No-access visits cost drive time, a lost slot and a reschedule. They are rarely the customer's bad faith and almost always a gap in the reminder process.
In this article
What a no-access visit costs
A tech drives across town, knocks and nobody answers. Between drive time, a missed slot and the reschedule, one no-access visit can cost a small company well over a hundred dollars. It happens often enough to deserve a written process.
Prevent it the day before
A reminder text the day before with the arrival window, and a request to reply "C" to confirm, catches most problems. No reply means a phone call from the office before the route is set.
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The on-the-way text
A text when the tech leaves the previous job, with a name, photo and ETA, gets people home and gates unlocked. It is the single most effective no-show reducer in residential service.
At the door
Knock, ring and wait a few minutes. Call the customer, then text. Take a time-stamped photo of the front of the house. That photo protects you if the customer later says nobody came.
How long to wait
Set a rule, such as ten to fifteen minutes, and stick to it. Longer waits wreck the rest of the route and punish the customers who were home.
The trip fee
A trip fee for no-access visits is fair if it is stated at booking and in the confirmation. Waive it once for a good customer; charge it for repeat offenders.
Leave a note
A door hanger saying you came, when and how to reschedule turns a wasted visit into a quick rebooking.
What the office says
When the customer calls back, avoid blame: "No problem, we were there at 10:10 and couldn't reach you. Let's find a new time." Then explain the trip fee plainly if it applies. A calm, factual tone keeps the customer and the fee.
Track it
Log every no-access visit. If one tech or one time window has more than others, the fix is in the process, not the customer.
Where to start
Add a trip fee line to your booking terms and turn on on-the-way texts in your field service software.
Every wasted trip is lost margin.
We help service businesses fill the calendar and keep it full, from lead to finished job.
Frequently asked questions
Should I charge a fee when the customer is not home?
A trip fee is fair when it is stated at booking and in the confirmation. Document the visit with a time-stamped photo, waive it once for a good customer and charge it for repeat no-access visits.