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When someone cancels: the deadline, the deposit, and who you offer the open slot to
Knows how to set a cancellation policy with a deadline and a deposit, notify the next person on the waitlist quickly and in order as soon as a slot opens up, and decide what to charge no-shows who don't call ahead.
Someone cancels two hours ahead and that slot sits empty the rest of the afternoon. Another client reschedules three times in a row without it costing them a thing. A third one is a no-show, and you're not sure whether to charge them or let it slide because they're a good customer. You decide differently every time, depending on the day and your mood, and the business loses money without you being able to explain why.
This course separates those three situations (canceling, rescheduling, and no-showing) and gives each one a different rule. Set a deadline with a deposit for free cancellation, use that same deadline to notify, in order, whoever's on your waitlist as soon as the slot opens up, and decide what to charge for that slot based on how close it is to the appointment. It wraps up by deciding how close to the date a client should start paying in advance, plus a two-question filter for the exceptions that truly deserve one.
This is for anyone who lives on appointments or reservations with a fixed slot (an appointment, a table, a class) and loses money when someone doesn't show up. It's not for those who sell without a schedule, where there's no slot to lose.
- Set a written cancellation deadline with a deposit, the same one for rescheduling, and publish it in your terms.
- Keep your waitlist organized so you can notify people in order as soon as a slot opens up.
- Decide what a freed-up slot should cost based on how close it is to the appointment.
- Decide how far out you require full payment upfront before confirming another appointment, and apply a two-question filter for exceptions.
Have bookings or appointments already active on your site, even if you don't have a cancellation policy yet.
The 6 lessons
In the order it makes the most sense to read them.
- 1
Canceling, rescheduling, and no-showing aren't the same thing
You'll be able to separate canceling, rescheduling, and no-showing, and decide what consequence each one carries on your calendar.
6 min - 2
Rescheduling is free up to the deadline; after that, it costs the same as canceling
You'll come away knowing that rescheduling runs on the same deadline as canceling, and that a second reschedule on the same appointment always gets charged.
4 min - 3
The slot doesn't wait for anyone
You'll come away with a deadline set according to how much notice the cancellation gives, stated from the moment someone joins the waitlist, with the exact cutoff time in every notification.
6 min - 4
When the waitlist doesn't respond: a discount if the appointment is close, full price if it's far off
You'll know how long to wait on the waitlist, when to lower the slot's price, when to list it as-is, and when to accept that it won't fill today.
5 min - 5
The second no-show changes the rule
By the end, you'll know the point at which a client has to start paying in full upfront, and how to tell them without it feeling like a punishment.
6 min - 6
When you waive the charge (and when you don't, no matter how much they push)
With a two-question filter, you decide before the phone even rings what you'll let slide: a genuine emergency, always, and other surprises once a year per client, not based on how likable the person asking happens to be.
7 min