We all have clients that don’t show up for their appointments. Incredibly aggravating, these dreaded no-shows not only cause a loss of momentum for your workday but also cost the salon in both operating expenses and lost revenue. That appointment is nearly impossible to fill last minute or to recapture that loss financially. And to make matters worse, you know the client will likely try to and squeeze back into your schedule, becoming aggravated if they can’t be accommodated.
No-shows are a more significant problem than we all want to admit, but until recently there has been no remedy for the situation. Before looking into a solution, let’s dive deeper into the problem itself to examine why no-shows happen.
We’ve all heard every excuse imaginable as to why a client is late – from meetings that ran late to horrific traffic, even a smattering of personal issues; the list seems endless. Unfortunately, some client tardiness comes with the territory, as there will always be circumstances outside of their control.
However, no-shows seem to land in a different category. In most cases, the client simply forgets the appointment or confuses it with a different day or time. Even in our electronic world, some clients still enter wrong information on their calendars or become side-tracked during their busy day.
The solution to the perpetual no-show problem comes down to effective communication with your clients. Whether done by staff or online, sending an appointment confirmation email or text to the client is always crucial. This procedure lets them know that their appointment has been scheduled and confirms the services for that booking.
As a reminder, follow up emails and/or texts should also be sent closer to the appointment: once a couple of days before and another a few hours before the appointment. If a client forgets their appointment, sending a reminder a couple of days ahead gives them the opportunity to rearrange their schedule as needed, while a reminder the day of the appointment helps urge customers to be on time.
A handful of clients will end up canceling and rebooking, which may or may not be accommodated by the service provider’s schedule. However, we’d all prefer notice of cancellation so the open spot can be filled by someone else rather than be surprised by schedule change the day of the appointment.
To start the process of minimizing no-shows, look to salon and spa management software that offers communication features that are automatic. That means automated email and text confirmations and reminders, based on how the client prefers to receive information. The automation makes the process easy. Without causing more work for your busy staff, it will help to minimize your clients coming in late, as well as the number of no-shows. That you can take to the bank!
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