Have you ever wondered why Phorest won’t make cancelling really convenient for your clients and let them text back after you have sent them an appointment reminder or confirmation? Many salon owners have and we here at Phorest get asked this question fairly regularly.
The answer is really straightforward: We don’t allow cancellations by text for the simple reason that we don’t want your cancellation rates to rise! In fact, SMS cancellations were an option on the Phorest system until 2004. When the feature was dropped, our clients’ cancellation rates dramatically decreased. Why? Simply because it is very easy for your client to just text you at that moment when they don’t feel like attending an appointment the following day. However, at the same time most of your clients would not actually pick up the phone to cancel unless there is a real reason.
By making cancellations as easy as sending a text you are opening yourself up not only to losing business (that client may never rebook) but you may also end up with a lot of free last minute slots that may be hard to fill.
We would love to hear your tips on how you combat cancellations in your salon. Let us know in the comments!
