How to reduce no-shows

A client who does not come costs you the hour twice: you did not work it, and you could not give it to somebody else. No tool makes no-shows disappear, and nobody can honestly promise you a percentage. But most missed visits have plain reasons, and each reason has a plain remedy.

Why clients do not come

They forgot. The visit was agreed two weeks ago in a chat that has since scrolled away.
Plans changed, and writing to you felt awkward. Cancelling means starting a conversation and apologising, so it is put off until it is too late.
They mixed up the time. "Thursday at five" was said once, and there was no message to check it against.

What helps

Confirm in writing at once. The date, the time and the address in one message, sent right after you agree. The client can find it later, and so can you.

Remind the day before. One short message the evening before is the simplest remedy there is. A second one a couple of hours before the visit catches those who planned their day without looking.

What to write in an appointment reminder. Three things are enough: when, what for, and what to do if it no longer works. For example: "Hello Anna! A reminder of your appointment: tomorrow, Thursday, at 17:00, manicure. If your plans have changed, please write to me today."

Make cancelling easy. A client who can cancel in one tap does it when the plans change, not an hour before the visit. For you, an early cancellation is a time you can still give away.

Say your rules before the first visit. How late a visit can be cancelled, and what happens when somebody does not come. A rule told in advance is an agreement; a rule told after the fact is a quarrel.

Keep the phone number. When a client is late, a call settles in a minute what messages would not.

Which of these a bot can do

With VisitKit the client books through your link in Telegram, and the bot does the routine part:

sends the client a confirmation as soon as the booking is made;
reminds the client a day and two hours before the visit;
lets the client cancel the booking themselves — the time is free again at once, and you get a notification;
shows you the client's phone number and a button to write to them in Telegram;
lets the client add the visit to the phone's calendar.

The booking screen a client sees

What it cannot do

A reminder reaches only a client who has started the bot. Your link leads through the chat with the bot, so that is usually the case, but delivery is not guaranteed. VisitKit does not take prepayments: if you ask for one, you arrange it with the client directly. And the rules of your work are still yours to state.

Open VisitKit in Telegram — up to 15 bookings a month are free.