Had to do it, fired a customer over Full Circle

[Jerry]

Just got off the phone with a customer that I had cleaned twice before, she has me clean every 2 years or so. I was using perceptionist about 2 years ago when she called then complaining about the phone service that she had received. I then reassured her that I was in the transition of switching to a new service(Full Circle) she calmed down and booked the job. She called again today to my home number and wanted to book a job. We agreed to a date and time, after that she starts telling me how I am losing business because the girls are screwing everything up! I calmly asked what she was refering to and she said that her neighbor tried to book a job and that when she called back with a question, they did not have her down for the work. I again asked her when this happened so I could look into it. She could not tell me a date and then said that my office girls must have been DRUNK that day! This lady is an elderly lady and always kinda grouchy anyway. I told her that I did not appreciate her calling my staff drunk. She says "well, they are not doing there job and if you are not going to take care of it, do you want me to call someone else?" Yes, please, thank you!
My feeling is, that there was no making her happy. She always was happy with the results of my cleaning, but never refered anyone. I personally have never heard from any of my existing or new customers of any complaints with Full Circle. I am an owner/ operator and Full Circle works perfectly for me. My only other option is voice mail or try to answer while I am cleaning in the customers home, which is a no-no with me. I am not in a position to hire a full time office gal or have a couple of techs out cleaning while I answer the phones.
Sorry, had to vent a little.
Thanks!

 

[KevinL]

Re: Had to do it, fired a customer over Service Monster

I think you're talking about Full Circle as the answering service. Service Monster is the scheduling software.

 

[Jerry]

Re: Had to do it, fired a customer over Service Monster

My bad! Yes full circle instead of service monster

 

[joeynbgky]

Re: Had to do it, fired a customer over Service Monster

I have called many other companies....(with their permission) to test out full circle.......... not impressed......... they put u on hold......can't answer simple questions...... and keep the caller on the phone to long.........hmm they charge by the minute..... do it yourself. Or have ur wife answer the phone

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Becker]

Re: Had to do it, fired a customer over Service Monster

Who is the drunk one?

J/K

 

[Ken Snow]

Re: Re: Had to do it, fired a customer over Service Monster

Who is the drunk one?

J/K

That's what i was thinkng. Instead of apologizing he lost a customer and potentially everyone she and her friend tells. Sounds like a problem deeper than the answering company.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Re: Had to do it, fired a customer over Service Monster

I'm all for firing a customer whe there is a valid reason, I'm just not sure this was one. Well, it's your business so it was for you but it wouldn't have for me.

It seems like a small percentage of our clientle want it there way, when they want and can many times be hard to deal with. We just work with them, try to accommodate them if possible, do the work and get paid. good lord Vawter, just die already.

 

[Jerry]

Haha, no drinking here boys. This client has been difficult to deal with from the beginning. I have apologized many times over several times in the past and even discounted the ticket for her inconvienince. I work hard with all my customers to fit in with their time schedule, different situations, etc. She has always been happy with my work , but has an issue with using a service to book her job. She wants to deal with me personally, which is great, and I have given her my personal cell number and my home number to call. My wife works a full time job, and I am out cleaning all day on the truck. Before Perceptionist and Full Circle, I would return calls in between jobs, but alot of customers had already scheduled with another company or I played phone tag with them. Would you guys have the same reaction if a customer claimed that your wife or personal secretary "must have been drunk"? because they may have screwed up scheduling a job?
Maybe I should have apologized yet again, and said that yes they are human and you are always right, I will rush over right now for a $100.00 job, at 9:30 pm , an hour away, and clean it for free plus a voucher for an additional cleaning?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Well I don't know, that might be a bit much. :?: eat shit!

Seriously, maybe it's the small market we operate in but I don't feel we can intentionally piss anyone off. We as I mentioned will do anything to retain a client, even if it means bitting our tongue.

I'm NOT saying you are wrong, it's your business how you operate. We rarely fire a customer, I'm sure there are those that choose not use us but it's their decision not ours. I think in the last 45-years we may have only fired 1-2 that I can think of.

 

[Jerry]

I hear ya, this is only the 2nd in a long time that I had to say that we are not a good match. The other was a property manager. I get along very well with everyone, but every once and a while.....

 

[Desk Jockey]

eat shit!

 

[FB7777]

I hear ya Jerry, some people aren't worth it and I suspect their 'friends' know what type of person they are


8 years ago when my mom passed, a PITA type of customer calls to book with us. My wife schedules the job and that evening said " this lady sounds like a jerk and your mom has notes about her in the computer that she is difficult"

I told her that its rare but her money spends just like everyone else and if she pays I'll play


WHen I arrived, the lady immediately asks why my mother didn't answer the phone and I informed her that she passed recently


She replies, " hmmm , you know I never got along with her on the phone, I hope your wife does a better job for you"


I'll never forget how enraged I felt in a customers home, but I finished the job, collected the check and left


She called to schedule again 2 years later, my wife booked the job and when I saw it on the schedule I erased it, and didn't bother to inform her of the cancellation eat shit!


