<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> I almost always call my customers the day before and on many occasions they are very grateful.  It might have been months ago that we scheduled the appointment and some forget.  If they forget and I don’t call, it might be weeks before I can fit them into the schedule which starts the whole process over again!  =)<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I’m never upset when doctors/dentists call.  <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Best wishes,<o:p></o:p> Michelle Smith<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Willem Blees Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 1:17 PM To: Pianotech@ptg.org Subject: courtesey call<o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> Last night we were talking with our son, Chris,who is a very successful CPA, about courtesy calls. He says his secretary always calls his appointments either the day before, or even the morning of, his appointment, as a courtesy, to let the client know Chris has an appointment with him. And he receives either a phone call or an e-mail confirming appointments. He says it's a profesional thing to do. I have received a phone call from my doctor and dentist for several years reminding me of my appointments. Quite frankly, my reaction has always been, "Yeah, of course I have an appointment with you, I set it up, so why waste my time to remind me?" I assumed the call was because the doctor had been getting a lot of no-shows, which hurts his insurance claims. My reason for not contacting customers has been for two reasons. One, as I just said, the customer called me, so why remind him/her of the appointment. To me I look at it as insult. The other reason is "fear" of having the customer cancel the appointment, especially if I called her/him and had to talk her/him into getting the piano tuned. It is more difficult for a customer to send me away when I'm at the front door, than to tell me not to come on the phone before I even get there. So what are your policies? Do you call the day before, as a courtesy, to remind your customer of your appointment, saying something like "This is a courtesy call to remind you of our appointment tomorrow at 9 o'clock. <o:p></o:p> <div> Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT Piano Tuner/Technician Honolulu, HI Author of The Business of Piano Tuning available from Potter Press www.pianotuning.com<o:p></o:p> </div> <div id=u8CA6A176F5BF3E7-C6C-1B73> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-top:7.5pt;text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center> </div> Get the <a href="http://www.mapquest.com/toolbar?NCID=mpqmap00030000000003" target="_blank" title="http://www.mapquest.com/toolbar?NCID=mpqmap00030000000003">MapQuest Toolbar</a>, Maps, Traffic, Directions & More! <o:p></o:p> </div> </div> </body> </html>