Clients too early or late

[iuefpuxbihjimueoh]

Following on from Siobhans post re clients who dont turn up.

I've now learnt the hard way that you need to get ready in plenty of time . I had a client turn up 40 minutes early!! I was still in my Jim jams. I had just been heading for the shower when she came.

Its a problem when you have strangers come to your home. I had to leave her on her own down stairs in my treatment cum dining room, while I quickly washed and dressed. You dont really know people when they first come. Luckily all was well.

I had a lady 20 minutes early yesterday. I notice elderly folk particularly turn up early (not so much to do!!).

I'm beginning to have to allow longer between bookings to allow for those who are late and the early birds. I tend to allow 1.5 hours between but its a bit close sometimes. Treatments with cons usually about an hour unless first visit.

What do you do. Do you reduce their time if they're late? I tend not to if no-one else is following on.

Anyone else been caught in their nightie or otherwise engaged??

Jan x

 

[Nolviwatis]

Hi Jan,
Yes, I was caught in my towel when a client turned up half an hour early. She offered to wander around the block, but I felt bad about making her do that, so she just had to sit while I made myself decent!

Late clients is a tough one, and I'd certainly not make the next client wait if it came to it. I usually feel too guilty to cut a treatment short, but if someone really mucked me about, I'd drop them altogether! Plenty more feet out there!

Matt x

 

[shevy]

Hi Jan, ooo how embarrassing! Well, here is a suggestion. Tell them when they book that you will be with another client until such a time and so therefore they don't need to turn up until the due time. Basically if they get there early they can twiddle their toes on your doorstep. You could always say 'I have booked you in for 11am but I will be with another client until that time so if you get here early then I won't be able to answer the door.' If they get there late then that's easy, you just cut down their appointment time accordingly and tell them you have another client afterwards.

Good luck!

 

[WCCanuck]

Oooh this really irks me!! I always allow 1 1/2 hours per appointment to allow people being 15 min early or late. Any more than that though is not acceptable and I tell them so! A couple of times recently I've had clients knock on my door at completely the wrong time or day (which they then realise when they look at their appointment card!) and more often than not I too am in the bath, just getting dressed, etc. On this occasions I will not answer the door - it would seem unprofessional. I've considered phoning the day before to confirm the appointment time, but it is a small minority so doens't seem worth the phone calls or to bother the ones who are on time. Does any one here may calls before?

Sarah x

 

[edgetigheks]

We had one client who turned up one week early, but he was an exception.

We do have a few regular clients who we have come to know and love and , for those few only, we do phone them to remind them of their appointments. Sometimes THEY phone us to ask when their next appointment is booked. It works most of the time.

Those we know that might be late, because of being delayed by traffic, etc, we tend to book late in the day so that it won't affect any other appointments apart from our eating arrangements .

We've only ever sent one person away without a treatment - and HE had to come back next week

 

[Pompal 09.]

Last night I had one of my regulars turn up a week early! I was just finishing with one client and expecting the next so had to send her away. Luckily she was able to see the funny side, and she was only on her way home from work so she hadn't travelled miles to see me.

It's the ones who turn up early who bug me! I have one person who consistently turns up 15 mins early. I've now got wise to this and can amend my schedule accordingly. One person once knocked very quietly on the door when I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth, thought no-one was in and went home again. Maybe she just wasn't in the mood for her treatment......

 

[Mike Mazz]

Yes, it can be embarassing when clients have a different timeclock to the rest of us. I have one client who can be ten minutes either side of her appointment, I never extend her allotted time, if she is late she gets an attenuated massage.
If she is early, she sits and waits, I won't start early. She once made a comment to do with cups of coffee and waiting and I gave her the caffeine/toxin
speech which seemed to do the trick. To her credit, she is extremely grateful for the work I do for her and has on some of the occasions she has been late brought me flowers to say sorry (20 minutes late when she's been to the florist!) We all have busy lives, so I try to look at these times as another few minutes grace before I start work again. I might not be quite so mellow about this if I'd been caught in my underwear though!

99% per cent of clients arrive spot on time with a huge smile on their faces and are a pleasure and privilege to help. The other 1% remind us we are working on plant Earth, not Utopia!

 

[b28cc]

I'll try those ploys to get them on time.

Some of you are obviously much 'stricter' than me. I'll have to toughen up a bit. Its been ok up to now, but I'm getting busier and will have to be stricter too.

I text the 'unreliable ones' the day before, when possible, and that has helped a lot.

