What to do about a problem like a no-show

Sure, you might be able to put the empty time from your no-shows to good use with a bit of admin or tidying, but that requires you to change mental gears. You were expecting to be chatting with a client and doing your thing, not folding towels!

The stages of realizing a client is a no-show:

Hope

Surely they haven’t forgotten. They just made the appointment last week. There’s still time for them to show.

Denial

Pull out your phone and text them, if you have their number.

Acceptance

Realize that you can either stare hopefully at the door for the next 50 minutes, or you can accept reality and try to do something constructive with that time instead. Mark them as a no-show.

Anger

Grumpily clean, resenting every folded towel and swept up hair.

Distraction

Look at your coworkers with their clients, chatting it up and having a grand old time. That will be you again.

Some day.

This cycle of despair illustrated above is why we set up automatic reminders in Timely.

Based on data from our customers (totally anonymous, by the way!) we found that on average, there are 50% fewer no-shows if you’ve enabled client reminders.

That means you could cut your no-shows in half overnight, just by sending reminders.

Of course, the key is automated reminders. Otherwise you’re spending extra time texting everyone on your list by hand, which is just a different way of losing time from your day. Set and forget client reminders are a consistent fave that our customers mention when we’re chatting.

“Having the ability to send text reminders to our customers’ phones has cut down on missed appointments drastically!” – Vanessa McCormick, My Body Organic

“However, since using Timely my ‘no shows’ and last minute cancellations have been reduced so dramatically that I am now able to work 4 days a week instead of 5 and yet maintain the same level of turnover.” – Caroline Tyler, Caroline Tyler Consulting

“The percentage of “no-shows” is now nearly non existent!” – Theresa Joyce, Heavenly Beauty

We swear not a single one of those people were paid to say those lovely things. If you’re not on automatic reminders yet…why not??

Let’s take a serious, in-depth look at the emotional stages of a no-show when you’ve got reminders.

Contentment

Your client has showed up, because they got a two-way SMS yesterday about their upcoming appointment. They realized they’d forgotten, quickly rearranged their lunch plans, responded ‘Y’ to the text, and showed up today on time. They are content and so are you.

And that is the end of the cycle.

Reminders are not only convenient for your client, but they portray a level of professionalism. You’re running a business and you expect them there on time! Don’t settle for less.

Reminders: get ’em.