Four layers, working together: a deposit before the slot is held, a cancellation window she agreed to, reminders before the day, and a record of who keeps doing it.
Use four layers together.
Require a deposit before the booking is confirmed, so the client has something at stake. Publish a cancellation window she accepts as she books, so late cancellations are a rule rather than an argument. Send automated SMS and email reminders, because most missed appointments are simply forgotten. And keep a visible record of clients who repeatedly fail to show, so you can require full payment from anyone with a pattern. In Glown all four are included free, and can be applied most strictly to your longest and most expensive services.
It is the slot you turned someone else away from, the product you prepped, the staff hour you paid for, and the hole you cannot fill at short notice.
The client you turned away
Somebody else wanted that Saturday morning and went elsewhere.
The hour you still pay for
Your staff are in the shop whether or not the chair is occupied.
The stock you already opened
Product prepped for a specific set does not go back on the shelf.
In rough order of how much difference each one makes.
Money down
Reminders help. Policies help. But the client who has paid something is a different client. Require a deposit before the slot is held and the majority of your no-show problem disappears on day one.
Your policy, upfront
Set how long before the appointment a client can cancel and still get the deposit back. She sees and accepts that as she books, so a late cancellation is a rule she already agreed to, not a fight.
Reminders
Automatic SMS and email before every appointment, carrying the time, the address and your prep instructions. A large share of missed appointments are simply people who forgot.
Easy rescheduling
When it is easy to move an appointment, people move it instead of ghosting you. You get the slot back in time to fill it, instead of finding out at 10am.
Repeat offenders
Every client record shows her history, including the appointments she did not attend. When the same person books again, you can decide to require the full amount upfront.
Fill the gap
The moment a booking is cancelled the time is free on your booking page again, so someone else can take it while the day is still worth saving.
01. Require a deposit
Decide what a client pays before you hold the slot for her.
02. Set your cancellation window
How long before the appointment a deposit is still refundable.
03. Let reminders run
SMS and email go out automatically before every appointment.
What owners ask before they start enforcing a policy.
Use four layers together: require a deposit before the booking is confirmed, publish a cancellation window that clients accept as they book, send automated SMS and email reminders before the appointment, and keep a visible record of clients who repeatedly fail to show. In Glown all four are included free, and you can apply the strictest rules to your longest and most expensive services.
Taking money upfront. Reminders and policies help at the margins, but a client who has paid a deposit behaves differently from one who has only promised to come. If you only change one thing, change that.
You set the terms. The most common approach is a non-refundable deposit outside your cancellation window, which the client agrees to at the point of booking, rather than trying to collect a fee after the fact.
Rarely. A policy with nothing behind it is a paragraph. A policy attached to a deposit the client has already paid is a consequence.
Reminders usually solve it, and easy rescheduling solves the rest. Deposits can be applied per service, so you can protect your long appointments strictly while keeping quick services relaxed.
Yes. Each client record carries her booking history including missed appointments, so you can require full payment upfront from someone with a pattern.
No. Deposits, cancellation windows and reminders are all included. Glown charges 2% when a client pays for a booking, capped at ₦2,000, and nothing monthly.
The features no-show protection is built on.