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Confirming Appointments . . . What Is The Process These Days? (1 Viewer)

Anarchy99

Anarchy99

Footballguy
I had a work related appointment set for yesterday (at least in my mind) which was set up by email. Basically it went as follows:

Q: When are you available on Tuesday? 
A: Any time in the afternoon.
Q: I can do 2:00. I will put you down for 2:00. Please confirm that works for you.
A: 2:00 is fine.

Net result . . . the person didn't show up because I never reconfirmed the time.

That was instance #1.

Instance #2 is that I have a doctor's appointment this week. They reached out to me no fewer than 12 times by work phone, business phone, mail, email, and text to confirm the appointment including 5 calls in the past 2 days. How can this possibly be an effective use of time and resources on their end? Their story is they were all calling from different departments and had no way of knowing that anyone else was involved (and that I had already confirmed multiple times).

What are people / places doing for setting up meetings and confirming appointments? In my first example, was there anything unclear about us setting up a meeting time? Are people / companies so overwhelmed with missed appointments that they have taken to reconfirming a dozen times?

 
Issue 1. Outlook invites work just fine.

Issue 2. Don't Know what to say. I get a text the day before my appointment and asked to reply Yes or No if I can still make it. 

 
Cjw_55106 said:
Issue 1. Outlook invites work just fine.

Issue 2. Don't Know what to say. I get a text the day before my appointment and asked to reply Yes or No if I can still make it. 
Click to expand...
I deal with a bunch of people (customers) that email through their cell phones. Can Outlook set an appointment time to a calendar on a mobile device that doesn't have Outlook?

 
Anarchy99 said:
I deal with a bunch of people (customers) that email through their cell phones. Can Outlook set an appointment time to a calendar on a mobile device that doesn't have Outlook?
Click to expand...
Sorry, for some reason I was thinking co-workers. Not sure of the answer to your question. 

 
Anarchy99 said:
I had a work related appointment set for yesterday (at least in my mind) which was set up by email. Basically it went as follows:

Q: When are you available on Tuesday? 
A: Any time in the afternoon.
Q: I can do 2:00. I will put you down for 2:00. Please confirm that works for you.
A: 2:00 is fine.

Net result . . . the person didn't show up because I never reconfirmed the time.

That was instance #1.

Instance #2 is that I have a doctor's appointment this week. They reached out to me no fewer than 12 times by work phone, business phone, mail, email, and text to confirm the appointment including 5 calls in the past 2 days. How can this possibly be an effective use of time and resources on their end? Their story is they were all calling from different departments and had no way of knowing that anyone else was involved (and that I had already confirmed multiple times).

What are people / places doing for setting up meetings and confirming appointments? In my first example, was there anything unclear about us setting up a meeting time? Are people / companies so overwhelmed with missed appointments that they have taken to reconfirming a dozen times?
Click to expand...
That sounds odd. My experience would be that your answer that "2:00 is fine" should have sufficed, and that no doctor's office should call more than once to confirm. My experience is that they call twenty-four hours before to do so.  

 
rockaction said:
That sounds odd. My experience would be that your answer that "2:00 is fine" should have sufficed, and that no doctor's office should call more than once to confirm. My experience is that they call twenty-four hours before to do so.  
Click to expand...
The doctor's office is suggesting that everyone that contacted me is from a different department. One was the main hospital registration, one was insurance verification, one was from the database department calling because there was something that wasn't entered about the appointment, one was the front desk at my PCP, one was the scheduling person from my PCP, one was someone from the lab reminding me I also needed labs, and one was the regular nurse from my PCP. That's not counting two letters, two emails, and two texts.

Their story is they are installing new systems, databases, and processes and they are working out the kinks. But just wait until everything clicks and how much better their service will be. Sure . . . whatever.

 
Anarchy99 said:
The doctor's office is suggesting that everyone that contacted me is from a different department. One was the main hospital registration, one was insurance verification, one was from the database department calling because there was something that wasn't entered about the appointment, one was the front desk at my PCP, one was the scheduling person from my PCP, one was someone from the lab reminding me I also needed labs, and one was the regular nurse from my PCP. That's not counting two letters, two emails, and two texts.

Their story is they are installing new systems, databases, and processes and they are working out the kinks. But just wait until everything clicks and how much better their service will be. Sure . . . whatever.
Click to expand...
That could very well be. Medical appointment and billing offices are notoriously poor at what they purport to do.  

 
I do the same thing you do but then send a calendar invite to their email address.  Make the invite rich, with the address of the location we are connecting (physical address will help with driving directions, a link to a GoToMeeting or the like) and maybe copy the key email chain into the body or an agenda for discussion.  If you're going to review a document/deck, you could attach it to the invite as well, either when you send it or later, after they accept.  

That I happen to use outlook is irrelevant, as is whatever calendar software they use, if any.  

 
Anarchy99 said:
I deal with a bunch of people (customers) that email through their cell phones. Can Outlook set an appointment time to a calendar on a mobile device that doesn't have Outlook?
Click to expand...
It probably can't set an appointment, but they should get an email with the meeting/appointment invite which should be sufficient prompting for the receiving party to enter into the calendar app of their using.

 
Well, this issue from 6 months ago has only gotten worse. Living in the world we live in, I have to try to juggle scheduling via: in-person, multiple phone numbers, texts, instant messages, multiple emails, other forms of instant messaging, LinkedIn, and some times third parties (ie, communicating with PERSON X to set and confirm an appointment for PERSON Y). My meeting schedule then turns into a complete mess and my work / production schedule then turns into an equally disruptive mess.

