Emergency Grooms

[poodlefeet]

I started another thread regarding a skunked newf. This happened on a day that I am closed, at a time that I would rather not be working (5:30PM), but to a very good client, and of course my favorite breed.
I am hb, and my cell phone is my business phone as well as my personal phone, so it is always with me. I’m a bit selective about which calls I will answer when I am closed, but of course a good client will usually have me picking up regardless of day/time.
But it got me wondering. For all who all who have dedicated business phones, whether shop or mobile, are your clients able to reach you for after hours emergency grooms? (This is not an indictment, really just a curiosity about if other business models have a contingency plan for that kind of thing.)

[dogma]

Years and years ago I managed a large boarding kennel. Part of my salary was that we lived on the property rent free.
Oh Heavens!! People would come knocking on the door at all hours. Some would even climb over a 5 foot fence to get on the property!!! I kid you not!
Their reasoning was “We know you live here, and we’re just coming back from the airport (at 10pm!) so we would like to pick up Buffy now. We miss her So Much!”

Of course, the answer was always “No! Come back in the morning!”

When I left that job, and opened up my own business, the ONE thing that I swore is that clients would NEVER have access to my personal life.

Im not a vet. Vets deal with emergencies. Your dog will not die from skunk spray, or anals, or overgrown toenails.

[poodlefeet]

I can readily understand the boarding kennel thing. My sister was absolutely one of those kind that you describe dogma. The strict pickup times frustrated the daylights out of her and she could never quite understand there were reasons for that. But scaling a 5 foot fence? That’s just crazy!

[Countrygrl]

I'm with Dogma on this....I am HB and my biggest fear was losing my private life. I have a designated phone and my customers all know the days and hours I am in my shop. THey are free to leave a message anytime but they know I will not see it til I am open. They are all respectful of my privacy.

[TootsiePie]

I have a separate business phone and only for business. I don't answer in non business hours.

[poodlefeet]

Believe it or not, the idea of putting defined limits on when I answer phones ( like 9-5) never occurred to me.
Initially because I was growing my business and was hungry.
But your replies got me thinking...I am just like my dad. He was a contractor with several employees. He had an office in the house, and the business line was the ONLY line. Which was hard on a teenager ‘in love’ when personal calls were limited to 10 minutes. You could be talking to Pop, the phone would ring, and he would immediately pick it up. Wow. This is like therapy!!!

[poodlefeet]

Oh-we had no voicemail, no answering machines. In those days you paid an answering service to pick up your calls during off hours. Pop paid them but rarely gave them the chance to do their job.