I wonder how other teachers deal with telephone enquirers these days? I've now had a couple of run-ins recently with people who've made telephone enquiries and who've been dissatisified (and very rude) because I haven't got back to them straight away (or wasn't available to answer in the first place!).

I only give out my mobile number, and I'm not the sort of person who's glued to it all the time. I definitely don't answer it when I'm teaching, and I rarely answer it when I'm out unless it's a number a recognise. I'm finding increasingly that enquirers seem to be very demanding in this respect - I suspect that most don't undertstand the concept that I'm not a shop or business with fixed opening hours. I always try to get back to people within 24 hours and now have an answerphone message stating this (plus that it might take longer in school holidays etc. where I might be away) - I also suggest that people might like to e-mail instead. The probelm of course is that the people who do ring nearly always ring when I'm teaching which means I'm often not able to get back to them until the next day. The follow-on problem for that is I'm trying to ring back when they're probably at work or school!

I'm seriously considering removing my telephone number and only accepting e-mail enquiries - I know other teachers have done this. At present about 80% of enquiries already come via e-mail which in my view is much better - the enquirers nearly always give more information and I can give a considered response when it's convenient - I don't have to worry about whether they'll be around to answer, and it means I'm not put on the spot!

I realise that this might put a small number of people off, but I'm not sure I'm that bothered by that. On balance, people have to go onto the internet to get my number anyway - all my enquiries come through there - so I doubt it's a case of not being able to e-mail. I might suggest that if people want to speak to me, they send an e-mail with their number and a suitable time to call them.

What do other teachers feel about this?

Most phone enquiries come to my home phone which has an answerphone. I try to phone back within 24 or 48 hours and I haven't had any adverse responses. Most people have been happy that I've phoned back, even when I don't have a space. Being on the home phone and often on the answerphone, I suppose I get an opportunity in many cases to prepare what I'm going to say.

The people who've made enquiries by email and who've started with me have not lasted very long, so I'm not very keen on email starters.

Interesting ... I get very few phone enquiries nowadays - but like you, Seer Green, I do not answer the phone when I'm teaching. Also I don't generally give out my mobile number, just the land line.

I had an enquiry yesterday by email which finished ...' call me on .......'.

I replied by email but am not holding my breath. I still find a lot of people check their email about once a fortnight.
Still wondering whether to phone or not. I do find that if people don't check their email communication is limited. Using phone can result in chasing tails for several days, although I will almost always return a call same day.

I have been email enquiries only for about 18 months now, it works very well and I wouldn't go back to phone enquiries. When someone emails, I send them an info pack which has a PDF with a summary of the usual questions asked - rates, where the lessons take place and other information promoting my teaching. I also send details of available lesson times and how to join the waiting list if there is nothing suitable available. It saves on having to personally write a response to each enquiry.

I don't give my mobile phone number to anyone, apart from close friends and acquaintances. It is my private number and it's normally turned off, unless I want to call someone. For general enquiries I give out only my landline which has an answering machine and I always do my best to reply to people within 24 hours. Also I find that a lot of people refuse to call mobiles because they are too expensive. Personally if I saw an advertisement with only a mobile number and no landline I would not be encouraged to call it and pay something like 25p a minute, or however much it costs to call mobiles. For me the landline is cheap, easy and good enough.

I'm not a teacher, but my teacher has told me that she prefers phone enquiries. She says that even if she gets an email enquiry she will ask the person to call her, because she believes that through talking to them she picks up a lot about them. She doesn't answer the phone while she is teaching, but seems happy to give out her mobile number.

I definitely wouldn't give out a landline number - partly I don't think it's fair for other people in the house to be having to field enquiries, and partly, unlike a mobile you can't just put it on silent, which means it's impossible to just switch off from work (and you can't just ignore the landline when you feel it because you don't know who's ringing)! We've been down the landline route before and I just find it so intrusive - people used to ring at all times of day and night, all year round.

I've never found that e-mail enquirers are more or lesson reliable than telephone ones. In my experience, e-mail enquirers have already looked at the website etc. and are ready to book a session; telephone calls nearly always start with "How much is it?".