I just had someone reschedule a meeting for the 5th time, with three of those time slots essentially not even in normal work hours. Once I came in two hours early, once I stayed two hours late, and once I came in when I was scheduled to be off just to get this meeting over with. He did not show up on three of those times and two times he called when he was supposed to actually be here to tell me he wasn't coming because I never confirmed.

Maybe I am not speaking proper English. HIM: What do you have for Weds afternoon: ME: I have a 3:00. HIM: OK. Let's book that. ME: OK. I will put you down for 3:00. HIM (at 3:00 via phone): You never confirmed with me so now I can't make it.

Since I am the service provider (ie, people pay me and they are the customer), do people feel I should be entitled to charge for missed appointments or re-booking appointments at the last second? Doctor's offices say they will charge you without 24 hours notice (I don't know if that is just a threat or if they will actually do it).

As a for instance, had the time slot that this guy now punted on were available, I had other people that wanted the time slot. I am open to suggestions on what to charge people for pulling stuff like this . . . and also how I would be able to collect it.

 
Just put all appointments in Outlook 360 or Google Calendar, send the other party and invite and plan to attend meetings that all parties have accepted.  Simple.

 
Ron Swanson said:
Just put all appointments in Outlook 360 or Google Calendar, send the other party and invite and plan to attend meetings that all parties have accepted.  Simple.
Click to expand...
As mentioned originally or earlier on, not everyone uses either of those. In fact, most people that I interact with don't use either. Part of the issue is these are personal appointments (read as: CONFIDENTIAL) that they don't want on appearing on their work calendars.

 
Anarchy99 said:
As mentioned originally or earlier on, not everyone uses either of those. In fact, most people that I interact with don't use either. Part of the issue is these are personal appointments (read as: CONFIDENTIAL) that they don't want on appearing on their work calendars.
Click to expand...
I can 100% confirm this.  I made my appointment though!

My suggestion is to send an invite anyway.  A lot of mail clients (gmail specifically) have the ability to read the Outlook format and will convert it to their own.  Either way, it's confirmation from you to the other person saying you've booked it.

 
I don't do calendar invites either.  I send an email saying something like, "I have penciled in 4:00 pm on August 31.   Please send a confirming email and I will put it on my calendar."

I don't care how many times we discussed what your availability is or whether we spoke on the phone.  If you don't send me a confirming email, I'm not showing up. 

Similarly, I have a client who asked today when I was going to provide a letter that they thought I was writing.   I told them I didn't get a written instruction to proceed, so there is no pending assignment.   They said, "We talked about it on the phone."  I speak to 20 clients a day over the phone, and we often discuss options without them making a decision.   That's why my fee agreement specifically states, "all assignments must be confirmed in writing and mutually accepted."   The clients that complain about assignments that they haven't received inevitably never confirmed what they wanted.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Anarchy99 said:
As mentioned originally or earlier on, not everyone uses either of those. In fact, most people that I interact with don't use either. Part of the issue is these are personal appointments (read as: CONFIDENTIAL) that they don't want on appearing on their work calendars.
Click to expand...
I would have never afforded this person a third opportunity. A 4th or 5th? NFW.

 
Kanil said:
I can 100% confirm this.  I made my appointment though!

My suggestion is to send an invite anyway.  A lot of mail clients (gmail specifically) have the ability to read the Outlook format and will convert it to their own.  Either way, it's confirmation from you to the other person saying you've booked it.
Click to expand...
Yes, and they can be marked as Private even on work calendars.

 
The not coming because you didn't confirm is a bs excuse for blowing it off. When you agree on a time, that is confirmed. I send Outlook invites, too, but that's just as a courtesy.

 
Anarchy99 said:
Well, this issue from 6 months ago has only gotten worse. Living in the world we live in, I have to try to juggle scheduling via: in-person, multiple phone numbers, texts, instant messages, multiple emails, other forms of instant messaging, LinkedIn, and some times third parties (ie, communicating with PERSON X to set and confirm an appointment for PERSON Y). My meeting schedule then turns into a complete mess and my work / production schedule then turns into an equally disruptive mess.

I just had someone reschedule a meeting for the 5th time, with three of those time slots essentially not even in normal work hours. Once I came in two hours early, once I stayed two hours late, and once I came in when I was scheduled to be off just to get this meeting over with. He did not show up on three of those times and two times he called when he was supposed to actually be here to tell me he wasn't coming because I never confirmed.

Maybe I am not speaking proper English. HIM: What do you have for Weds afternoon: ME: I have a 3:00. HIM: OK. Let's book that. ME: OK. I will put you down for 3:00. HIM (at 3:00 via phone): You never confirmed with me so now I can't make it.

Since I am the service provider (ie, people pay me and they are the customer), do people feel I should be entitled to charge for missed appointments or re-booking appointments at the last second? Doctor's offices say they will charge you without 24 hours notice (I don't know if that is just a threat or if they will actually do it).

As a for instance, had the time slot that this guy now punted on were available, I had other people that wanted the time slot. I am open to suggestions on what to charge people for pulling stuff like this . . . and also how I would be able to collect it.
Click to expand...
If you give proper notice of a cancellation fee, you should absolutely charge it.  (The one time I had to cacel the day of, they waived the fee because my MIL had died.  Other than that, I expect to pay it.)  And given his behaviour, I'd be VERY clear that you will bill him if he does not show or give proper notice.  Tell him during the phone call/ text/ whatever that that is his confirmation.

 
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