She called 3 times wondering where we were and to reschedule... caller ID is a great invention would the real rob allen please stand up?

 

[Jerry]

Hey Fred, your customer sounds just like this one! maybe its her sister?

 

[Desk Jockey]

She replies, " hmmm , you know I never got along with her on the phone, I hope your wife does a better job for you"

I've seen Jimmy naked
That reminds me if Chris Rock's stand up routine. "There's a reason to kick an old woman down a flight of stairs.....just don't do it."

What a colossal bitch! You're a much better man than me, I might not have blown up at her but I would have at least told her that the comment was uncalled for, rude and was the last straw and I was not going to clean for her anymore.

 

[FB7777]

I was more numb from losing my mom in my business and completely shocked that someone could be that ridiculously insensitive to another human beings loss

I knew I would never work for her again

 

[Ken Snow]

Jerry- if I misunderstood and she was talking about your wife I apologize. I though you said she was talking about your outside service.

 

[Ken Snow]

I was more numb from losing my mom in my business and completely shocked that someone could be that ridiculously insensitive to another human beings loss

I knew I would never work for her again

That is an incredibly insensitive person Fred, sorry you had to be exposed to her toxic personality.
Ken

 

[hogjowl]

Truth is, there are just some customers that aren't worth fooling with. Constant complainers just get you down. No sense keeping someone around when they make you cringe every time you see their name on the caller I.D.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I was more numb from losing my mom in my business and completely shocked that someone could be that ridiculously insensitive to another human beings loss

I agree with Ken, you shouldn't have had to put up with that then or anytime. good lord Vawter, just die already.

 

[Jerry]

Ken- no you did not misunderstand,She was talking about my outside service. I have a lot of people that think that the gal answering the phone is my wife! I just nod and smile. I think of my full circle gals as one of my employees, so I was sticking up for them.I could not get a name of the neighbor or a phone number from her to verify if all this really happened or what? She just started bashing them.

 

[Art Kelley]

Where there's smoke there's fire. You should fire Full Circle and answer the phone yourself. How many calls do you get a day? I get about ten or fifteen on a very busy day and only five or six are actual customers. Not hard to talk to someone for a minute or two. It gives you a break from the work. Modern day cell phones are crystal clear and fit in you pocket.

 

[HertsCarpetCleaning]

This may depends of the modality used...

 

[Derek]

dang Fred. i wish you would have set that lady straight! but i can understand you being numb and not wanting to go there. what a piece of work she is. that's terrible.

Jerry, perhaps she has dementia and is easily confused. that is the 1st thing i thought of when reading your post.

then again, if she was similarly irritating 2 years previously, then maybe she is just a wonderful person by nature who cares!

 

[Hoody]

I bet you she'll have a horrible experience with the next company she calls, and will be calling you back.

Fred - I understand your numbness given the situation, but I'm absolutely floored someone would say that. Kudos for not losing your cool.

 

[ruff]

Everybody.
And I mean EVERYBODY should fire one or two clients in their business career!


Life is too short to deal with some people.
It increases self esteem (therefore one is likely to raise prices and make more $)
Reduces ruminations.

And...............
It just feels good to get reed of a really bad apple.

You got to treat yourself every once in a while. It can't be all business all the time eat yor heart out Werner

 

[idreadnought]

Where there's smoke there's fire. You should fire Full Circle and answer the phone yourself. How many calls do you get a day? I get about ten or fifteen on a very busy day and only five or six are actual customers. Not hard to talk to someone for a minute or two. It gives you a break from the work. Modern day cell phones are crystal clear and fit in you pocket.

Your a faster talker than me. 15 calls a day would amount add up to 2 hours on the phone for me. My average phone call is 8 minutes. I also think it is rude to be providing a service for someone and to be talking on the phone during it. Even if it only adds up to 1 hour a day then it would make you more money to hire someone to do the answering and clean more carpet.

The best thing I ever did was hire someone to answer phones for me. They have more time so they do a better job of it.

 

[Ken Snow]

Our avg inbound call is under 3 minutes in length, some quick to book reapeats take 60-90 seconds only. Moat people want to book a job and be on their way, it is new customers or first time cleaning homeowners that can take 5-10 minutes. Our avg takes all into consideration. If I was an owner op there is no way I would let anyone but me or a significant other take the calls.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

My wife or daughter answered our phones for years, and customers LOVED them.

If someone gave them crap I would always charge $10 or 20 extra before I was done, and have HAPPILY fired a few.

I'd bend over backwards to please "picky" to "near impossible" customers, but not if they were mean to the girls!

(kind of amazed at Fred's self-control...)

 

[Hoody]

(kind of amazed at Fred's self-control...)

As I humping the wand today, this thread kept popping in my head... and I kept asking myself what I would have done. There are different stages of grief even when we know its coming. I'm afraid at the point I would have probably dropped my basket. Did the customer know the woman answering the phone was Fred's mother, or just assume she was an employee ?