No Shows When someone works for a large corporation, they have a job description. Employees are required, as part of their job, to do certain tasks. If an employee is asked to do something that isn't in their job description, they can refuse to do it, even if it might mean additional income. Or, looking at it another way, there might be some tasks in the job that a worker really doesn't like or want to do, but it is part of the job description. That worker has one of two options. Do the work, or quit and find another job. My wife teaches piano lessons. One of the problems she constantly complains about is students who don't show up for lessons. She has developed a rather involved policy that basically states only sickness or prearranged absences are excused. For all other absences, the student pays for the lessons. But no matter how hard she tries, there are some students, (or rather the parents), who try to get away without paying for missed lessons. After listening to her complain once too often, I finally said to her: "missed lessons are part of the job description of being a piano teacher. Either accept it, or quit teaching". We all have to deal with customers not being home for scheduled tuning appointments. The dreaded NO SHOWS. There have been several articles written about the subject, offering miscellaneous ways to avoid them, like calling the night before, or sending a reminder letters. There have also been articles written on how to collect a fee from the clients who stood you up. After trying a couple of ways to prevent no shows, and trying a couple of ways to collect from the customers, (to no avail), I have come to the conclusion, that no matter how I try, there are always going to be no shows, and I am never going to get paid for them. And what all of this has made me realize is that no shows are one of the job descriptions of being a piano tuner. That doesn't mean I like them. What it does mean is that I don't get upset about them. For most people, having a piano tuned is not a top priority. I am very happy people get their piano tuned, but if someone forgets an appointment, that's OK. I always give the benefit of doubt to the customer. Whatever their reason was to forget the appointment, from the customer's point of view, the reason is valid, even if I don't think so. One time the customer had a very good excuse not to be home. When she called a week later to reschedule, she told me that the night before the appointment she was rushed to the hospital with a heart attack. She actually apologized for not calling me to cancel the appointment. (Imagine that, forgetting to cancel the piano tuner on your way to the hospital with a heart attack. What will customers think of next?) Even if not being home was for an excuse like getting a hair cut, or going for a walk, maybe to me it isn't a good excuse, but for a customer, it is a good reason. When a customer isn't home, or doesn't answer the door, I call them from my cell phone. (If you don't have a cell phone, then go to the corner store and call from there). I leave a message on the answering machine informing them I was at the house at the appointed time, and I ask them to call to reschedule. (If there is no answering machine, I leave my business card in the door). When the customer does call, I don't make a fuss, and I gladly reschedule the appointment. About half the time I do call from my cell phone, however, the customer is home. (This is a one of the best reasons to carry a cell phone). I have found customers in the back yard, or in the basement running the wash, or vacuuming the rugs. One time I got the answering machine, but because I was 5 minutes early, I waited about fifteen minutes, and called again. The customer was home, but she was talking on the phone, and her call notes took the call. When I called that second time, we actually found ourselves talking to each other through the screen door on the our respectful phones. Another time, I was actually at the wrong house. And I have called getting the customer's cell phone, and she was in her car five minutes away. No shows are part of the job description of being a piano tuner. It comes with the territory. So the next time you are stood up, just accept it as part of your job description, which also allows you to take a nap, read a book, or go shopping during the middle of the day. If you don't like that, then get another job. Willem Blees PS. I wrote this article for the St. Louis Chapter newsletter several months ago. This past weekend my wife and I watched a very interesting movie about a family with an autistic son. Part of the story line involved one of the siblings who was a very good pianist. Throughout the story (which took place over a period of about 35 years), the piano was always in tune. Obviously the family got the piano tuned on a regular basis. What I got to thinking about is that throughout the years, through all the trials and tribulations of this family, somehow the piano tuner was scheduled to tune the piano. But at any one moment, an emergency could have caused the appointment to be a no show. The point I am making is that even though this was a movie, in real life, emergencies do happen. And it doesn't matter what kind of emergency it is, or why an appointment was canceled, the time was lost. It can not be made up, and you've lost the income. It is part of the job description. Accept it, and don't let it upset you.
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC