I need to cancel!

[Mark Purney]

Most clients will give a reason, and if they really want to reschedule, 
they will indicate that. If they do not give a reason, it's probably 
because telling you the actual reason would be uncomfortable for them, 
meaning it is probably one of these (or something similar):

1. They were price-shopping for the lowest price and found someone 
cheaper after scheduling with you.
2. The client had a friend who recommended another technician, and the 
client was more comfortable hiring someone who was recommended to them 
by a friend.
3. Money could be tight and the client changed her mind about spending 
the money for a tuning right now, and did not want to have to explain this.

I'm assuming this was a new client you have not worked with before. The 
reason for canceling likely has nothing to do with the quality of 
service you provide. Although we may be curious to know why a new client 
cancels, that knowledge would probably not be useful in helping us 
improve the quality of our work (even if we could get the real, honest 
reason, which is not likely to happen).  If we lose a client we've 
already done work for, then finding out the reason does matter, and 
could help us to improve.

I think there are many technicians who would not call the client back in 
this situation, for a number of reasons (one of which might be that they 
are selective about what new clients they take on, and they don't want 
to take on someone who cancels a couple of days before an appointment 
without even giving a reason). But as a technician just starting out and 
building a new business, this is what I'd do:
I would call the client back, not to get an explanation, but to say, "I 
just wanted to confirm that I got your message. Thanks for letting me 
know ahead of time that you needed to cancel. If there is anything I can 
do for you in the future, please don't hesitate to call."  Doing this 
lets the client know that you got the message, which some clients will 
appreciate. Also, it shows that you are still interested in working with 
them, and that you are the kind of person who will take the time to 
follow up with them. But I think it's important that the call be zero 
pressure. Getting a reason for the cancellation should genuinely not be 
the reason you are calling. The client may choose to share that info, 
but don't expect it.





Matthew Todd wrote:
> Hi list,
>  
> I received a voicemail from a client I had scheduled this week.  She 
> just called to cancel her appointment.  She didn't give a reason, nor 
> did she indicate that I can call her back to reschedule.
>  
> Do most of you call back anyway, so at least you may get a reason why, 
> or do you just assume that if she wants you, she'll reschedule, and 
> just leave it alone?
>  
>  
> Matthew