[pianotech] Getting Some Help for Calling!

[John Dorr]

Wim wrote:

This might be something in which I am interested. Please give me some more 
details.

How does she get to your place? Does she drive or are you on a bus route?
How do you pay her, per hour, or per appointment made?
Did you write a script for her, or does she make it up as she goes along?
Which organization did you call?
Now that you're paying her, do you get some sort of tax credit for hiring a 
"disabled" person?


1.  She has her own vehicle.  No bus routes exist where I live.

2.  I pay her per hour, plus $5 per tuning that she books.  Remember, she 
doesn't just call.  She does almost all of my office work - bookkeeping, 
database, filing, nagging me to do my taxes, etc.

3.  I didn't write a script for her.  I asked Ward Guthrie what his wife says 
on the phone and told Jeannette, my helper, what Emily Guthrie says as a 
starting point.  But I let her say her own piece.  It's not scripted.  She's a 
natural.  BTW - As I recall, Emily says something like, "This is Emily calling 
for Ward Guthrie.   If it's a good time and you're near your calendar would 
you like to schedule  blah blah blah?"  And when I've heard Jeannette, I think 
she say's something like, "Hi.  This is Jeannette with A440 Piano Service and 
I'm calling about the piano.  How is it doing?  It's been six months/a 
year/whatever since John tuned it...... Yes, he does a VERY GOOD JOB, doesn't 
he?"...  (Ok, so I made up the last sentence)

4. I don't remember specifically the agency that I called.  It's name in 
Montana is probably not the same in all other states.  There must be some kind 
of agency, association, or other bureaucratic entity in Hawaii that you could 
look up.  If you were disabled and needed help, who would you contact?  Maybe 
a "Department of Public Health and Human Services"?  That's what it's called 
here, and it has a sub-bureau called the "Disability Services Division" and in 
the phone book there are SEVERAL other departments listed below that.  Your 
state is a bit more populated than Montana, so you certainly must have those 
resources, too.  Ya just gotta sniff 'em out!

5.  WOW, thanks for the idea of looking into a tax credit for employing a 
disabled person.  I never thought of that.  She's just so WORTH it, that it's 
hardly charity or anything.

Anyhow, there are your answers.  Keep us posted on what you find out, and if 
such a thing can work for ya.

John Dorr
Helena, MT