There’s nothing more exasperating than being unable to access a customer’s property or premises to complete a job. Time is precious, and delays are costly for everyone involved.

But, last-minute cancellations and no-shows are inevitable. Plans change, things crop up unexpectedly, and sometimes the customer may forget about the appointment.

Common reasons include poor communication between your workforce and the customer and overly long appointment windows with no fixed time for arrival.

If your workforce is running late, perhaps because of heavy traffic or leaving a previous job later than expected, and don’t send a notification, the customer may assume they’re not coming and cancel.

It’s true that most of us don’t like to wait! Your customers may book time off work or rearrange plans to be home for the appointment but if they have no firm time there’s a risk that they’ll get tired of waiting and cancel.

Field service can seem unpredictable at times, and while customer cancellations will occasionally happen, there are ways to minimise them.

With Wayforce field service software, it’s possible to predict no-shows or prepare for them in case they occur.

Three ways to predict and prevent no-shows

Real-time tracking. Allowing your customers to track your workforce’s route gives them the flexibility to do other things while they wait. The customer will know exactly where the engineer is and when to expect them by being able to track their location on map on a mobile device. You could also send a text notification to alert customers when the engineer is on their way.

Mobile communication. Your workforce and your customers should be able to use a mobile app, call or text to communicate with each other when necessary. If your workforce is running late, they should let the customer know and confirm a time of arrival.

Using reminder notifications will also minimise the risk of last-minute cancellations. It’s a good idea to send a reminder the night before and give the customer the option to cancel if needed. This will allow you to revise the working day schedule.

Collecting data. Understanding your customer’s and their service history will equip you with the knowledge to be able to predict the possibility of a no-show. By collecting and using this data you can prioritise jobs with lower cancellation rates and adjust the schedule accordingly.

By collecting the right data and using the right field service software, you can create an efficient schedule with limited cancellations.

Wayforce field service software can greatly reduce the risk of cancellations and no-shows. Rather than having to go back to square one each time an appointment changes its intelligent online scheduling allows you to constantly optimise all your resources, adjusting to changing requirements such locations and skill sets with speed and agility.

This gives you the flexibility to reduce unnecessary delays and cancellations and deliver an excellent customer experience.

Want an in-depth look at how we can help you remove the frustrations of appointment cancellations and no-shows?

See how it’s done with a free demo and #WayTheForceBeWithYou.