How To Manage Last-Minute Cancellations and No-Show Clients

You’re prepping for the perfect service, envisioning a client’s new look, and getting your products in place. Then, your client shoots you a text: “Can’t make it, sorry!” Or worse – they no-show without a heads-up at all. 

Some say beauty is pain, but your appointment book doesn’t have to hurt. Here are savvy strategies for dealing with last-minute cancellations and no-shows to keep your business running smoothly.

Why Do Beauty and Wellness Clients Cancel at the Last Minute?

Last-minute cancellations are frustrating, but clients often have a good reason for not showing up. Here are four of the most common reasons people cancel last minute:

1. Unexpected illness or injury

Life happens. Sometimes, clients get hit with the flu or twist an ankle – situations that can pop up out of nowhere. In these cases, they’re likely doing you a favor by canceling. You don’t want to catch something contagious or have them risk further injury by limping around your space. It’s better for everyone if they reschedule.

2. Family emergencies

Family emergencies can also strike without warning, and they’re never convenient. When a client faces urgent family matters, their appointment with you is likely the last thing on their mind, which can lead to no-shows. Since these moments are beyond a client’s control, it’s important to be flexible and sensitive. A little compassion goes a long way toward building lasting trust and loyalty.

3. Weather conditions

The weather can change on a dime. Heavy rains and snowstorms sometimes make it risky or impossible for clients to travel to appointments, leading to last-minute cancellations out of their control. The good news is that if the weather is the problem, it’s easy to reschedule as soon as it lets up.

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4. Busy schedules

Life’s hustle and bustle sometimes means clients double-book or run out of time. If a surprise meeting, urgent deadline, or unexpected event crops up, they might need to cancel without enough warning. Don’t stress – they’ll be back when their schedule gets more predictable.

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4 Ways to Prevent Last-Minute Cancellations

Regardless of your client’s reasoning, last-minute cancellations are a drag. Here are four strategies to reduce those unexpected gaps in your schedule:

1. Share your cancellation policy

Clearly communicate your cancellation policy when clients book appointments. If you want them to give you at least 24 hours' notice, let them know – and mention any cancellation fees you might charge. Setting these ground rules up front encourages clients to respect your time.

Sharing a cancellation policy doesn’t have to feel awkward. With a GlossGenius booking page, you can clearly list the rules for every prospective client to see and make sure they agree when they make an appointment. This way, fees and guidelines don’t feel so personal. They’re standard parts of the booking process.

2. Require a deposit

When clients schedule a time slot, require a deposit to secure it. This small upfront payment shows a commitment to their appointment and discourages no-shows – because nobody wants to purposely forfeit a deposit. A little extra cash coming your way also helps offset the losses if clients cancel last minute.

You don’t have to require a deposit for every kind of appointment. If someone’s asking for a quick, low-cost service like a simple brow wax, asking for a deposit might come across as excessive. It’s best to reserve them for more involved services, especially if they’re expensive or time-consuming. 

3. Send appointment reminders

A day or two before any appointment, send a reminder via email – or, better yet, via text message. Keep it simple and friendly. You can use software like GlossGenius to send automated reminders. Or, you can follow a message template like this:

Hey [Client’s Name]! This is a reminder about your appointment with us tomorrow at [time]. Looking forward to seeing you!

Another option is to send appointment confirmation messages. These ask clients whether they’ll be able to make their appointment and encourage them to reschedule if they can’t. Make confirmations as easy as possible, and send them with enough time so that clients can avoid fees if they need to reschedule. For example, send a confirmation a week before the appointment and ask the client to text back “Yes” to confirm or “Reschedule” if they need to make changes.

4. Make it easy to reschedule

Offer user-friendly options to rebook, like an online appointment system, mobile app, or quick phone call. When clients can easily adjust appointments, they’ll make changes promptly instead of waiting until the last minute. 

This also helps you keep your appointment book full. When a client reschedules a few days or weeks beforehand, you have enough time to fill their spot and avoid losing out on income.

How To Manage Last-Minute Cancellations and No-Shows

No matter how well you prepare, canceled appointments are inevitable. Here are some tips for dealing with them like a pro:

Don’t take it personally

Remember – when clients cancel or no-show, it’s rarely a reflection of you or your services. The fact that they made an appointment with you in the first place shows that they value what you do. But life is unpredictable, and sometimes clients can’t make it when they say they will. Stay positive. Give the clients who do show up a fantastic experience.

Contact the client

When a client doesn’t come in, send a missed appointment message to find out why. Maybe they got sick or had to deal with an emergency. Or maybe there was a mix-up and they didn’t receive the appointment reminders you sent. You need to know if (and where) your wires got crossed to clear up any confusion.

Once you understand the reason behind their absence, offer to reschedule the appointment at a time that works better for them. To avoid future miscommunications, ensure they have all the details for their new appointment, and follow up with a reminder. This reduces the chance that they’ll no-show again. 

Finally, make sure the client understands your cancellation policy. Ideally, it was part of your booking process and they agreed to it originally. But a polite reminder drives home the policy’s importance – and makes sure any cancellation fees aren’t a surprise.

Charge a cancellation fee – or don’t

Charging a cancellation fee protects your time and income. This is especially true for clients who frequently miss appointments with little to no warning. In this case, charging them proves that your time is valuable and discourages future no-shows.

But there may be times when it’s better not to charge someone. Here are two examples:

• They’re a new client: Waiving the fee for new clients is a sign of goodwill that motivates them to come back. Let them know you’ll make a one-time allowance, and give them a chance to build a trusting relationship with you.
• The client sincerely apologizes: If a client apologizes and gives you a valid reason for canceling, don’t charge them. This shows them you understand and want to maintain a positive relationship.

Mark the client as a no-show

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Make a note to yourself whenever a client misses their appointment without prior notice. This helps you pick up on patterns and enforce stricter policies in the future. 

We recommend considering a three-strikes-you’re-out policy for habitual no-shows. This way, clients have a fair chance to improve their behavior – while protecting your time and resources from repeated disruptions. Marking no-shows as they happen makes it easy to keep track of how many strikes each client has.

Create a waitlist

Having a client waitlist in place is a smart way to handle last-minute cancellations. When a spot opens up, you can quickly fill it with clients who are eager to get in. This is a win-win for everyone: You keep your appointment book full, and clients who missed out on an earlier slot get a chance to reschedule sooner.

With GlossGenius, it’s easy to create and manage a waitlist. You can even invite clients to fill an empty slot in your schedule automatically. Just enable client notifications, select the appointment time you want to fill, and let the fastest person claim a spot in your chair.

Avoid No-Shows with GlossGenius

No show? No problem. GlossGenius’ all-in-one platform has solutions for every beauty and wellness business. With a powerful Online Booking functionality and No-Show Protection, you can optimize your schedule with the touch of a button. Plus, we make it easy to organize client notes (including missed appointments) and charge cancellation fees whenever you need them.

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