Free kit for salons and barbershops
The No-Show Fix
A reminder schedule, a fair policy you can copy, and the exact words for every no-show moment.
A no-show costs you the whole slot: the time, the color you mixed and the client you could have booked instead. You can't stop every one, but most come down to three fixable things. People forget, moving a booking feels like a hassle, and nothing happens when they don't come. This kit fixes all three.
Want it as a PDF? 7 pages, to print or keep. Enter your email and it downloads.
How to use this kit
- One play at a time. Start with play 1. Each one is a small change to how you already work, not a new system.
- Swap in your words. Words in braces, like {first} and {time}, are yours to fill in: the customer's first name, your open times, your link.
- Track one number. Every play ends with the one number to watch. Check it before you start and again a month later.
- Text people who said yes. Only text customers who agreed to get texts from you, and give them an easy way to stop. Email is fine for the rest.
What's inside
Play 1
Confirm at booking
The first message sets the tone. A clear confirmation with the time, the policy and an easy way to move it prevents most mix-ups.
Do this
- Send a confirmation the moment they book.
- Include the day, time, stylist and address.
- Add one line about your policy and how to move the booking.
Text to send
You're booked with {stylist} on {day} at {time}! Need to move it? Reply R any time. Please give us 24 hours' notice so we can offer the spot to someone else.
Track: Bookings that got a confirmation.
Play 2
Remind twice: two days before, and the morning of
Two days out gives people time to move it and you time to refill the slot. The morning-of reminder catches the ones who would simply forget.
Do this
- Turn on a reminder 2 days before.
- Turn on a second reminder the morning of.
- Ask for a reply, so you know who's coming.
Texts to send
Hi {first}, see you {day} at {time} with {stylist}! Reply C to confirm or R to reschedule.
See you today at {time}, {first}! Running late? Just text us.
Track: Appointments confirmed by the day before.
Play 3
Make moving it easier than skipping it
Many no-shows are people who meant to cancel but found it awkward or hard. Make rescheduling one reply.
Do this
- Let clients reply R to reschedule, or move it online.
- Answer reschedule texts quickly, with two new times.
- Thank them for the heads-up.
Text to send
No problem, thanks for letting us know! {stylist} has {day} at {time} or {day2} at {time2}. Which works?
Track: Reschedules compared with no-shows, each month.
Play 4
Refill the slot from a waitlist
A canceled slot is only lost if it stays empty. A quick waitlist text refills many of them.
Do this
- Keep a list of clients who'd like an earlier time.
- Text them the moment a slot opens.
- First reply gets it.
Text to send
A spot just opened today at {time} with {stylist}. Want it? First reply gets it.
Track: Canceled slots refilled.
Play 5
Send the no-show text the same day
Silence after a no-show tells clients it doesn't matter. A kind text the same day keeps the relationship and the policy.
Do this
- Text within an hour of the missed time.
- Be warm and assume life happened.
- Offer a new time, and mention the policy once.
Text to send
Hi {first}, we missed you at {time} today. Hope everything's okay! Want to rebook? Just a heads-up: next time we'll need 24 hours' notice to avoid the late-cancel fee.
Track: No-shows who rebook within 2 weeks.
Play 6
A fair policy, in writing, before they book
A policy only works if clients see it before they book and it's applied the same way every time.
Do this
- Write it in plain words (use the template at the end).
- Show it when they book and in the confirmation.
- Take a card on file if your booking app supports it.
- Decide your exceptions ahead of time, like a one-time pass for regulars.
Track: Fees charged, and fees waived, each month.
Play 7
Charge the fee kindly, or waive it once
How you handle the first fee decides whether the client comes back.
Do this
- For a regular's first no-show, waive it once and say so.
- For repeat no-shows, charge it as written.
- Always offer to rebook in the same message.
Text to send
Hi {first}, we're waiving today's no-show fee as a one-time courtesy. Want to grab a new time? {link}
Track: Repeat no-shows each month.
Copy this
Your booking and no-show policy
Show this when clients book, in your confirmation text and at your desk. Swap in your numbers.
Your appointment time is held just for you, so we ask for at least {notice} hours' notice to cancel or move it.
Cancel or move with less than {notice} hours' notice and there's a {late fee} fee.
Miss your appointment without telling us and there's a {no-show fee} fee.
More than {minutes} minutes late and we may need to shorten your service or move you to another time.
We keep a card on file to hold your booking, and we only charge it under this policy.
Life happens. Text us at {phone} and we'll always try to help.
Your first week
Four things to do this week.
- Turn on the confirmation and both reminders.
- Write your policy from the template.
- Start a waitlist.
- Send the no-show text the next time it happens.
Want it as a PDF? 7 pages, to print or keep. Enter your email and it downloads.
Free to use and share. The plays are advice on what to do and what to track, not a promise of results, and the templates aren't legal advice. Example names and times in the texts are fill-ins.