I haven't charged for missed appointments, but one of my regulars insisted on paying. You dont get many like that. I think if you are in rented premises its easier to do so as the overheads are more evident. I dont worry anyway if they rebook. If they dont turn up I phone them with a gentle enquiry 'did I write your appointment incorrectly' and most have just forgotten, feel guilty and rebook straight away. I think they might not come back if they are afraid you'll charge them for a 'slip up'

Jan x

 

[shankar _]

I must admit that I do usually charge for missed appointments now. It's not just overheads in clinics that have to be paid for - what about our wages??! I tend to work almost every evening, and this is my busiest time, so if I get a short notice cancellation or a client just doesn't turn up, it prevents me from getting another client for that appointment slot and therefore reduces my wages. The only time I don't charge is if there is a genuine reason, eg. a bereavement, and not just that they had forgotten.

Sarah x

 

[blqyrgjp]

I have a clinic so the time thing isn't a problem really. We lock the door when we are with clients so they have to wait in the porch and they do so quite happily. If another therapist or receptionist is there they come in and wait in the reception area. If I haven't got anybody in then I will start early if it suits me, if not they wait. We all do the same. If they are late then they miss some of their time. If you have another client in afterwards why should they be kept waiting.

When you are booked up you do have to be stricter and you will be anyway, it's just trial and error.

Our Chiropodist frequently gets patients turning up a week early! It happens quite often. It happened today, one was two hours early. She gets lots of oldies though so it goes with the territory![&:]

I don't get many no-shows to be honest, so haven't ever charged for them, though one insisted as she was mortified. When I do get one, I am usually quite pleased for the rest! ha ha.... every cloud and all that....

 

[sazzle]

I've never had a problem with people being early or late when I work at home (apart from one no show which was really annoying and upsetting as she'd phoned me that morning completely desperate, so I cancelled going to my son's sports day and she didn't show up. Needless to say, I charged her for it). It's when I work in the clinic, which is very galling because I start at 8am but the director has seen fit to tell receptionists not to turn up until 10am and has given me a key. So a couple of weeks ago, when the 8 o'clock client came 15 minutes late because of parking problems, it made the whole morning into a nightmare.

Old fashioned as I am, I was brought up to believe that being on time is good manners and anything else is the opposite. So I always give myself plenty of time to get to appointments and always end up stoogeing around for at least 10 minutes. But I wouldn't dream of knocking early. And if I'm going to be late? That's why I have a mobile.

 

[awyodcze]

I think that when you work from home you need to be very professional (ie tough) otherwise clients seem to think that they are coming to visit you rather than attending a clinic.

Therapists tend to be naturally caring people and find it hard to be tough on people but at the end of the day we are trying to run a business and just because that business is run from home does not mean anyone should not be treating it as such.

This is just one of the reasons I no longer work from home.

 

[Donald]

It must be me.

A dear 83 year old lady, that I'd tried the 'I cant open the door early, so come on time ' ploy with, came a full 24hours and 10 minutes early Monday!!!

What can you do?? I had to laugh. I did treat her as she is very sweet and it was my 'day off', although it meant I had to alter a lunch date time, and led on to quite a farce.

I will try harder though. Next time I think I'll phone her a couple of days earlier to check she knows when she is coming, although suspect she is not sure half the time if she is 'coming or going'. Still it comes to us all one day, and I am prepared to cut elderly folk 'a bit of slack'.

Jan x

 

[ReginaldQ]

I had a client last Tuesday (first appointment for her) turn up 30 mins early. I wasn't even dressed.........so ignored the loud knock on the door. I was really annoyed and there was no way I was going to answer the door in my dressing gown. Several minutes later she rang my mobile and I explained to her that she was very early and I was not ready. I let her sit out in her car until the given time.

Despite me explaining that I didn't like her knocking on the door when she was early as she may be disturbing a previous client's appointment, she turned up again 10 minutes early today. So I had another little word with her. Can't wait until next week

I don't really care if clients are early at the centre as we always have a receptionist and they have a lovely environment in which to wait but it is a little more awkward for 'home' clients.

yasmin x

 

[ocehhugaijsifmebj]

Well done for being firm Yasmine! I will remember this next time a client is early, and take a leaf out of your book. My worst offender seems to have dropped off and maybe it's not a bad thing......

 

[LadyLea]

teee heee - oooh yes shower, towel, wet hair, no make up - look of horror on face -
ooh no not the postman after all then !!
Eeek - hello yes - yes you are EARLY !!!!! . . VERY !!!!!!
Yes and a week early too, bless she had to go away & come back as had other client
now every time she comes she asks or tells - I have got the right week havent i ? !
Once a guy from London came - & he was early I'd had a really busy day s& it was red hot summer so had another quickie shower just before he arrived - wrong - hello ooh am I too early - Yikes ! Pleased my hubby was home & children to assist my quick dressing . . as if nothing the matter.

funny how we learn from our mistakes, doorbell goes & we now feel dread