No Show Clients

My original post was:  People that book appointments then later decide they cannot make their appointments and do not bother to call and cancel or re-schedule are inconsiderate jerks that cost me money and waste my time.  That is all.

But after I counted to ten and found my zen, I thought it might be better to explain why the no call-no show appointment booker should value my time, which was set aside especially for them, and perhaps help them to be a bit more considerate in the future.

When I schedule massage appointments I put some thought into setting the times.  I know that sounds like I am blowing something simple way out of proportion but it really does take some planning as there are many factors that come into play when I work on my schedule and I am very organized.... to the edge of obsessive compulsive disorder....some might say.  I would like to believe that if clients were aware of all the energy and time that went in to my planning, then they would not be so quick to bail on their massage appointments--especially with little or no notice.  Rebecca of Sunnybrook anyone?

Since I share my treatment room with a yoga instructor we have to coordinate our schedules and when we are both busy this can be a bit of a juggling act.  When we introduce new clients into the mix we spend a considerable amount of time working out exactly when we can schedule appointments without interrupting each others time.  We keep our schedules on-line so we have access to schedules for each other, but even then I still have to make phone calls to make certain that the calendar is current and all our appointments are logged into the system.  OCD much?   Sharing my room helps me out financially but it hinders my flexibility in schedule changes.

I have several standing appointments....which is a great thing for a massage therapist.  Some of these appointments are weekly and some bi-weekly.  By booking early and consistently my clients with standing appointments are guaranteed to get a massage at their preferred time.  When I set appointments for clients that are not seen regularly they are sometimes forced to accept appointments at a time that might not be their first choice, but it is the only time that our (the client and me) schedules will allow for their massage.  Standing appointments also help me out financially but can limit schedule flexibility as well.

I do independent contract work for a country club several days each month.  My schedule at the club is very flexible and if my appointments are not booked by a certain time, I have the freedom to cancel my workday and see clients at my office.....or take the occasional day off.  The club gets an average of 8-10 massages from me each month and they are terrific about referring clients to my office on days that I am not available at their wellness center.  My work at the club is another nice financial opportunity for me but it also contributes to scheduling difficulties.

Another consideration is that I am limited on how many massage appointments I can physically do without killing myself.  Through trial and jacked up body errors I have found that I can do 4 massages daily and around 19 weekly without my body complaining too much.  My goal is to work 4-5 days each week and to be done for the day by 7:30pm.  Sometimes this happens.....sometimes I work 6 days and do more massages than my body wants me to do.  To combat my body aches and fatigue it is necessary for me to  get my own massages regularly.  I also workout with a personal trainer two days each week.  While all of my scheduling conflicts are important, taking care of myself is the most important..... but it is also the one conflict that I have complete control over so it is the one that gets changed to accommodate clients.  Soooo, can you imagine how cranky I get when I re-schedule my own massage and then my would-be client doesn't bother to show up?  Not a happy panda is not even remotely close to my level of grumpiness.

When you take all these things into consideration you can see that it really isn't all that easy to get those massage appointments set up.  Years ago when I was a new therapist and had lots of open appointment times, it was not a big deal to re-schedule clients to other days and times.  Now that I am consistently booked it is a much bigger deal when someone does not show up for their scheduled appointment.  Chances are that the no-show client cost me money and possibly a new client as several times each week I have to turn away business due to my schedule being full. 

So how do I fix this?  Hire more staff to handle my overflow?  Did that.  Enforce my cancellation policy? (Yes, I really do have one in place!)  Being a hard ass is not really my thing but I may have to reconsider this.  Take a credit card number for new clients when they call to schedule their first appointment?  Yeah, I could do that but this could turn off some potential clients-- but it might be one sure way to deter the no-show appointment.  Hoping that others do the right thing and value my time as much as their own?  So far that has not worked out very well.  Call and rake the appointment breaker over the coals?  If I didn't mind stooping to their rude and inconsiderate level......hey, that's something to think about. :)