Customer No-Show + Lockout Protocol Reference

Why this matters

Customer not home for the appointment, doesn't answer door, can't be reached - these calls cost service businesses real money. Truck driving, tech time, lost productivity. The tech who follows the right protocol minimizes loss + protects business + customer. This is the field card.

At arrival

Standard arrival procedure:

1. Verify address matches dispatch
2. Knock at front door
3. Ring doorbell if present
4. Wait 2-3 minutes
5. Try alternate access (side door, gate)
6. Call customer's phone (cell first, then home)
7. Text customer if no answer
8. Wait additional 5-10 minutes

Total: 15-20 minutes before declaring no-show.

During wait

While waiting:

• Don't sit in driveway (looks suspicious to neighbors)
• Park visibly in front of house
• Note license plate in case neighbor calls police
• Don't peer in windows
• Don't try doors (could be trespassing perception)

Some companies have signs ("Service tech on site") to put on truck windshield.

Common scenarios

Customer forgot:

• Most common no-show
• Customer apologetic when reached
• Reschedule fee may apply

Customer at work:

• Forgot to take time off OR has emergency
• Sometimes spouse expected to be home
• Reschedule

Customer asleep:

• Especially morning appointments
• Knock louder; doorbell repeatedly
• Sometimes works; sometimes need to call

Customer outside / yard / pool:

• May not hear knock
• Walk around (carefully) to check
• Call phone OR yell hello

Customer left key / access:

• Should be specified in pre-job notes
• Key in lockbox; access code
• Verify before entering empty home

Customer had an emergency:

• Sometimes customer ER trip OR family emergency
• Cell phone won't be answered
• Reschedule when contact restored

Wrong address:

• Maps OR dispatch error
• Verify with customer name + neighbor

Customer thought it was different day:

• Confusion about scheduling
• Customer may not be aware
• Reschedule

Calling the customer

When you call:

• Identify yourself + company
• "I'm at your home for your scheduled service"
• Wait for response
• "Are you available to step out to meet me?"

If customer answers:

• They may be on the way
• They may be at work + forgot
• They may say "come back later"

Decisions: based on schedule + customer relationship.

Text fallback

Text if customer doesn't answer phone: "Hi [Customer], this is [Name] with [Company]. I'm at [address] for your appointment. Are you available?"

Some customers respond to text faster than phone. Wait 5 minutes after.

Time waiting

Each company has policy:

• Total time on site: 15-30 minutes typical
• Some allow longer for verified customer en route
• Some immediate no-show after 15 min

Track your time on site (clock-in, clock-out).

Decision tree

After waiting + attempting contact:

Customer reached + en route (5-15 min away):

• Wait if schedule allows
• Note delay
• Proceed with service

Customer reached + can't come:

• Reschedule
• Note in record
• Possible reschedule fee

Customer not reached + suspect lockout:

• Wait 15-20 min
• Try alternate contact
• Leave note OR card if unsuccessful
• Move to next call
• Notify dispatcher

Customer not reached + worried about welfare:

• Vulnerable customer + something seems off
• Knock louder; check for car in driveway
• Could call non-emergency line for welfare check
• Don't enter without authorization

No-show fees

Many companies charge no-show fee:

• Trip charge / dispatch fee
• Covers truck cost + lost productivity
• Communicated upfront (in confirmation OR booking)

Customer reaction:

• Most accept (their fault)
• Some dispute (often successful negotiation)
• Some refuse to pay (chase OR write off)

Document the no-show: time arrived, attempts to contact, time departed.

Customer pushing back

Customer may say:

• "You should have called me first"
• "I was right here"
• "Your tech was rude" (when asking for entry)

Be ready:

• Reference the confirmation call / text
• Note your arrival + contact attempts
• Stay professional

Pre-call confirmation

To prevent no-shows:

• Day-before confirmation call / text
• Day-of "on the way" notification
• Customer's pre-job text confirming

The more touchpoints; fewer no-shows.

