Top 10 tips on how to eliminate no-shows and last minute cancellations in your practice

No-shows and cancellations are a problem for any business.

How can we as massage therapists protect our business from the losses involved when our patients fail to appear?

We have seen this question crop up repeatedly and is perhaps one of the biggest frustrations you will encounter in the day to day running of your therapy business. So we've gathered the best tips, based on our own experience and from speaking with you our customers, to support massage therapists with this frustrating problem!  

As massage therapists, we will all be at different stages of our business. For some of you, a few of these tricks and tips might be familiar but may have a new angle or approach you haven’t tried. As clients come and go and as the pace of life gets faster and habits change, what has worked for previous and current clients may not work for your new clients coming onto the books. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain by reviewingyour policies now!

By the end of these ten tips, you will have an arsenal of tricks to be able to reduce no-shows and cancellations, work with great clients and protect the bottom line of your massage therapy business.

1. Write a clear and concise cancellation policy

If you are starting out your career as a massage therapist, your first step should be to create a concise cancellation policy for your business. This can take many forms and you need to decide which route feels best for you.

If you have already been in the massage therapy business a while, it is worth taking the time to reflect on whether your cancellation policy is clear and concise. Having a complicated cancellation policy is the quickest way to anger clients and lose their business. Or if you are finding it difficult to enforce your policy in its’ current form, it might be time to switch up your approach.

For example, your policy might include;

• Allowing clients to reschedule their appointments up until 24 hours before. Possibly the easiest policy to implement, it displays an element of goodwill to your customers and greatly reduces no-shows.   

• Charging a flat fee for any appointments cancelled within less than 24 hours. Charge a smaller amount such as £10-20 for cancellations where you receive notice and increase this for no-shows. This will deter no-shows but shouldn’t scare any potential clients away.

• Charging between 50-100% of the cost of the treatment for any cancellations within 24 hours and no-shows.

• Charging a flat fee for no-shows and enforcing a deposit for future appointments if the client has cancelled or not turned up once already.

• Removing clients from your books who have 2 or more no-shows within a year.

• Asking new clients, especially those who are not a referral from an existing client, to prepay for their appointments or pay a deposit.

Once you iron out your cancellation policy make sure you display it in several ways, so clients can be sure you mean business!

Have a dedicated page for your cancellation policy on your website, display it clearly on the walls in your clinic and waiting room, add it to the bottom of emails you send out to confirm appointments and include it in any induction forms. The policy may be too long for s single SMS or WhatsApp message but you can text the client a link to the cancellation policy on your website. Most importantly, confirm verbally with the new client that they have read and understand your cancellation policy.

Now your cancellation policy is in place what can you do to make sure you can implement it effectively and reduce no-shows and last minute cancellations for your massage business?

2. Take a deposit

Taking a deposit can be a little nerve-wracking but by securing a deposit not only do you reduce the risk of no-shows you also demonstrate the value of your time and expertise. Have confidence in the value of your work and keep the conversation light. People can tell when you are nervous or stressed and there is no reason for this practice to be seen as abnormal. If a client pushes back, calmly explain that you require a deposit as a reservation so the time slot cannot be taken by another client.

3. Take Credit Card details

If you are too nervous about taking a deposit or your clients don’t take well to this approach an alternative can be to request card details simply to reserve the space.

You can then point to your cancellation policy and reassure clients these details are taken to enable you to enforce this policy. Most clients will be happy to provide these details having already agreed to your cancellation policy.

4. Reconfirm your massage appointments

Set aside time in your schedule to call clients to remind them of appointments in the coming days. Without scheduling this time in, it is easy for this task to fall off your to-do list and for you to miss the opportunity to catch any potential cancellations or no-shows.

Calls are definitely the most effective way to check in with clients, but if you are really struggling to find the time you can use a service likeText Magic orAppointfixto both automate and personalise reminder text messages.

So your client is booked in and you have

but you still end up with a no-show or a last minute cancellation!

What else can you do to make sure clients respect your business and keep their massage appointments?

5. Send a follow-up message

Everyone makes mistakes or can have circumstances that change unexpectedly. Being understanding will help weed out the clients who don’t respect your time and those who have had a genuine issue with attending their appointment. Send your client a quick message to check in, wish them well and gently remind them of your appointment. Mention they will be charged in accordance with your cancellation policy and encourage them to be in touch to reschedule.

6. Enforce your cancellation policy

When enforcing your businesses’ cancellation policy, what works for one massage therapist and their clients might not work for you.

Follow your gut as to what you feel is fair and will work best for your massage therapy business. Take care to approach each situation calmly, trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to be firm!  

However, there may be situations where you want to make an exception….

For example, if a great client has a bereavement, illness or a situation beyond their control it might be worth cutting them some slack. Express your sympathy, gently point out the usual cancellation policy and then explain the reasons why you will make an exception on this occasion. Make sure the client is aware that this is directly linked to them being such a fantastic customer and the unusual circumstances.

7. Incentivise prepaid appointments

It goes without saying that when clients have already paid towards their appointments they are far more likely to attend!

Offering a promotion or incentive to clients to prepay when booking their appointments can greatly reduce your number of no-shows and create opportunities to build customer loyalty. You could offer your customers;

• A reduction in treatment cost by 5-10% if they prepay.
• A series of treatments at a reduced price or with an added bonus. For example, prepay for 5 treatments and receive 10% discount or an extra 15 minutes to add on to one of your treatments.
• If you have a room within your clinic or time within your schedule for clients to relax after their treatment you can offer them extra time if they prepay for their appointments.

8. Be more conscientious with your scheduling.

Sometimes a simple scheduling issue can be the reason behind annoying no-shows and cancellations! 

Look for any signs the appointment might not be at the best time for the client? If your customer displays any hesitation, offer another time or arrange to call to check in that the time is still suitable. Also, where it is appropriate, try to schedule your clients’ appointment for as soon as possible. This is especially important with new clients, the longer the wait till the next appointment, the more likely they will forget. Also appearing like you are trying to fit people in as soon as you can is a great show of customer service!

It is important to check in and survey your clients from time to time to make sure your office hours suit their schedules. One reason for no-shows and cancellations can be that clients are struggling to meet your opening hours.

Finally, it is crucial to keep waiting times down to a minimum. If clients feel like their time is not respected they are not likely to respect yours. 

9. Get personal

As we have already seen in our‘How to grow your massage therapy business in 2019’blog post, personalisation is key in 2019. Developing personal connections with your clients’ is not only a great way to grow and expand your massage therapy business it is also brilliant for reducing no-shows and cancellations. When a client feels a personal connection to you as their massage therapist they are less likely to disrespect your time.  

• Use MailChimp to send out a newsletter keeping patients up to date with any important events.
• Send personalised messages over holidays like Christmas or Easter.
• Get in touch with a promotion for client’s birthdays like a 10% discount or an extra 15 minutes free when they book their treatment.

10. Show your gratitude

Great clients are something to be truly grateful for! Show your appreciation to customers who arrive on time for their appointments. Let them know how much it means to you that they respect your time and you can even offer a reward as a thank you.

Offering a small discount off their next appointment, arranging a raffle for a gift card or setting up a loyalty card system where clients receive bonus time after 10 appointments, are all great ways to treat your best customers and maintain their loyalty to your massage therapy business.

We would love to hear how you get on with these tricks and tips!

Is there anything you are doing differently that you would like to share with and to help your fellow therapists?

Which method has the greatest effect on the number of no-shows and cancellations for your massage therapy business! 

Let us know and share in the comments below!