Dude, Wheres My Client

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Dude, Wheres My Client?
Dealing with No-Shows and Cancellations

• Presented by
• Elizabeth Davidson, Assistant to the Writing
  Center and
• 
  Tutoring Program
• Marcela Wanderley, Peer Tutor in
  Chemistry/Biology and
• 
  Receptionist
• Susie Robertshaw, Tutor Coordinator

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Rollins College Founded 1885

• Small, selective liberal arts college
• 1,800 traditional-age students in the day
  school
• Most from outside Florida
• 1,000 students in the evening programs
• B.A., M.A. and M.B.A. (most local)
• Side-by-side centers offer peer-based learning
  support (70 tutors, writing consultants)
• Writing Center to support WAC started mid-80s
• Content tutoring started late 90s

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How it works

• Mostly individual, appointment-based scheduling
• Students make and delete their own appointments
• Appointments must be made at least 3 hours in
  advance (customizable)
• Students may cancel at any time before the
  appointment (customizable by day)
• Tutors log out clients after sessions

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No-show problems

• We tracked noshow data using TutorTrac reports
  for several years.
• Our system
• -Tutor waits for 5 minutes and then calls the
  client (tele in TutorTrac appt. screen)leaves
  message or asks client to come? Also details how
  to cancel, effects on his/her time, etc.
• -Tutor marks client a no-show in TutorTrac and on
  clipboard receptionist initials.
• -Tutor puts 15 minutes into TutorTrac and selects
  client no-showed as course.
• -If tutor know the actual course, sends a copy of
  the form to the professor.

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No-shows over 5 spring semesters
Total hours tutored (950) 1400 1600 1530 1580
Letters banning
Form to professor
Call client
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Cancellation problems

• We began tracking data this year after hearing
  many tutors complain.
• When students delete appointments in TutorTrac,
  the appointment disappears, so tracking is more
  labor-intensive.
• Receptionists compare days appts. from the
  beginning and end of the day, seeing which have
  disappeared and which have been rescheduled.
• (TutorTrac hopes to customize appt. to track
  when the student cancels it, so it wont
  disappear.)

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Effects Why are no-shows and cancellations a
problem?

• Decline in morale
• Lost time low rate of recaptured appointments
• Money for nothing
• Tutors paid for 15 minutes of time spent waiting.
• Tutor earns less than expect, budget wasted.
• Tutors and Writing Consultants inconvenienced
• Esp. those living off campus- factoring in travel
  time and expenses
• Students find no appts. available, feel
  frustrated when they need help and/or are
  required to come
• Professors think we are incompetent,
  understaffed, etc.

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Causes

• Poor schedule management
• --Booking appointments too far in advance
• --Having others make the appointment for them (by
  advisors? Receptionists?)
• Self-Centered Attitude...or from a developmental
  perspective, students unable to see effects of
  their actions?
• --Indifference to the impact their not-showing up
  has on the tutor, on other students wanting help.
• Lack of consequences in the past

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Solutions we considered but ultimately rejected

• Monetary consequence for missing appointments
• --problem Involves the bursars office
• --problem Not a deterrent for some students
• Drop-in availability which would pay tutors
  whether or not they had clients scheduled or were
  no-showed by their clients.
• --problem Not cost-effective

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Solutions we use now (1)

• WRITTEN COMMUNICATION Explain policies in these
  places
• Login screen for TutorTrac
• Student homepage on TTrac
• Secure specific appt. screen on TTrac
• TutorTrac automatic reminder email
• Bulletin Board at our Center

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Policy explained (reminder email from TutorTrac)

• Youre scheduled to see at on
• If your plans have changed, please log on to
  TutorTrac (at http//tutor.rollins.edu) to cancel
  (delete) your appt. so someone else can use the
  appt. You can also call (407 646-2308) or drop
  by TJs to cancel.
• REPEATED CANCELLATIONS AND NO-SHOWS CAN RESULT IN
  RESTRICTIONS ON YOUR ABILITY TO USE OUR
  APPOINTMENT SYSTEM. Please cancel any appointment
  you dont intend to keep AS SOON AS YOU KNOW YOU
  HAVE TO CANCEL.

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Solutions we use now (2)

• Personal Emails sent to repeat offenders.
• Ban students after 3 no-shows and/or late
  cancellations
• Required to come to the center to explain their
  record
• Marketing inform students how to use the system
  effectively
• VIPointStudents need to search TutorTrac more
  often to increase reschedule rates
• Tutors need to remind students of policies and
  tips in class emails and at end of sessions

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Email after no-show or late cancellation

• Our records indicate that you had an appointment
  on 2/1/07 at 1230 pm with .. in the Tutoring
  Program at TJ's.
•  
• The appointment is listed as a "last-minute
  cancellation."  Please be aware that repeated
  late cancellations and/or three no-show
  appointments could restrict your ability to make
  an appointment in the future, since the time
  reserved for you could have been used by another
  student.
•  
• If something in your schedule prevented you from
  keeping the appointment, please make every effort
  to cancel the appointment online, or by calling
  the center at 407-646-2308.

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2 no-shows on your way to three strikes and
youre blocked from TutorTrac?

• Our records indicate that you have failed to make
  two scheduled appointments at TJ's, without first
  canceling.  As tutor coordinator here in TJ's, I
  am writing you about this pattern of no-shows on
  your part.
•  
• Tutoring at TJ's is very busy.  Our appointment
  policy is based on a first come, first served
  basis whoever first makes the appointment online
  gets it, and others cannot.  That is the most
  important reason for our "three strikes and
  you're blocked from accessing TutorTrac" policy.
   No-showing a tutor often means that another
  student who wanted to use that time with the
  tutor was denied an opportunity to do so. 
  Remember, too, that the number of tutors covering
  the course you are getting help with is limited. 
  Some departments have only one or two tutors and
  are thus in great demand.  Your taking 1/6th of
  their weekly appointments and then no-showing is
  not fair to the tutor or to your classmates and
  the many other students taking courses in that
  department.
•  
• We are here to serve you, and we welcome your
  continued use of our services.  However, please
  be advised that upon missing a third appointment,
  your account will be blocked from TutorTrac, and
  in order to gain access to TutorTrac again, you
  will have to meet with me.
•  
• If your account is reactivated after our meeting,
  and you no-show a tutor again, your
  TutorTrac account will once again be
  deactivated.  We are taking this very seriously. 
  We hope you will as well.

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Banned from TutorTrac email, after 3 no-shows

• (Sent by Beth, admin. asst., with a restatement
  of students 3rd no-show and reminder s/he had
  been notified in previous emails)
• To be reinstated, you will need to set up an
  appointment to meet with Susie Robertshaw, tutor
  coordinator, at srobertshaw_at_rollins.edu or x2652.
• (or w/ Pete Ives, Writing Center coordinator)

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What weve learned

• Having tutors call clients helps personalize the
  effects of the no-show gives tutors the chance
  to discuss the problem with clients catches some
  clients on their way.
• More formal email letters from coordinators have
  an impact we get replies.
• Policies without consequences dont work as well
  as those with penalties (duh!)
• Cancellations are more of a problem than
  no-shows, a big surprise.

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Changes for next yearAny more we should
consider?

• Marketing inform students to search more often
  to increase possibility of capturing a
  cancellation for their own use.
• Set cancellation deadline to the day before in
  TutorTrac.
• Make students call the front desk to cancel the
  day of the appt. Receptionist can discuss why
  with the client and notify the tutor.
• Potential problem more no-shows (why we avoided
  this for several years)