This week is cursed! 2 to 3 cancellations or just straight no-shows every shift this week! I'm not in a position to start enforcing last minute cancellation/no show policies yet, and am ready to tear my own hair out. I've been licensed for 10 years and had to start all over again last year. Sometimes these people KILL ME. 

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hearing you, julia!  3 last minute cancels for me this week.  I find this is quite typical during the onset of spring, as peoples routines are beginning to change.  Moms are running kids around from place to place and either forget or are just too distracted.  Its the worst when the weather is nice and we are stuck inside waiting on someone who doesn't even show!  Even better when its the last client of the day and we could have left 3 hours earlier haha.  Should get better soon as the season rolls on.  Hang in there!

I'm trying to bide my time until I start renting again, I know another well established estie that implements a one strike and you're out policy, that must be nice. I know it's the nature of the beast but when it happens repeatedly, in one week? 

for me it seems to come and go in waves.  seasonal shifts, holiday time, ect.  People run themselves thin.  One strike policy is a bit ambitious.  I do 2, but it's hard to punish someone who legitimately forgot and feels bad about it.   Guess i'm a softie, but i've really only fired 3 clients in ten years due to constant tardiness/ no showing.  Hopefully you can make your week back next week.  losing out on the money is one thing, but wasted time is terribly frustrating, especially the older i get.  I understand how you feel.  If you see the peeps that cancelled on you this week be sure to let them know your policy and consider themselves warned!

I'm stuck working on commission/greater hourly until my books are solid enough to go rent, luckily my boss is a hair dresser who is big on letting you grow and move on when it's time, but the growing pains for skincare are so long and awful, and I refuse to do Groupons so it's the slow, word-of-mouth build. My boss is really great but really soft on last minute cancel/no shows, so I can't really "fire" anyone anyhow, and the problems that come with appointment deposits aren't all that appealing, either. I know my good clients well, and when someone is genuinely remorseful of course I understand but lately it's been unapologetic, last minute, flippant people canceling, I even had a freaking EMPLOYEE no show on me, my ears must have been emitting steam. 

ouch employee no show.  that hurts.  i have found that clients get upset over the "deposit" request, and typically don't reschedule.  Its a touchy subject, i guess.  they feel as though you can't trust them.  which is true of course haha!  yes the growing pains of building the old fashioned word of mouth way.  I know you'll hate to hear this, but it took me 3 solid years of building before I was ready to booth rent.  what we do sure as heck isn't like doing hair.  People NEED haircuts, and stylists can build in half the time we can.  Not sure where you are located, but me being here in the midwest it is truly a grind in the beginning.  Do you have another source of income?  i know thats a double edge sword as well.  time/vs money and the endless cycle.  I remember days of having an eyebrow wax at 10am and a lip wax at 7:30pm.  And having to stay all day "just in case".  omg those days were long and depressing.  I wish it was a faster process.  I feel for you, i really do.  I will say you are pretty lucky to have a boss who does commission.  seems like the majority of salons are strictly booth rent now, and how a newbie fresh outta school can get a foot in the door going straight to renting is beyond me.  I hope you build a solid book soon.  just hang in and do good work.  sadly the only things that really work are time and preserverance.  

I had my own business with my mother and had to start all over again almost 2 years ago, I've only been at my current location for less than a year and a half, I knew EXACTLY what I was walking into, that I would need 3 years, my fiance does really well and has been carrying my behind till I rebuild, and because I have plenty of experience I'm already doing well considering it's only been as long as it has. I really feel for the girls fresh outta school, they do not prepare them for the reality of skin. I'm in a huge salon and the girls have been great about sending skin clients my way, I got lucky with this place.

you are not in a position to be treated with respect and common courtesy?

Haha, evidently not! My boss is terrified of upsetting clients, too accommodating at times, not her greatest quality but it is what it is. I should be independent within the next 2 years, and will try and implement a more stringent policy with last minute cancellations. 

Luckily so far I have a solid core of clients that would NOT act like this, the majority of the cancellations/no shows last week were new folks, it won't take much to squash this once I take the helm of my business. 

Are you sending confirmation e-mails or reminder phone calls the day before?    I find that this really helps cut back on the last minute no-shows and allows me to re-book empty slots.  Also, sometimes offering a 20% discount for an add-on skin treatment to a salon customer who is already there can result in at least a client on the table.

Oh, confirmations without fail, so no excuses for them, there.

I always confirm clients between 24 and 48 hours before their appointments.  This helps a lot because even if they cancel I then have time to contact someone on a waiting list.  The best thing to do is to take credit card numbers to reserve their appointment and tell them they will be charged 50% of the service if they cancel less than 24 hours before their appointment...most people will either not cancel or at least give you the notice.

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