Reduce NO-SHOWS

Protect client relationships and reduce no-shows by up to 60% by implementing deposits and cancellation fees through Fresha

Beauty salons and spa businesses are aware that no-shows and late cancellations present a real threat to income and profit – it’s an industry-wide problem that costs the global beauty industry millions in lost revenue. Fresha’s free appointment reminders, online card protections, booking confirmation notifications, and its new deposits feature, are successfully reversing this trend by reducing no-shows and late cancellations by as much as 60%.

Fresha offers five top tips to protect your beauty or spa business from the effect of no-shows and late cancellations.

1. Create a fair cancellation and no-show policy

Create a cancellation policy that’s fair to you and your clients and reflects the scale of the problem for your business. Publish it on your website, and when clients book an appointment via Fresha, it can be clearly displayed at the “confirm with a card” stage. Ursula Moore, owner of Bond Shoreditch in London, gives clients the option to cancel up to 48 hours before their appointment for free, while charging 30% for late cancellations and 50% for not showing up. This policy has resulted in just three no-shows in the past 18 months.

2. Send appointment confirmation notifications and reminders

Fresha’s automated email and SMS confirmation reminders are a great way to remind clients about their appointment, and your cancellation policy. They also give clients time to cancel or reschedule without being charged.

3. Take a deposit

Fresha’s new deposits feature invites clients to pay a deposit to secure their appointment. Deposits are deducted from their bill at the payment stage, and if a client doesn’t show up, salons and spas can retain the deposit as a no-show charge.

4. Be flexible and understanding

A loyal client not turning up might indicate a genuine reason or problem, so communicate with them and respond to unforeseen circumstances fairly and sympathetically.

5. Take action to manage repeat offenders

If some clients continually fail to show up, Fresha partners can prevent them from booking online. This gives salons a last resort level of protection after every other option has been exhausted.

The cost of no-shows

Just eight missed appointments per week from an average client spend of £50 could cost over £17,000 in lost income annually, and with almost a quarter of cancellations occurring on the day, resolving this issue can significantly improve your business outlook. Fresha chief executive and founder William Zeqiri says: “Fresha has already processed more than 250 million appointments worldwide for its 60,000 hair, beauty and wellness partners. Reducing the scale of this issue is a priority, and we’re achieving amazing loss reductions with feature innovations.”

Discover more and join Fresha for free fresha.com/for-business