customer call backs

[David Ilvedson]

I have to admit the "ball and chain" of pre-booking has been what stops me also.    I like the idea, my dentist's assistant hands me a card on which I write my address and we pre-schedule an appointment which they remind me of a week or so in advance.   Seeing the reminder card in the mail with the address in my own handwriting (which only I can decipher..sometimes) catches my attention.    As I think about really only the reminder card with the customer written address is necessary.   You really only have to agree to an appointment in 6 months, not the exact date.   

David I.



----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
From: Carol Beigel <crbrpt@bellatlantic.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Received: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 08:52:53 -0400
Subject: Re: customer call backs

>Its called paying attention to detail.  Pianos don't
>scheduling their tunings; their owners do!  If you want
>to stay in business, you MUST contact your customers!
>Next time you dread sitting down at the telephone,
>think about how much you would dread a 9-5 job!!

>It may be repulsive to call customers to maintain your
>clients, but I find not eating or the ability to pay my
>bills more so!  Most people expect to be reminded.  As
>many have discovered, the percentages are not as pretty
>as we might like, but 3 things are clear.  First, I
>think those tuners who book the next appointment before
>they leave, and follow it up with a reminder call two
>weeks prior, are the most successful in booking
>callbacks.  However, the reason I am self-employed is
>that I want flexibility in my life so I have time to
>deal with my family.  I would personally feel that
>bookings 6 months in advance to be a ball and chain
>around my ankle!  Therefore, I resort to scenarios 2
>and 3.  Every month I send postcards to those due
>tunings - somewhere between 70 and 100.  In the first
>three days, about 10 people will call to schedule a
>tuning.  I send postcards annually for 6 years, so I
>would say about another 10 calls come in every month
>that call about a postcard they received some time ago.
>I am lucky that about 10 calls come in every month just
>from referrals or the phone book - maybe more.  So
>doing not much, enough work comes in most of the time
>to not necessitate making phone calls myself.

>However, I must confess, that if I DO sit down at the
>phone, or hire someone else to do it for me, about 2 in
>5 will schedule immediately.  This is very good, being
>that the statistics show that about only 1 in 10
>respond to cold calls.  With our national economy going
>elsewhere, piano tunings are getting lower and lower on
>the family budgets.  However, that same economy also
>keeps families from traveling so much, so they stay
>home and repair, play and tune their pianos!

>It also brings in more income if you schedule
>appointments during evenings and weekends when men are
>home.  Usually routine tunings come out of household
>budgets managed by women, and they have many, many
>things that money must cover.  Men, on the other hand,
>like to see things taken care of - especially if there
>is something extra about the piano that is required.
>They will usually spring for the cost of hammer
>resurfacing, regulation, climate control systems, etc
>out of THEIR money and not the household accounts.  I
>also charge more for weekend and evening calls, so it
>is a win-win proposition.

>Just think of the telephone as your friend - all the
>way to the bank!

>Carol Beigel

> >I have been thinking about calling back customers and
>reminding
>> them to get their pianos tuned. I occasionally send
>out reminder cards at the
>> request of the customer, however, I find something
>repulsive about calling to
>> find/keep work
>> .
>>             I was just wondering how some of the
>folks on this list handle
>> keeping and developing steady customers. Are steady
>regular customers
>> something that will transpire over time, because the
>customer will like the tuning I
>> put on their piano, or is it something that I must
>put effort into ie.
>> phonecalls, postcard reminders?
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Julia Gottchall


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