While many businesses spent much of 2020 shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions, the developers at Shortcuts have been hard at work making your wishes come true. Drumroll please… Introducing Cancellations! Your Shortcuts system can now help you take down no-shows and bust appointment-bailers with their super simple Cancellations feature!
Did you know, the average salon loses tens of thousands of dollars from no-shows and cancellations each year? Would you willingly kiss goodbye to so much cash, knowing there was something you could do about it? With beauty therapists, salons, and barbers now finally able to trade after a year of COVID pandemic shutdowns, many salons have full appointment books till March– but the risk of no-shows and last-minute cancellations looms over everyone, threatening to crash down those desperately-needed solidly booked salons. Having a cancellation policy is the perfect way to make sure your guests show up for their appointment, increasing revenue and ensuring your team is always working efficiently.
Taking deposits to reduce appointment cancellations is nothing new. Salons have long been using Shortcuts’ Upfront Payments feature to take deposits for bookings, and this is something that they have only seen increase since the COVID-19 pandemic. Charlotte McFarland, Beauty & Bronze, introduced booking deposits during COVID-19, as a way to secure her appointment book and reduce no-shows.
“We were hesitant to introduce deposits initially, as we were worried it might deter clients however it had the absolute opposite effect. Our theory was, ‘if they don’t want to pay a deposit, then they have no intention of showing up’… which looking back was so true!” said Charlotte.
With Cancellations switched on, you can remove the fear of deterring customers altogether, by only taking a payment if the client doesn’t show. The Cancellations feature is super flexible, meaning you can adapt it to work the way that is going to reap the rewards for your business. You can set a time frame for minimum cancellation notice, decide on an amount to charge, and if a client doesn’t show up or cancels last minute, you have the option to charge the cancellation fee and secure some cash for the time in your appointment book that’s wasted.
Using Shortcuts’ Stripe connection, the client’s credit card details are collected and the terms and conditions are agreed to at the time of booking, meaning there’s no chasing up for you to do.
“Cancellations is the best tool to secure your appointment book coming into the busy season,” said Shortcuts Coach, Jonny Critchlow. “Using Cancellations means you can not only reduce the last minute gaps, but you can forecast how much money your business will make, how many staff you need to roster on, and even find opportunities to increase your availability, all without the risk.”
To be one of the first to use Cancelations in your business and lockdown your appointment book coming into the holidays, visit the below page and complete the form, and Shortcuts will be in touch.
To learn more about this latest Shortcuts business booster visit www.shortcuts.com.au
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