When I was a physical therapist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital I worked with patients of Dr. Perry Schoenecker. Dr. Schoenecker recognized some parents were having difficulty bringing their children to office appointments. He responded with a midnight clinic. Kids would be in the waiting room sleeping in their pajamas until they were called back. Entire families would be there together. Legend has it that the no-show rate for the midnight clinic was close to zero.
I am certain that the midnight clinic was rough on the lives on staff. I am certain there were grumbles and push back from staff. But it met the needs of the customer.
I see some established clients on Sundays because they cannot get their schedules to match mine during the week. When I started my practice I worked late two nights a week. I missed out on being Vice President of the Eastern District of the Missouri Physical Therapy Association because of this. Meetings were once a month on Tuesday night. I was starting TheraPlus and chose my business instead. As we had more children and my life changed I modified my schedule to be more family friendly. My wife wants me to drop Sundays but I have clients who need that time.
I am scheduled to get my Covid-19 vaccination next week. Appointment times were between 9 and 4. I understand that vaccine supply is limited but why are vaccinations not being administered over two or three shifts instead of one. Hopefully as vaccine supply improves, appointment times will be available to match people’s schedules.
Take a hard, critical look at your business and try to identify gaps and unmet customer need. Filling those gaps might be what your business needs to grow and succeed.