I don't particularly find the need to speak to people on the phone first (though I know some people prefer this as corenfa says) - I always offer a consultation lesson anyway and wouldn't take anyone on long-term without having met them first.

I have a waiting list and I find it much easier to keep track of who is next on the list when the contact is by email. Also I've found telephone enquiries to be very time consuming - they ask the sort of questions that can be answered by a glance at my website.

I find the sort of email enquiries that consist solely of a mobile number and the words "Call me..." to be particularly easy to delete. But then I do have a waiting list and can hold out for a better quality type of applicant.

It wasn't a mobile number. And so can I, and often do. At the same time I try to follow up enquiries as far as possible - manners don't cost much.

I get more by email than phone, though I do get both. A lot of the email enquiries are from the UK Piano Page, with the same header (must be a proforma fropm the site) and they all ask how much lessons are and how long they are. Quite a lot of those I reply to don't come back; probably they send mail to every teacher in the vicinity. I usually point them to my (really rather out of date) website, and also tell them to ring me or mail me if they want to know more, and arrange to come for a to-see session. Like Seer_Green, I'd never take on anybody for a lesson who I hadn't already met.

I've not had email enquiries purely consisting of 'call me, here's my number', but do find it annoying when people (a) don't check their email regularly, or (b) ask for me to phone but don't indicate what times will or will not be convenient for them. It probably doesn't help that I don't really like phones all that much...

I've not had anyone have a problem with me not being available and for having to call them back, but then I do start with an apology and the explanation that 'I was teaching' (even if I wasn't! ). However, I've had one or two people comment that they've called numerous teachers and heard back from none of them, so I could imagine some people finding it to be a frustrating process.

I don't give out my mobile number (don't know it anyway!) as when it's with me, I'm either driving or teaching. I prefer landline telephone enquiries as I want to pick up as much info as possible about the potential student straight away - small clues let me know whether to take them or not for a whole variety of reasons - you can't get so much information from an e-mail.

I have a separate mobile for my students. They can ring at any (reasonable) time of the day, and know if I don't answer, then I'm in a lesson. I do object (and my students are made aware of this! ) when lessons are cancelled/re-arranged by text message. I always ring when I need to cancel/ re-arrange, and ask that my students do the same. Everyone has my email address and I check these numerous times during the working day.

I prefer to take new enquiries by 'phone for the very same reasons as corenfa's teacher.

Why can't you put a landline phone on silent? I never knew that and obviously neither does my phone because I always put it on silent when I'm busy, teaching, when I go out or go to bed. Most modern house phones have a ringer volume control.

I think you've missed my point. If it's a landline the whole family uses then there's no way of telling who's ringing - it could easily be a family member or family emergency which needs answering. It's not a question of physically putting it on silent.

You could get caller ID for a few quid a month.

[quote name='Seer_Green' date='Jun 18 2012, 07:33 PM' post='1154334']
I wonder how other teachers deal with telephone enquirers these days? I've now had a couple of run-ins recently with people who've made telephone enquiries and who've been dissatisified (and very rude) because I haven't got back to them straight away (or wasn't available to answer in the first place!).

I'd say most of my enquiries come via email these days but I do still get the odd telephone call. I've not so far experienced problems with complaints about getting back but my overiding reaction to your problem was that I definitely wouldn't want these rude and unpleasant individuals as clients anyway! It really doesn't bode for a good relationship.

When I worked in a music school, no phone calls would be answered until after 4pm as the place didn't open until then, and music service parents would have to wait until the school office was open; it could then take a couple of days for a non-urgent message to get to me if I wasn't due in for a few days. So I think overall my private students have a much easier task getting hold of me.

No, I'm absolutely clear that I don't want it going to the landline; we explored having a second landline but it was far too expensive. The issue isn't really about the number they enquiries go to anyway.

I think the original point of the thread (where was that ) was did we think it acceptable to deal in e-mail enquiries only, as Lorraine does (and I know it works very well for her). Given the number of grumbles I've had recently, I evidently can't meet people's expectations - for many, 'get back to you in 24 hours' isn't enough! I'm absolutely sure it wouldn't suit everybody as some people have indicated here, but then you can never please everyone all the time!


Fair point.

