Crafting Your Cancellation Policy

It is a fact of life that clients are going to miss appointments. Generally this is not a malicious act, just the product of our clients hectic lives and sometimes being so overwhelmed by the things at hand that they forget; or intend to, but forget to call and cancel. However there are those people who will consistently and repeatedly abuse your good will. It is because of and for the purpose of dealing with these people that we must develop some sort of cancellation policy.

Regardless of what it is you should have a policy and everyone working in the salon should know what it is and understand how it works. It is also important that clients are aware of the policy. Having them sign a cancellation policy statement when they fill out their initial client record is a good way to make sure they see your policy and acknowledge it. You might also consider making the policy progressively more onerous so that the first no-show warrants a warning, the second instance involves a fine and the third would result in loss of service.

There are several ways to deal with repeated no-shows, following are a few.

·     Require a credit card number to secure an appointment. Inform the client that the card will not be charged unless they no-show.
 

·     Create a no-show database/list. Each time a client doesn’t show up on time, without a legitimate excuse, log it in the no-show database. Three strikes and you refuse to make appointments for them. I know you need the business, but you have to remember these people aren’t making you money, they are costing you money. You are really better off filling their slot with a client who respects your time and shows up when they are supposed to.
 

·     Institute a no-show fine that will be added to the client’s next visit. You don’t have to charge for the full value of the service, but up to 50% is a legitimate fee. When they don’t show they are costing you at least half the service price in lost business.
 

·     If you really want to be hard-nosed you can just refuse to provide service to anyone who no shows at any time. If you are really busy this is not such a harsh penalty. Remember they cost you money, that’s almost as bad as stealing it from you.

Ultimately you know your clients and you know which ones are habitual offenders. If the policy is written properly it can give you cover and some latitude in how you enforce it. i.e. if someone is constantly late you could jump right to the fine, or refuse to serve them. The primary objective in developing a cancellation policy is to reduce lost sales and you should always keep that in mind.

Also in developing your cancellation policy you should invite the input of your stylists and staff. By doing this you keep everyone in the loop and you never know one of your employees may come up with an idea that solves the problem in a more eloquent way than those I have suggested.

Pro Salon Solutions
pro-salon.com
Dallas, Texas 75248
phone: 469-441-8771