3 steps to reducing cancellations by 86%

Leaf Hairdressing had a problem! They were getting no-shows and cancellations.

They were not able to fill the empty slot which meant they lost money even though they still had to pay rent, overheads etc.

Staff were losing out on commission & wages so they were unhappy.

The owners were losing profit so they were unhappy.

Ruby stepped up to put an end to it

Here's how she did it....

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Clear Cancellation Policy

A clear cancellation policy is critical. You need clear rules so clients know what to expect and so business does not lose out.

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Ruby says that a cancellation policy should contain 4 important elements:

• Timing: how many hours before the appointment can clients cancel. Most salons say 48 hours.
• Policy: what happens if a client cancels within 48 hours? Do they get charged a no-show fee or cancellation fee?
• Deposits: do you require a deposit?
• How flexible are you on late arrivals?

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You should also include other important information about how to cancel; contact details; when a client should arrive etc

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Click HERE for cancellation policy templates for your business.

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Ruby and the team decided what policy would work for them and their clients and then they communicated it!

Client Communication

Whether it is a price change or new policies, clear communication is so important.

Your new policy needs to be displayed and available at every touch point in the customer journey.

Ruby recommends displaying it on:

• Your website
• Your LinkTree on social media
• On your price list
• In your salon window
• On the counter top in salon

This way a client can never say they were not aware of the policy.

How can Slick help?

Slick's customisable online booking will allow you to display your cancellation policy when clients book online. By making a booking they will have accepted your policy.

This can be set in your Online Booking settings

Secondly, Slick can send your clients a reminder of your cancellation policy using the Bolt On feature.

This is a customisable message that goes out alongside the clients usual Appointment Reminder.

It ensures that your cancellation policy is clear to clients and can be customised for your business.

Slick salons that have started sending their Cancellation Policy as part of their reminder have reduced cancellations by 30%

So if you have £2000 of cancellations a month, thats an extra £600 in your till!

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Taking deposits

Also known as your insurance policy.

You sell time to clients. If a client cancels or no-shows, Slick data shows that only 11% of cancellations are re-filled.

That means 89% of those bookings generate £0 earnings for you or your staff.

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Taking a deposit is an insurance policy.

You get some of the client bill upfront and if the client cancels or no-shows then you have protected some of your staff wages.

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"If a client doesn't want to pay a deposit then that's a red flag for me. If you're planning on attending, why would you have a problem paying a % upfront". Ruby, Leaf Hairdressing

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What is more important?

Paying your wages or your staff wages or introducing a small change to your clients?

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Ruby implemented a 50% deposit policy

• They take 50% deposits online
• For phone appointments, they use the SMS request deposit function to allow clients to pay securely

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Staff are trained to explain to clients that they have a new policy that requires them to take a deposit to secure the booking.

Ruby's exact script they use can be found here

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If you're worried about certain clients then Slick is flexible enough to allow you to only request in-salon deposits from certain clients e.g colour or new clients.

The results are instant! At Slick, we've seen the average salon who takes deposits reduce their cancellations & no-shows by 70%

Leaf Hairdressing now have one of the lowest cancellation rates in the UK all thanks to Ruby's 3 steps

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If you want to see how much more you could earn then you can calculate your potential earnings below! 👇👇👇

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This article is for educational purposes and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. For specific advice applicable to your business, please contact a professional.