How do you reduce no-shows in your salon or clinic?

You reduce no-shows mainly by making it easy for clients to turn up, or to cancel in time. Send automatic reminders, let clients reschedule themselves, fill freed-up slots from a waiting list and explain your cancellation policy before people book. A deposit or no-show fee can help, but there are rules: in the Netherlands the fee has to be reasonable and the client has to know about it in advance.

An empty chair costs you twice. Your practitioner's time is gone, and someone else would often have been glad to take that slot. In the reviews we carry out, it is rarely down to one thing. Usually it adds up: no reminder, cancelling is only possible by phone during opening hours, and the client did not know you had a cancellation policy.

1. Let clients book online

If you still schedule appointments by phone or through Instagram messages, you probably have no automatic confirmation or reminder either. We regularly come across practices with no online booking system at all. Everything then depends on someone remembering to call or text, and on a busy day that is the first thing to slip.

A booking system records the appointment with the client's email address and phone number, sends confirmations and reminders by itself and lets clients pick a new time. Link from your website and Google Business Profile straight to the right treatment.

2. Confirm straight away, with everything in it

Send a confirmation immediately after booking with the date, time, treatment, address, the practitioner's name and anything the client needs to know or do beforehand. Add a link to save the appointment to their calendar and a link to reschedule or cancel.

Put your cancellation policy in the confirmation too, in plain language. Then it is no surprise when you refer to it later.

3. Remind at the right time, through the right channel

A common setup is one reminder a few days ahead and a short one the day before. Send the first well before the point where free cancellation ends. If it arrives after that, it is too late to give the slot to someone else.

Pick the channel your clients actually read:

• Email: suits the confirmation with all the details, preparation and your cancellation policy.
• SMS: short and readable without an app, useful for the reminder the day before.
• WhatsApp: personal and easy to reply to. WhatsApp's business policy requires that the client gave you their number and agreed to receive messages from you. Ask for this when they book, with a separate box that is not ticked in advance.
• Phone: for a first appointment or a long treatment, a quick call the day before can still make the difference.

Keep reminders clean. The consent rules described by the Dutch consumer authority ACM concern advertising and promotional messages. Add an offer to your reminder and the message may count as advertising. If you also want to send clients promotions, set that up separately and have it checked if you are unsure.

4. Make rescheduling easier than staying away

A client who wants to cancel but has to phone during opening hours puts it off, and sometimes simply does not show up. So include a link in every reminder that lets the client choose a new time. A rescheduled appointment is not a lost appointment, and you find out in time that a slot is opening up.

Some practices let a WhatsApp or phone assistant handle rescheduling outside opening hours, through a link with the booking system. That can be useful, but start with the basics: a rescheduling link that works and messages that someone answers quickly.

5. Fill freed-up slots from a waiting list

A cancellation only costs you money if the slot stays empty. Keep a waiting list per treatment of clients who would like to come sooner, and let your booking system message them as soon as something opens up. Whoever books first gets the slot.

A fixed link with last-minute slots works too, for example in your Instagram bio or in a message to regular clients who opted in. And match your advertising to your diary: put budget behind treatments that still have space and scale back where you are filling up.

6. State your cancellation policy before people book

Decide until when clients can reschedule or cancel free of charge and what happens if they do not turn up. Show this on your website, on the booking screen before the client confirms, and in the confirmation. Keep it short and friendly, for example: 'You can reschedule or cancel free of charge up to [period] in advance. If you do not come and have not cancelled, we charge [amount].'

Can you ask for a deposit or a no-show fee?

A deposit when booking online, or storing a payment card, makes an appointment feel more definite to many people. There are rules, though. In its guidance for businesses on cancellation and terms and conditions, the ACM says, among other things:

• You may charge reasonable cancellation costs for work already done, materials ordered or loss of income.
• Include this in your terms and conditions, if you have them.
• Give consumers all the required information about cancelling your service before the purchase.
• Tell clients which terms and conditions you use before or at the moment they book. If you only provide them afterwards, the ACM says the client can void all of them.

What counts as reasonable is not a fixed amount. A fee higher than what you actually lose is hard to defend. When someone books online, rules for distance selling also apply, such as a cooling-off period. So have your terms and deposit policy checked by a lawyer or your trade association before you start using them.

If your clinic works with a consultation first, also think about what happens when the consultation shows that a treatment is not suitable. Make clear in your terms what happens to a deposit in that case.

Track where it goes wrong

Record no-shows and late cancellations separately in your booking system. Look at them per treatment, per time slot and per channel the client booked through. You will see whether the problem sits mainly with new clients, with one treatment or on certain days, and whether your reminders are working.

The next step

• Switch on online booking for your main treatments and link straight to it.
• Set up a confirmation and two reminders, with a rescheduling link.
• Ask for separate WhatsApp consent at booking if you use that channel.
• Start a waiting list per treatment.
• Write down your cancellation policy, have it checked and show it before clients confirm.

Want help setting this up? Book the free Clinic Scan, a no-obligation growth plan tailored to your business. Thomas gives you a short call first with a few questions, we carry out a full analysis across nine areas, and in a 30-minute meeting you get that analysis and a tailored proposal. You are also free to carry out the plan yourself.

Frequently asked questions

When should you send an appointment reminder?

There is no fixed rule. A common setup is one reminder a few days ahead, well before the free cancellation deadline, and a short reminder the day before.

Do I need consent to send a reminder on WhatsApp?

Yes. WhatsApp's business policy requires that the client gave you their number and agreed to receive messages from you. Ask for this when they book and keep reminders free of offers.

Can I charge a client who does not turn up?

According to the Dutch ACM, you may charge reasonable cancellation costs, for example for loss of income, if you make this clear in advance and include it in your terms and conditions. If in doubt, have your policy checked by a lawyer.