Missed Appointment Process
You spoke to a customer on the phone, found out what the are looking to accomplish and successfully set an appointment for the customer to visit the dealership. You followed the confirmation process, yet, the customer never arrived for their appointment.
Your initial goal in this process is to contact the customer ensure they are okay; find out why they missed their appointment and set a new one.
Thoughts:
Missed Appointments is one of the best sources of follow-up that can generate appointments. First and foremost, you’ve spoken to the customer, you’re not walking into this conversation cold. Secondly, this customer already agreed to come in, so at one point you had the customer convinced you were the right person at the right dealership to help them. It should be easier to flush out objections and leverage this thought process into the next appointment.
Remember a show rate of 65% is a great job. That means roughly 1 and 3 people you speak to are going to miss their appointment. There are many reasons for this, but regardless of that reason, it’s best if we assume the positives rather than dwell on the negative.
Approaching the conversation in this fashion this leads into a great line of questioning that can lead to a better appointment.
Assuming the Positive:
The customer told you they were going to do something. So, assume the customer came in, but you must have missed them somehow. This sounds like this:
“Hey Jake, this is Brian from Toyota. How did your visit with us go yesterday? I must have missed you. Who did you speak to?”
If they did come in, gather information from the customer such as who they spoke to, what they looked at, and the outcome of the visit. Take this information to your manager immediately so they can address the situation.
Flush Out Objections:
If they did not come in, ask them what happened. Again, assume the positive and ask this with empathy.
“Oh man, I know you’ve been busy, but what happened?”
This should flush out any objections that may have prevented the customer from coming in. If this is the case, re-address the customer’s concerns clearly and directly.
Re-Create Urgency
If it was just truly a schedule conflict or the objection has been addressed, attempt to reset the appointment with a little more urgency this sounds like this:
“Oh I hear you man, I know work can get crazy, that’s why I like to schedule people for visits. Do you have a better day or time that would work around your schedule a little better? Like maybe before work or even Saturday? Either way, I want to make sure we’re both ready here.”
The Customer Cancelled
Maybe the customer cancelled the appointment. This also happens frequently, when the customer is cancelling, you should be trying to re-set to another time. If the customer cancelled, but isn’t ready to set another appointment, you should be setting up a follow up task to check in to re-set the appointment.
The Rule of 3
If the customer has set and missed 3 appointments, we’re not going to set another until they say they are on their way to the dealership. Stop carving out time for them at this point, and only set the appointment as a follow up task to check in and see if they are coming. You can’t afford to miss other opportunities at the expense of someone that has shown that they do not value your time. This rule applies to customers that missed or cancelled without advanced notice. If the customer truly is trying to make it, but let’s you know a day or two out, they are serious and respectful of your time.
The Customer Isn’t In the Market Anymore
Sometimes you do everything the right way, but the customer set appointments at a few dealerships at once, didn’t tell you, and purchased before you had the chance to meet. Make sure you communicate this situation to your manager so they can mark it loss and end the follow up process.
Follow Up Expectations
1 hour Post Appointment Time - The customer should be here by now, figure out what's going on.
Day 1 - This customer missed their appointment yesterday. Please call to follow up and reset..
Day 2 - Missed appointment text
Day 3 - This customer missed their appointment. Please call to reset
Days 4 through 7 - This customer missed their appointment. Please call to follow up, rest the appointment or have it marked lost.