How do salons stop no-shows?
Take a deposit on longer services such as colour, send reminders before every appointment, and make sure your cancellation policy is shown when clients book. Many salon booking tools such as Fresha, Treatwell and Phorest can already do this, so check your settings before you buy anything new.
By Sammy Morgan, who runs M1 Studio in Chichester. Updated .
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- Industry
- Hair and beauty salons
- Problem
- No-shows
- The fix
- Online Booking & Deposits, £1,800
- Do it yourself?
- Yes, the first steps below
Why it happens to hair and beauty salons.
- Long slots, big gaps
- A missed full head of colour leaves a stylist idle for hours, and it’s hard to fill at short notice.
- Bookings by DM and phone
- Clients who book through Instagram messages or a quick call skip the deposit and the automatic reminder.
- Patch tests
- Many salons need a skin test before colour, commonly 48 hours ahead. If the client skips it, the appointment can’t go ahead as planned.
- Settings left off
- Deposits, reminders and cancellation rules are often available in the booking tool but never switched on.
What to do, in order.
Check your booking tool
Look for deposit, reminder and cancellation settings in Fresha, Treatwell, Phorest or whatever you use. Turn them on for colour and long treatments first.
Send DM bookings to your link
Reply with your booking link rather than a time, so every booking gets the deposit and reminders.
Build the patch test in
Book the test and the appointment together, and remind the client about the test as well.
Write a short policy
How much notice you need and what happens to the deposit. Show it at booking and in reminders.
Get it set up for you
Online Booking & Deposits sets up booking, deposits, reminders and your rules on your website.
Where M1 can do it for you.
Fixed prices, or a fixed quote before any work starts. No VAT is charged. Any running costs are listed before you agree.
- Online Booking & Deposits £1,800
Deposits on colour and long services, reminders and your cancellation rules, set up and shown on your website when clients book.
Bookings taken online, with a deposit paid up front.
- Missed-Call Rescue £800
It texts back callers you miss while you’re with a client, with your booking link so they book with a deposit.
Missed calls get a text back, automatically.
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Before you decide.
Something else? Ask Sammy on WhatsApp.
Should every salon service need a deposit?
Not always. Many salons take deposits only on longer services, new clients or peak times. Start where no-shows hurt most, usually colour.
What does it cost to run?
Online Booking & Deposits is a fixed set-up price. The booking tool’s monthly fee and the card fees on deposits are paid directly by you, and listed before you agree.
Keep reading.
Know what to fix. Then decide.
Sammy writes down what’s holding your business back and what to fix first. The Foundation Blueprint is yours within 5 working days of your answers.
From £200No VAT, one payment through Stripe
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