Say goodbye to forgotten appointments
Whether you run a hair salon, a beauty salon or a spa, forgotten appointments are unfortunately part of everyday life. A forgotten appointment is lost time you could have spent on another client.
In the end, the lost revenue for your salon can be significant. For example, for a salon with 1 forgotten appointment a day at an average value of €30, that would mean €750 in lost revenue per month, or €9,000 per year.
Fortunately, there are effective ways to reduce no-shows. Here are a few ideas to help you cut down on forgotten appointments.
Confirm your appointments and send reminders
Against forgotten appointments, nothing works better than reminders. Every booking should come with a confirmation by email and, ideally, by text message.
Then, an appointment reminder sent the day before lets your client refresh her memory and plan it properly into the next day.
Besides being useful for you, the confirmation is seen by your client as a professional touch. Feel free to include your contact details and your website address: a reminder is also an opportunity to communicate.
Also, avoid as much as possible appointments booked too far in advance, because your clients are more likely to forget them. If you can’t avoid it, make sure you send them a reminder by email or text message the day before or a few days before to refresh their memory.
Test how effective appointment reminders are with the RDV360 automatic sending module, see here
Make it easy to cancel and reschedule appointments
Making cancellation easy for your clients may seem counterproductive. But would you rather have a cancellation or a no-show?
It’s always better for the client to let you know. With your slot freed up, you can use it for another client, and you can reschedule a new appointment with your client right away.
By making cancellation easy, you increase your chances of being told that the client won’t come.
To do this, be understanding with your clients. Encourage them to let you know as early as possible (e.g. appointment reminders the day before or a few days before). Thank the clients who cancel far enough in advance.
Online appointment management is also an excellent tool to make booking and cancelling smoother. Don’t go without it: the tool is free on RDV360, see here. When your clients know they can cancel and then reschedule their appointment at any time without bothering you, they have no excuse left not to let you know.
Reduce the impact of no-shows on your business
If you still get a few forgotten appointments despite everything, think about ways to put that time to good use. Here, it all depends on how you’re organized, but there are often tasks you can schedule into these quiet moments (restocking, cashing up, tidying, cleaning equipment…).