11 ways to prevent no-shows in your beauty salon

In the beauty industry, no-shows and last-minute cancellations are unfortunately part of the game, they’re bound to happen due to emergencies and human error. This is why it’s imperative you have a 24-hour cancellation policyin place, otherwise it means,. wasted treatment time and loss of revenue. 

Here’s 11 ways you can successfully handle no-show appointments in your salon, reducing the financial impact these have on your company. 

1. Have a policy in place. Your no-show and cancellation policy should be written down and available for all to see
   
   
2. Implement a fee, take a deposit or ask for advance payment
   
   
3. Give clients an appointment card with the cancellation policy clearly visible 
   
   
4. Encourage clients to set up an alert for the appointment on their mobile
   
   
5. Use multiple automated reminder methods, such as emails and text alerts, to make clients aware of their upcoming appointment
    
6. Check up on no-show clients with a phone call and make a decision on the reason behind it. Was it a time-bound new mum who really wanted to come but couldn’t find childcare or a frequent business traveller who had to jet off for work last minute? Use your discretion when making a decision on what to do
   
   
7. Make written notes in the client’s record for each cancellation so you can see if they’re a serial offender 
   
   
8. Warn your team if there is a pattern happening with a certain client, or if you feel someone is not accessible or responsive to pre-confirm their appointment, then take the necessary steps to prevent this from occurring again
   
   
9. Send out regular alerts to your client base about the cancellation policy. Explain that if they can’t make it then someone else could make use of the time, emphasising the importance of consideration for other people. Sometimes a gentle nudge or reminder is enough
   
   
10. Allow and prioritise pre-paid appointments compared to unpaid ones
     
11. Follow a missed appointment with a “sorry we missed you” message.

What’s your top tip? Leave your comment below. 

In the beauty industry, no-shows and last-minute cancellations are unfortunately part of the game, they’re bound to happen due to emergencies and human error. This is why it’s imperative you have a 24-hour cancellation policyin place, otherwise it means,. wasted treatment time and loss of revenue. 

Here’s 11 ways you can successfully handle no-show appointments in your salon, reducing the financial impact these have on your company. 

1. Have a policy in place. Your no-show and cancellation policy should be written down and available for all to see
   
   
2. Implement a fee, take a deposit or ask for advance payment
   
   
3. Give clients an appointment card with the cancellation policy clearly visible 
   
   
4. Encourage clients to set up an alert for the appointment on their mobile
   
   
5. Use multiple automated reminder methods, such as emails and text alerts, to make clients aware of their upcoming appointment
    
6. Check up on no-show clients with a phone call and make a decision on the reason behind it. Was it a time-bound new mum who really wanted to come but couldn’t find childcare or a frequent business traveller who had to jet off for work last minute? Use your discretion when making a decision on what to do
   
   
7. Make written notes in the client’s record for each cancellation so you can see if they’re a serial offender 
   
   
8. Warn your team if there is a pattern happening with a certain client, or if you feel someone is not accessible or responsive to pre-confirm their appointment, then take the necessary steps to prevent this from occurring again
   
   
9. Send out regular alerts to your client base about the cancellation policy. Explain that if they can’t make it then someone else could make use of the time, emphasising the importance of consideration for other people. Sometimes a gentle nudge or reminder is enough
   
   
10. Allow and prioritise pre-paid appointments compared to unpaid ones
     
11. Follow a missed appointment with a “sorry we missed you” message.

What’s your top tip? Leave your comment below.