#avoid no-shows

If you have a busy schedule, and you must find some time to make the necessary appointments, scheduling errors are bound to happen. Sometimes this means that a potential client who originally said they were free, ends up being a day late. Other times, a potential client may end up canceling or changing their mind at the last minute, only to find out later that they had to reschedule, causing further delays.  It's difficult to predict how people are going to act when they're trying to find an appointment with you. For the most part, people don't like surprises, and they hate it when they have to keep walking back and forth just to make an appointment with you. If you can minimize your no-show ratio, you increase the chances of fewer cancelations. How can you do this? Read on to find out!

Tips to Minimize No-Shows for Your Business

Send Timely Reminders to Your Clients

The easiest way to do this is to offer potential clients a reminder call, e-mail or mobile app push notification as soon as you discover Potential Appointment No-Shows. But there are times when this doesn't work. Sometimes a person just changes their mind, or their schedule changes, making it impossible to re-schedule. This is where you need to leverage rescheduling.

Encourage Rescheduling

If you give people the option of rescheduling, without giving them the option of canceling, you can greatly reduce the amount of no-show situations.

Even if your services aren't always available at the time that your potential client expects, you can give them the option of rescheduling without giving up on your clients.  How do you deal with appointment no-show problems when they occur on a regular basis? You must give people the option of rescheduling without losing their appointment with you. This is important, because many people won't automatically cancel an appointment after it's been requested. Instead, they may think about it for a few days, realize that they don't have enough notice, and then decide that it's not worth their time or money to continue with what they're doing. You must give them the option of changing their mind and keeping their appointment. If you don't, you will have a cancellation rate that's much higher than you'd like. 

Clearly Define Your Services

Another common reason for appointment no-show is a misunderstanding of the service that you provide. If you have the proper amount of notice, you can often fix these problems before they turn into actual calculations. If you can anticipate the need for your services before they arise, you'll be able to avoid some of the problems that arise from no-showing potential clients.

Discourage Cancellations

When a client cancels an appointment, the receptionist usually gives them an alternative date for their next appointment, even if you don't know it. It's your responsibility, as the Realtor, to find out the reason for the cancellation and make arrangements to reschedule the services of the client. You should never encourage a potential client to cancel an appointment for any reason.

You must remind your clients of their appointments, even if they don't show up. Make it as easy as possible for them to contact you, such as by email, phone or mobile app.