Hot Josh and the Appointment Window
My appointment was scheduled for Tuesday.
Between noon and 4:00 p.m.
Not at noon.
Not at 2:00.
Not even “sometime around 3:00.”
Noon to four.
Four hours.
An entire block of human existence.
I called.
“Hi, I have an appointment tomorrow, and I’m trying to find out what time the technician will arrive.”
“Your arrival window is noon to four.”
“Right. I have that part.”
“Okay.”
“I’d like the time.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t provide an exact time.”
“Why?”
“The technician’s schedule can change depending on earlier appointments.”
I understood.
Things happen.
Jobs run long.
Traffic exists.
Customers occasionally explain problems using interpretive dance.
Reasonable.
“So you need me available for four hours?”
“Yes.”
“Perfect. What four-hour window should I expect you to be available for me?”
Silence.
“Sir?”
“If I need to call tomorrow, what’s your customer service window?”
“We’re open from eight to six.”
“No. That’s ten hours. I only need four.”
She laughed.
I wasn’t finished.
“I’ll call sometime between eight and noon.”
“You can call anytime we’re open.”
“But I won’t know exactly when.”
“That’s fine.”
“Excellent. We’re making progress.”
Tuesday arrived.
At 11:55 a.m., I prepared.
Coffee.
Laptop.
Phone charger.
Television remote.
I was ready for captivity.
12:30.
Nothing.
1:00.
Nothing.
1:47.
A truck drove slowly down the street.
I stood up.
False alarm.
Delivery van.
At 2:16, my phone rang.
Finally.
“Hi, this is your technician. I’m running a little behind.”
“Define little.”
“I should be there between four and five.”
I looked at the clock.
Then at the appointment confirmation.
Then back at the clock.
“Four to five?”
“Yes.”
“My window ends at four.”
“I know. Sorry about that.”
Interesting.
The window had apparently been opened.
I remained calm.
“So we’re changing the appointment window?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Excellent.”
“Excellent?”
“Yes. I have a change too.”
He hesitated.
“What change?”
“I’ll be home sometime between four and eight.”
Silence.
“I need you to be there when I arrive.”
“I understand.”
“So…”
“But unfortunately, my schedule can change depending on earlier appointments.”
He laughed.
I didn’t.
Well.
Maybe a little.
“Are you going somewhere?”
“No.”
“Then you’ll be home?”
“Probably.”
“Probably?”
“I can provide a four-hour window.”
He laughed again.
“Okay, you got me.”
At 4:38, the doorbell rang.
I opened the door.
The technician stood there with his tool bag.
“Made it.”
I looked at the clock dramatically.
Then at him.
Then back at the clock.
“I wasn’t expecting you until sometime between four and eight.”
He smiled.
“I got lucky.”
I let him in.
The repair took seventeen minutes.
Seventeen.
I had reserved nearly five hours of my day for seventeen minutes of actual activity.
When he finished, he handed me the paperwork.
“Anything else?”
“Yes.”
He looked concerned.
“Next time, can I give your company a four-hour payment window?”
He laughed.
“No.”
“So the timing flexibility only works one direction?”
“Pretty much.”
At least he was honest.
I signed.
He left.
The next morning, I received a survey.
How satisfied were you with your appointment experience?
There were five stars.
I stared at them.
Then noticed something beautiful.
A comment box.
Unlimited characters.
Finally.
A window with no restrictions.
The lesson?
Companies believe a four-hour appointment window is reasonable because schedules are unpredictable.
Hot Josh agrees.
Which is why he’ll be paying his invoice sometime between Tuesday and October.
