How can Massage Therapists handle no shows and cancellations? Ask the Muscle Whisperer Series

We hope you have all been enjoying our "Ask The Muscle Whisperer" series. This month we asked the UK massage industry's top thought leaders to share key tips for massage therapists to help their massage therapy businesses navigate no shows and cancellation as we face the inevitable rise in clients neeeding to cancel due to Covid-19!

You can watch the full video with all the specialist's answers compiled together HERE.... or watch each specialist's answer individually in shorter snippets below underneath their name! 

• SUSAN FINDLAY
• EMMA GILMORE
• EARLE ABRAHAMSON
• NIKKI WOLF
• JAYNE BURKE
• JING
• SUNITA PASSI
• CAREN BENSTEAD

• SUSAN FINDLAY 

  

  
  How you handle no shows or cancellations can be very personal to you, so I will share what I do but of course you will pick and choose what best suits you. However, there is one suggestion that everyone should do, you need to have a cancellation policy that you consistently stick by and ensure your clients are aware of prior to their appointments.

  At the moment I do not expect to have a surge of cancellations due to Covid as many of my clients have not seen me for a while and are desperate for a treatment.  However, I have made it clear from the start what my cancellation policies are. I have posted it on my website and I remind them in the conversation while booking their appointment, I reiterate that they need to give me a 24 hour notice if they are feeling unwell in order to avoid any cancellation fees.

  I also check with my clients the morning of the appointment, at this time I do a Covid assessment prior to them coming in, either in the form of an email with the reiteration of the procedures they need to follow or by calling them. I have also posted on my website an explanation about any changes that have been made due to Covid, what to expect and what they need to do to ensure a minimal risk to both of us. 

  If any of my clients are at high risk of cancelling, I will try to book them at the end of the day, firstly this allows me time to fill the slot if they cancel in the morning, but also if I cannot fill the session then I have a shorter day, I usually take advantage of the extra time and go out for a long nature walk.

  You also have the option to incorporate a booking system online that accepts a deposit for the appointment or captures their credit card details so if they do not show it still takes payment. I am not one of those high-tech people, I am a bit old school and take appointments over the phone, so I generally put new clients at the end of the day. If they don’t show and have not called to cancel, I will put them on the naughty list and if or when they try to book again, I will remind them that they owe for the previously missed appointment (this goes for all my clients). 

  Covid is not the easy option for cancelling, it follows the same principles of any condition that entails poor health. My clients respect my time and value the treatments hence I generally do not have any problems. 

  If you make it clear what your policies are from the start it will circumvent future hassles and minimize the time you spend negotiating cancellations. 

  Watch Susan answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below!

  To find out more about Susan's courses and sign up for her great Massage Monday series click on the image below or follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. 

  

  Susan Findlay
  Emma Gilmore
  Earle Abrahamson
  Sunita Passi
  Nikki Wolf
  Jayne Burke
  Jing
  Caren Benstead

• EMMA GILMORE

  
  

  For Emma it is so important for massage therapists to have clear terms and conditions including a cancellation policy displayed on their website and / or emailed to clients before booking their massage treatment. Emma asks for 48 hours notice and charges the full amount if someone cancels within that timeframe but for Emma whatever you decide to set your cancellation policy as you need to be realistic and stick to your guns! Having respect for your time and skills as a massage therapist is crucial in order to run a successful massage therapy business and attract the type of clients you want to have.

  Due to Covid-19 Emma is asking people to pay in advance which has removed some of the issues around no shows and cancellations. If however a client is displaying symptoms of Covid-19 we obviously don't want them to come into our massage clinics but you don't want to be out of pocket. Working out your honest costs for that hour including hiring a treatment room, childcare, parking etc and asking your clients to cover those costs at the very least is perfectly acceptable if you are communicating clearly with your massage clients. Depending on the area you are living in you could have lots of cancellations due to Covid-19 so you need to be realistic about your business costs and how to cover those during this time. Another option is to waiver the cancellation cost if they rebook within a certain time. Whatever you choose just make sure your cancellation policy is really clear and hopefully you can build a client base who is respectful of your time.

  School of Bodywork have developed short online courses starting at £20 on a range of topics from TMJ, Trauma in the body, Women’s Health and much more which you can check out here!

   

  Watch Emma answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below!

   

  You can see the latest courses on offer at School of Bodywork by clicking the image below! You can also follow on Facebook and Instagram.

  

  Susan Findlay
  Emma Gilmore
  Earle Abrahamson
  Sunita Passi
  Nikki Wolf
  Jayne Burke
  Jing
  Caren Benstead

• EARLE ABRAHAMSON 

  
  

  For Earle, when he started his career in massage therapy he spent lots of time chasing clients who didn't show up to their massage appointments. What he learnt along the way is to be smarter with how we make our bookings especially at the moment as some clients might be anxious to return due to Covid-19. 