I suppose this is likely to boil down to horses-for-courses (pardon the mixed metaphors!), but I much prefer a cancellation by text or email. It means I have a chance to amend my calendar and to see if I can offer a suitable rearrangement before replying, whereas if they phone, I'll be thinking on my feet.

I communicate with many of my students by text. I have no problem with it, personally.

Surprisingly enough, once pupils start, very few, if any ever ring anyway. I've made it quite clear that e-mail will nearly always generate the fastest response, and that text, particularly if it's last-minute is also useful. Occasionally people ring if they can't come or are delayed, but they know they'll have to leave a voicemail message.

I suspect you're the same as me, that an email is likely to elicit a faster response than a voicemail message will?

Maybe you've just been unlucky recently? I've never had anyone unsatisfied because I haven't called them back quickly enough. Sometimes we've bounced between eachothers answerphones a few times before finally speaking and had a laugh about it. My daughters are well trained to take messages on the landline. I give current pupils my mobile number and they use it for text only, to let me know about illness etc (or occasionally 'what's the 2nd LH note in bar 9?' at 10.30 at night..!).
If I get a curt or short message from a prospective parent on the answering machine I just assume they're a little uncertain/shy/rubbish at leaving messages and treat the call back as I would anyone and they've always been fine when I've spoken to them for real. I try to come across as relaxed and friendly and always seem to get the same back.

A very good point and I didn't think of that. Since my mother died in March I'm the only person in the house so my phone is often on silent. We had "call sign" on our phone which means that the one line can have two different numbers, so I had one number, my mother had the other number and they both made different ringing noises so we would always know who the call was for.

Yep, it's definitely a situation which requires the businessperson approach: what might come across as a curt message might be because they're uncomfortable (and let's be honest, they often are stepping outside of their comfort zone), or because they're working through a long list of numbers they've acquired. If the latter, then standing out as 'the one who was friendly and helpful when they called back' puts you in a good position.

Well, people want to be taught/have their children taught by somebody friendly and accessible so from the first conversation you want to be able to show yourself as someone they would feel at ease with.

That's not the business mindset, though. You're the one marketing a product, at least at this stage, and it's unreasonable to expect them to be 'selling themselves' in any way. (Think about those shops, we've all been in them, where staff look you up and down in a critical manner before speaking to you...)

Exactly. I'm not that sort of shopkeeper

After a couple of emails with info on vacancies, lesson prices etc. then I usually meet the parent as they pop over for a chat and to bring a deposit for the first lesson, although some just pay the deposit by BACS and come for a lesson - all agreed over email.

When I meet in person after suggesting this via email, this means that I get to meet the parent beforehand and vice versa, they see where I am teaching so they know how to get here, where to park etc, they find out more about the lessons and things on offer like student concerts, piano recitals etc.

It also removes the "no show" issue that used to arise when I set appointments over the phone or email without taking a deposit.

I find the system works really well and it doesn't appear to have put anyone off that they can't talk to me as I offer them the chance to meet in person if they wish to. It doesn't take up much of my time to do a 5 - 10 minute meeting in the daytime when I am not teaching.

Yes. I find families really appreciate this initial person - to person contact.

I'm impressed with the 5-10 minute meeting. I talk too much and these usually take at least half an hour.
I offer people the chance to go away and think but most who do come to meet me have already decided anyway.

I schedule the meeting just before I start teaching so when my first student arrives, it's the cue for the person to leave. They have had all the basic information over email so there aren't usually too many questions.

I mainly use the phone to contact parents/pupils rather than computer (although I do have a website),because I
like to have that more personal chat with folks, (and I'm also a bit of a technophobe!)

However I don't answer the phone while I'm teaching, generally leaving the answering machine to take any message. Sometimes it's tempting to listen in and occasionally I'll excuse myself if I know i'm expecting a fairly urgent family message. But on the whole I treat it as if I am out at work, in which case I wouldn't even hear it, never mind answer it.

I do always return calls as soon as possible, and find no-one objects to not getting an answer the first time round. Also, once they realise you were teaching, parents probably appreciate that you avoid picking up the phone while doing so.

Nowadays, no matter how the initial contact is made, I always want to meet people face to face before agreeing to take them on. I think new clients like that too.