How to set up the perfect booking reminder

Booking reminders are a great way to manage your clients. They massively reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations; they show you are organised and professional, and they reassure your clients that their booking is secure

Getting your booking reminder set up is simple when you know how - so we’ve put our top tips together so you can get started with your reminders as soon as possible.

When to send your reminder

Over the years, our research has shown that 2 days before the client’s booking is the best time to remind them. It gives the client enough notice to keep the appointment in the front of their mind; enough time to reschedule other plans if they’ve double booked or reschedule with you; but not so long that they will forget again!

If the client does need to reschedule, two days gives you enough time to fill the slot again. If you want tips on how to fill your last-minute slots, check out how to fill last-minute booking cancellations.

While there is still massive value in sending these reminders manually for your appointments, there are many pieces of software you can use to do it for you so you can be consistent (The Salon App is one of these pieces of software).

Non-negotiable content

As always our number one golden rule is to address the client by name. Studies show it increases good feeling towards your brand and your client knows you are speaking to them specifically about something they need to know about.

Second, the appointment information should be given confirming the time and date, and potentially the service and team member if you’d like to include it.

If your text service doesn’t already assign your contact ID, include the salon name also.

Optional content that’s highly recommended

As we’ve touched on above, if you can use a text service where you can choose what your business name is going to show as on the customer’s phone even if they don’t have you added as a contact this would be ideal. It’s a great finishing touch that feels professional. These names are restricted to 11 characters so if your business name is longer than that take a minute to come up with an abbreviation that is clear and makes sense, especially to someone unfamiliar with your business yet.

A good thing to include as well is what you want your clients to do if they can’t make it. Texts are charged by their length however including some extra information for clarity could pay off in the long run. Better to use two credits being very clear than waste one trying to skimp - credits are only pennies per appointment so the return on investment saving you from just one no-show or late cancellation is worth it. Include your salon number or whatever channel you want them to contact you on to reschedule or cancel their appointment. You could also include your cancellation policy so if the client has missed this window they can decide if their other plans are worth more than their deposit!

Wrapping up

So these are our tips for your booking reminders: send them two days before; include the client’s name and appointment information, and tell them where to call to contact. Implementing this simple tool can revolutionise your daily encounters with no-shows and cancellations.

To find out more about running reminders in The Salon App, get in touch!