Thoughts on Cancelled Appointments

One of the policies at my business (in which we earn money based on time spent on projects) is to allow potential new clients a free period of consultation (let's call it, for the sake of argument "an hour") to come in and talk to us about how we can help them. The policy is to set the client for an hour about a week away, then contact the client on the day of their appointment, in the morning, and remind them of their free appointment.

I have been considering those appointments recently, and realized that there is a very high "no show" rate among these people. And by "no show", I mean not appearing for their appointment, no call to apologize, no follow-up call - nothing. Our office is not difficult to locate, and as they made their appointment by phone originally, they are surely familiar with how to contact us.

I have to think that part of the problem here is something related to the old maxim by Thomas Paine, namely "That which we obtain too cheaply, we obtain too lightly." And, perhaps as well, to the problem of the "free rider." By definition, the "free rider" is someone who takes advantage of benefits provided on the backs or labor of others, while avoiding the labor themselves.

In my context, let us say that in order to make a living, I must perform X amount of work, totaling Y in charges, for various clients each year. It is also standard in the market in which I work to offer that free hour to clients. Therefore, for every free hourly client I see, the total Y on the backs of other clients increases. This is offset when a free hourly client retains me. However, when I clear my schedule for an appointment, and nobody shows, there is some time lost that must then be "made up" somehow.

And, I might add, skipping such appointments is just impolite.