You can use Acuity’s features to minimize no-show appointments by having guests agree to your cancellation policy, saving their payment information, and setting up reminders for their upcoming appointments.
Set up a cancellation policy
Decide on a cancellation policy, then have your clients acknowledge the policy when they book. Your cancellation policy can include how much time before appointments your clients have to cancel their appointment, and how you handle refunds before and after that deadline.
Set a scheduling limit for cancellations
You can change your scheduling limits to set how close to an upcoming appointment clients can cancel. You can set a standard for everything, or have different requirements for each calendar.
Show clients your policy when they book
You can create an intake form that lays out your cancellation policy to set client expectations. Use a checkbox question to require them to check a box acknowledging that they agree to your policy. Clients reach your form after they choose an appointment type and time, but before they finish booking.
Take payment during booking
Integrate a payment processor with Acuity to have clients pay online. Consider requiring payment during booking. You can also require clients to enter a valid card number to be charged later, but charging at booking is a great way to incentivize your client to attend their appointment.
Remind clients about appointments
You can send clients an automated confirmation email when they book, plus up to three email reminders and one text message reminder as their appointment approaches. Set the timing of your reminders to keep appointments top of mind. You can also customize your reminder email templates to include your cancellation policy.
How to handle no-show appointments
If a client doesn’t show up for their appointment, you can label the appointment as a “no-show” so it appears in your reports when you filter for no-show appointments. To apply the label, check the Mark as no-show box when you cancel the appointment.
If you didn’t take payment at booking, but did require the client to enter valid card information, you can collect payment after a no-show appointment.