leave a message asking them to call back pronto, only to get a call back half an hour later. 😥 I don’t know about everyone else but I can ill afford to sit on my a*se until they do. When they do call I want to tear their heads off 😈 One guy rang me back 2 hours later and asked if I was on my way as he was now free :rolls: been in a meeting. Gave him a billicking two days later after we re-arranged the call, this time he took the morning off 👿 at my insistance
We are close to giving customers no choice in the matter due to this abuse of our good nature; only problem is can we afford to loose a few customers?. I know it’s a bit like the tail wagging the dog.
How is it for everyone else?
Re: Customer contact.
think its changed like that for us all, often get 3,4 even 5 calls a day where they want a call at work anything from 10 mins b4 to an hour b4, then when u call they say its not convienient or the bloody mobile is switched off, im loosing upto 5 broken calls a week where this happens
Re: Customer contact.
hotpnt wrote:think its changed like that for us all, often get 3,4 even 5 calls a day where they want a call at work anything from 10 mins b4 to an hour b4, then when u call they say its not convienient or the bloody mobile is switched off, im loosing upto 5 broken calls a week where this happens
Do you still get payed? us pooooooooooor indies loose out big style but we have to bite the lip a bit 😥
Re: Customer contact.
same has you all we will happly ring any number 30 mins before calling if phone switched off mess left to say calling in 30 mins if out card put thought door. if this happens twice customer then told they will need to pay a failed call out fee.( this dose not happen to often thankfully) we also ask for a land line number as well now not just a mob number
rogue
Re: Customer contact.
Have no problem phoning mobile 20 mins before. The girls tell the customer that if the phone is off or not answered, the call will be abandoned. The engineers with-hold their numbers, so they don’t get bothered by a customer who has missed a call.
If we get no reply or voice mail the engineer phones the office, we phone the mobile & home numbers, and if still no joy leave a message advising call is abandoned. When the customer gets back, we re-book as home all day, and no phoning 1st. When they complain we make it clear “we done it that way last time, and it didn’t work”.
The worst offenders are those that request a phone call 1st on the mobile, then leave it off, and all the time they are sat in the chair watching Jeremy Kyle. Some customers ask us to phone the home number before calling, we always say “If your home to answer the phone, you are home to anwser the door”.
Alex
Re: Customer contact.
maltheviking wrote:How is it for everyone else?
Well very often it is a pain in the proverbial when contacting customers with mobile phones. Especially ringing their mobiles when they are at work and “only 15 minutes from home!” But let’s be fair and reasonable here for a moment as it has it’s advantages that for the most part outweigh the dissadvantages I think you will find?
Firstly, that they don’t have to take time off work waiting around for an AM or PM appointment. Secondly, you can fit that call in anywhere in your day to suit you as you know where they are. Thirdly, once you’ve made contact you know that someone will be there when you knock on the door!
And finally, if you fail to make contact with them due to their voice mail, them being out of service area or having their phone switched off. At least it hasn’t cost you a wasted journey to call at their house and your completely clear of any blame for failed appointment. 🙂
And I guarantee they will phone you back to say “Sorry!” (and you can stick a tenner on the bill next time :snigger: )
Re: Customer contact.
Martin wrote:
maltheviking wrote:
How is it for everyone else?Firstly, that they don’t have to take time off work waiting around for an AM or PM appointment. Secondly, you can fit that call in anywhere in your day to suit you as you know where they are. Thirdly, once you’ve made contact you know that someone will be there when you knock on the door!
And finally, if you fail to make contact with them due to their voice mail, them being out of service area or having their phone switched off. At least it hasn’t cost you a wasted journey to call at their house and your completely clear of any blame for failed appointment. 🙂
And I guarantee they will phone you back to say “Sorry!” (and you can stick a tenner on the bill next time :snigger: )
Hi Martin, I agree with you to a certain extent, what you say probably works in your area.
I usually try and do a circular route in my day (we have a lot of beautiful hills and lakes in this area, sad in it?) because of this I cannot fit a call in at any time of the day, it has to be part of that days route, in a town it would be no problem. 🙂 A failed appointment is another argument, it can be a bit of a problem fitting a replacement call in a rural area, I do try and have a reserve call at hand but 9 times out of 10 they are at work so you cannot get in touch.
I agree with you about adding a bit extra on the bill, after all THEY are the ones who are depriving you your £whatever charge, you could be working somewhere else.
MRe: Customer contact.
I also ring mobile normally twice in succession and if no answer leave a message to ring office very urgent if office dont ring by the time i locate my next job they have had it. a strange one on the tv this morning i only caught a bit in a cust house on gmtv i think. re giving cust a 3 hour window and wanting to make it law 👿 .as they do this is the states dont know if true or not.
Re: Customer contact.
robinsonrobbo wrote: a strange one on the tv this morning i only caught a bit in a cust house on gmtv i think. re giving cust a 3 hour window and wanting to make it law 👿 .as they do this is the states dont know if true or not.
No problem with that, we get customers that ask for a timed appointment 😆 😆 😆 I am sure I will be able to accomodate a 3 hour window, just increase my charges accordinley :rolls:
Re: Customer contact.
I was asked to give this customer a ring on mobile b4 calling 8) , no reply 😥 . It was a new build house and I was also calling on another customer so, when I finished at the first one I asked the builders where this customer was, they told me and that someone was in ❓ I called on the off chance, yep, they were in 😯 I mentioned I had rang and the guy said he never heard it :rolls: , just for fun I rang it while I was there, nope, he said not ringing, he then looked at it and it was in silent mode DOH.
Oldtog
Re: Customer contact.
ring me when your on your way and I’ll come straight home from work and meet you there. OK ring them yes they will come straight home so I drive three miles to there house and sit waiting for twenty minutes then I ring them again are you on your way? yes but it is thirty five miles!!!!!!!!!!
wilf
Re: Customer contact.
wilf wrote:ring me when your on your way and I’ll come straight home from work and meet you there. OK ring them yes they will come straight home so I drive three miles to there house and sit waiting for twenty minutes then I ring them again are you on your way? yes but it is thirty five miles!!!!!!!!!!
wilf
Yes had this happen, she told me she was going round by Tesco to get some milk so she could make me a cup of tea when she got home 🙁 I ask you
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