Service business policy

Common policies:

• No-show fee = trip charge (significant; matches actual cost)
• After 2 no-shows: pre-payment required for next appointment
• After 3 no-shows: cancel customer relationship

Locked-out situations

Customer expected to be home; isn't; key not available:

• Confirm dispatch instructions
• Verify customer's instructions to dispatch
• Call customer (perhaps in shower, traffic, sleeping)
• Wait reasonable time
• Document; move on

Don't attempt to bypass locks. Even with customer's verbal permission over phone. Liability + perception issue.

Lockbox / key access

If customer's setup has lockbox / key:

• Verify access code matches dispatch
• Use only authorized entry
• Lock when leaving
• Note in record

Don't share access code with anyone.

Vacant property service

Different from no-show:

• Customer's empty house (rental between tenants, new construction, vacation home)
• Customer pre-arranged access
• Different scope of trust

For property managers: see related article. Standard practice.

Emergency entry

What if you suspect an emergency? (Customer expected home; not answering; visible distress signs):

• Don't enter without authorization
• Call 911 with concern: "I'm a service tech for [name]; they were expecting me; not answering; concerned for welfare"
• Police welfare check
• Stay on scene until police arrive

Vulnerable customer (elderly, medical condition, sole occupant): higher concern threshold.

Trespassing perception

Standing too long on customer's property:

• Neighbor may call police
• Customer surveillance camera records
• Be visibly there for legitimate reason
• Truck branded; uniform visible
• Don't peer in windows

If you do need to look around (suspected emergency): be visibly professional + non-threatening.

Documentation for no-show

Service record:

• Arrival time
• Knocks / doorbell attempts
• Phone calls + outcomes
• Texts + outcomes
• Departure time
• Photos of door / no-response if needed

If dispute later: documentation supports.

Customer's friendly neighbor

Sometimes neighbor knows:

• "They went out of town"
• "They went to the store"
• "They're at work"

Useful info; thank neighbor; document.

Don't engage neighbor for extended chat; keep moving.

Schedule adjustment

When no-show happens:

• Reduces day's billable productivity
• May fit another call in
• Notify dispatcher
• Dispatcher may reassign next call

A 90-minute window slipping by becomes opportunity for another call OR rest time.

Multi-tech crew

A no-show with a crew on site is a different problem than a no-show with one tech. The loss multiplies by the headcount, and standing around is the worst possible use of the time.

Shorten the wait, not the protocol. Run the same knock, doorbell, call, and text sequence, but do it fast and in parallel: one person at the door, the lead calling the customer and the office at the same time. There is no reason a three-person crew burns the full wait window doing one thing at a time.

The lead makes one call to dispatch immediately, not after the wait expires. Dispatch needs the maximum runway to find the crew something to do. On a crew job, that call is the most valuable thirty seconds of the incident.

Have a fallback plan before you roll. On any job that puts more than one body on a site, dispatch should know what the crew does if the door does not open: a nearby second job, a shop task, staging or material prep for tomorrow, truck maintenance, or a release decision. Deciding this from the driveway wastes the whole crew's hour.

Do not split the crew informally. If two of the three are being reassigned, dispatch says so and it goes in the system. Crews that self-dispatch create payroll and liability problems.

If equipment or rental is on the clock, that changes the math entirely. A lift, a crane, a jetter, a compactor, or a dumpster delivery does not wait for free. Escalate to the office immediately, and document the equipment idle time separately from labor. Rental and equipment idle charges are usually recoverable under a no-show clause when they are documented at the time.

Document by the head. Names of everyone on site, arrival time, departure time, and the equipment present. A no-show fee for a crew is defensible only if the ticket shows who was standing there.

Escalate the reschedule. A crew job that missed once and has to be re-staffed and re-equipped should not be quietly slotted back in. Confirm with the customer directly, in writing, with the crew size and the access requirement stated, and consider requiring a deposit on the second attempt.

References

• Service business operations standards
• State trespassing law (varies)
• ADA + welfare check considerations
• Manuall internal: Customer Communication Standards, Customer Cancellation + Reschedule