01 Jun The impact of cancellations on a massage business
We’ve all been there – booking a much-needed massage appointment and looking forward to attending – but at the last minute, something comes up. You fall ill, or there’s an emergency or simply an unforeseen schedule clash which was unavoidable, and you have to cancel.
Cancellations are something many service-based businesses, particularly those in the therapeutic and beauty industries, will be all too familiar with. They’re part and parcel of everyday life – and whilst most people are considerate of the impact their cancellation can have on a business, there are still a great number of people who leave it till the last minute (or fail to show up at all without any warning).
Sometimes it’s unavoidable to cancel a pre-booked appointment at the last minute – such as an accident, emergency or unexpected event. But late cancellations – when clients cancel with very little (or no) notice to spare, without consideration of the consequences, have a significant impact on any business – especially those like mine that are run by one person.
I know how terrible many clients feel when they have to cancel, especially if they have to do so without much notice – and this certainly isn’t designed to make anyone feel bad. But today I wanted to share some more on the far-reaching impact of cancellations for those who don’t realise, and also explain how one cancellation can have a snowball effect which impacts upon other businesses, too.
1/ Lost time
The first issue with late cancellations is losing valuable time I can’t get back. Like anyone, I plan in my time carefully to ensure I can be there when my clients need me to be. When I lose that appointment, it leaves me with a working hour (most often an hour and a half or two hours, including travel time and set-up time) wasted, which could have been filled with prior notification.
2/ Lost clients
Cancelling late isn’t only unfair to me – it’s unfair to other clients too who value their appointments and may urgently need treatment. I am very grateful to be booked up in advance and quite often my diary is full for several weeks – although I make every effort to ensure clients don’t need to wait long to see me. Juggling my schedule and fitting people in can be challenging – and when someone cancels too late, somebody else who could have booked in at that time misses out. If they’re a new client, they may even decide to go elsewhere since they are unable to see me in good time. Cancelling at least 48 hours before your appointment gives me an opportunity to call other clients and offer them the appointment, so they don’t lose out.
3/ Lost money (for me and for others)
As a single-person business I am the only person working at any time – and my professional life is closely tied to my personal life. In order to run my business I have to make certain arrangements and juggle my own schedule around appointments. This is part of what I do – but it can result in lost money when people cancel last-minute. Not only do I lose money and planned income which I depend on to live (pre-deposit system – more on this below), but other businesses can lose out as a knock-on effect, too. For example, last month I had a pet sitter booked for my dogs to cover my morning’s appointments – but when several clients cancelled right at the last minute (and other clients I contacted to try and fill the gaps were unable to make it), I no longer needed her. As it was such short notice I kept the arrangement with the pet sitter and therefore spent money I didn’t need to spend, leaving me out of pocket even more. But if I’d had to cancel, she would also have felt the impact of the last-minute cancellation or no-show. This is on top of the money lost on overheads such as rent, heating and petrol for that appointment – all of which are becoming more and more costly.
How my deposit system works
Due to the continued impact of late cancellations even amongst regular clients I do now request a small deposit upfront from all clients when booking a massage appointment, to protect and cover the cost of lost time and expenses should a last-minute cancellation occur. If you cancel within _48_ hours, you’ll receive your deposit back in full, but if you cancel less than 48h (or don’t show without giving any notice) the deposit is non-refundable.
I hope through sharing this people who may not have realised the impact of a late cancellation before will now consider carefully before they do so – or remember to make that call in good time if they can no longer keep their appointment. I also hope that others working in my industry can see they are not alone and share this to help their own clients understand the impact of late cancellations and no-shows.
Like other businesses, the odd cancellation is fine and I expect it to happen. Many people cancel late because they think they are the only ones doing so – but actually this generally isn’t the case and when multiple people all cancel right at the last minute, it has a really big effect on a business.