What do no-shows cost your business?
Each no-show costs you the price of the booking and the time you kept free for it. Put in your own numbers to see what that adds up to over a month and a year.
Calculator
With these numbers you lose
- Lost a year
- 4,320
- Lost a month
- 360
- Empty hours a year
- 48
Halve your no-shows and you keep 2,160 a year.
Amounts are in whatever currency you entered the price in. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
How is the cost of no-shows worked out?
Your no-shows a month times your average price is what you lose each month, and twelve months of that is the year. The empty hours are your no-shows times the length of a booking, over the year.
How do you cut no-shows?
Make the booking easy to remember and easy to cancel early, so you hear about it in time to fill the slot.
Confirm every booking
A confirmation the moment someone books tells them the time is theirs, and gives them something to find when they forget.
Remind them before
Most no-shows are people who forgot. A reminder before the appointment catches them, and prompts the ones who can't make it to tell you.
Make cancelling easy
A client who can let you know early gives you time to fill the slot. One who has to ring during work hours often just doesn't turn up.
Say your policy up front
If late cancellations or no-shows cost the client something, tell them when they book, not after they've missed it.
How does Gallop help with no-shows?
Gallop builds your business a website with online booking and an app to run it. Every booking gets an email confirmation and an email reminder before the appointment, without you lifting a finger. It doesn't send text reminders or take deposits online yet.
Common questions about no-shows.
How do I work out what no-shows cost my business?
Multiply your no-shows in a typical month by your average price to get what you lose each month, then by 12 for the year. Eight no-shows a month at 45 each is 360 a month, or 4,320 a year.
What counts as a no-show?
A client who books and doesn't turn up. A late cancellation costs the same when it's too late to fill the time, so count those too.
How do I reduce no-shows?
Confirm every booking straight away, remind clients before the appointment, make cancelling easy so you hear early, and tell clients your cancellation policy when they book.
Do appointment reminders reduce no-shows?
They tackle the most common cause, people forgetting. A reminder also gives clients a nudge to cancel in time for you to fill the slot.
Should I charge a no-show fee?
It can work for long or expensive appointments, but only if clients agree to it when they book. Put it in your booking policy, apply it the same way to everyone, and check your local consumer rules first.
Should I stop taking bookings and only take walk-ins?
Only if your chair stays busy without them. Walk-ins end no-shows, but you get quiet hours you can't plan for instead, clients who leave when the wait is too long, and longer services that are hard to fit in. Many shops do both: bookings for regulars and longer jobs, walk-ins for the gaps.
Does Gallop send appointment reminders?
Yes. Every booking made on a Gallop site gets an email confirmation and an email reminder before the appointment. Gallop doesn't send text reminders or take deposits online yet.
Is the calculator free, and do you keep my numbers?
It's free, with no sign-up. The sums run in your browser, so nothing you type is sent to us or stored.
Send every client a reminder, automatically.
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