Will Calls

[dischargecomplete]

how do you handle will calls, we seem to get the guys who order early morning mud, so we bring in the appropriate drivers at the time (4:00am), then they call and do not firm up the order, they cancel or forget to firm up and don't use it, do you have a certain cut off time for the next day, or maybe charge them a $50.0 will call fee, refunded with purchase of concrete?..
any input would be fine

[Mort]

I think our company has to firm up will calls by noon the previous day. If they don't, no mud. I know with our Teamster contract, for Saturdays they have to have a line drawn by noon Friday, so its a bit more crucial for that.

[gant]

hell i sat around waiting for 2 hours for a will call..we were done with everything else.. then our central dispatch calls down and tells them they are printing some tickets for us and sending us on ST. Louis loads.. 3 of us went to a new casino.. $27.90 or so an hour..

[dwfnga]

We don't have a policy most of our residenal right now is will call. I like the $50 deposit idea I know our Plant manager loses bonus money when he has to many man hour to yard and that would sure cut that back. Plus I hate hanging around when there is nothing to do. I also hate it when somebody orders like 9 or 18 yds late in the afternoon then it runs 45+ I know I can figure concrete better than that just eye balling it.

[concretejoe]

My companys motto is "Our quality on your schedule" and they mean it. Will calls and call backs are part of the business. My advice is to strive to service the customer instead of trying to force the customer to conform to your time frame. Especially in the current market climate. We need to be the best at servicing the customer, not figuring out how to punish the customer for running their business how they see fit.

[Mort]

I remember we had some idiot not firm up his will call for a Saturday, so he got bumped. The main dispatcher was being nice, and it was a really busy Saturday, but he got his concrete anyway, 2 trucks, and that'll probably do it.

Yeah, it went 5 loads, I think. And the job was 35+ miles away. The day of the company cruise.

[grandviewconc]

Will calls just mess everything up. These contractors never plan anything and cant get their asses up in the morning. Its ok when I have 16 drivers sitting around getting paid $18.75 and higher but when my truck is 5 min. late they get all pissed off saying im paying 5 guys to stand around here! Well what comes around goes around buddy! Also it seems the new thing is calling at 9am for a 10am pour, do they really think that in the climax of the season I have guys just sitting around waiting for them, try calling the cable company for a repair they will give a 3 day span of when they might be able to be there. Finally, why are so many wall and footing guys drunk. One pour started at 430 after the trucks sat there for over an hour, cold, in the dark, get the first truck off and wait!!!!! we ran out of beer man, hold the truck for 20 min., go get beer, meanwhile the dispatcher/yard man/ driver are waiting until 8pm to punch out

[gant]

we stick around for them.. we wait for will calls and call backs.. we hold a truck or two till the last truck calls in and says they hda enough

[Yard Bird]

Don't take will calls before 12:00, let the customer know that its company policy, we do it and it works well. Also a will call doesn't mean that their time is exact, they will get it when they do. They will come around in a while and order right when they know their job is ready. This sounds harsh and you might loose a few but overall the savings are better for the company. I was a dispatcher for 10 of 24 years and we had the same problem, finally sales broke down and agreed, you can't afford to loose money these days just because a few customers don't have a clue what they are doing.