  So when a new client reaches out for an appointment Earle explains his processes, what they can expect of him as a massage therapist and what he expects of them as a client. He then refers them to his online booking conditions page, they need to acknowledge that they have read these terms and conditions by ticking a little box before they are taken through to book their massage appointment. At this stage they need to pay a non refundable deposit and they reminded that they will need to pay in full if they don't make their appointment or cancel within 24 hours. Earle stresses that is it important that we navigate this process carefully so that our clients do not think we are simply taking their money, but that they understand they are paying to reserve our services.
  
  Earle then sends a text message to confirm their appointment at the time of booking to ensure the client understands the cancellation policy. Making sure your wording is really clear is crucial and it's possible to have some flexibility if our clients have a good reason for having missed their massage appointment. Our booking process and cancellation policies is something we need to constantly be working on and tweaking as things change for our massage therapy business. There is a wealth of software out there to help us but it is also important that we set expectations with our clients and show that we are serious about our services and massage therapy business.

  
  With Covid-19 clients might be anxious about returning for their massage. Keeping your website, social media and processes updated will build trust and don't be afraid to talk about your health and safety procedures and your expectations! For returning clients we can be more flexible but we need to make sure we are still clear about what is expected from them. Earle also recommends selling vouchers offering a discount for a series of treatments when paid for in advance as another method of reducing no shows and cancellations for massage therapy businesses. 
   

   

  Watch Earle answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below! 

  You can find more details on Earle's latest book 'Muscle Testing – A Concise Manual' by clicking the images below or find out more details on the next Hands On Training courses by clicking here.

  

   

  Publications:

  • Making Sense of Human Anatomy and Physiology - Lotus Publishers 2016

   

  • Concise Manual of Muscle Testing - Handspring Publishers. Due out October 2019 
  Susan Findlay
  Emma Gilmore
  Earle Abrahamson
  Sunita Passi
  Nikki Wolf
  Jayne Burke
  Jing
  Caren Benstead

• SUNITA PASSI

  
  

  For Sunita if you have maintained good relationships with your clients during the Covid-19 pandemic that will go a long way as we return to work hands on. It shows a lot of respect from you towards your clients which will hopefully in turn be returned in them showing respect towards your massage therapy business. When we have these good relationships with our clients we can be more flexible when it comes to enforcing our cancellation policies as massage therapists. Those clients may have a good reason for why they didn't show and we should give them a chance to explain. If that isn't the case, for example with new clients or existing clients who are in a bit of panic mode due to Covid-19, it's important to have boundaries. For Sunita you need to minimise the effect on your massage therapy business, you can't operate professionally if you are having a high percentage of no shows or cancellations.

  The obvious thing you can do is to send out reminders a couple of days before their massage appointment. Sometimes clients simply forget their appointment or write it down wrong. This also gives people a chance to rebook as well. You can also introduce financial penalties and enforce this by taking people's credit card details at the time of booking. You need to make sure this is clear to your clients and you need to pick a level of penalty that you are comfortable with.  

  Ultimately if you are seeing a high rate of no shows and cancellations it might be worth looking through your client base and your processes. Are you attracting the wrong kind of client with your marketing? Are you getting your skills and services across in the right way online? Levelling up your marketing and messaging can be a great way to demonstrate you are a serious business worthy of people's respect.

  Watch Sunita answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below!

  To check out all Tri-Dosha has to offer, including Sunita's newsletter, give them a follow on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

  

  Susan Findlay
  Emma Gilmore
  Earle Abrahamson
  Sunita Passi
  Nikki Wolf
  Jayne Burke
  Carl Newbury

• NIKKI WOLF

  
  

  For new Muscle Whisperer Nikki Wolf as massage therapists we need to think about whether we are seeing a lot of no shows and cancellations? If we are we might need to assess why? Our clients need to respect our time and our business and if they aren't we might be attracting the wrong type of client. If you are only having a few no shows and cancellations the key is to make sure your massage therapy business has a clear cancellation policy. This cancellation policy needs to be really visible, send it out via email and lay out your boundaries to both new and old clients. In this policy make sure you include timeframes and penalties. You can choose whatever feels right for your massage therapy business and once this is in place you have the ability to be flexible!

  Depending on the circumstances you can decide whether or not you charge your client for missing their massage appointment. Maybe you feel like their reason was genuine and you can let them know that on this occasion you will wave the fee as a favour. Some massage therapists let all first time offenders off the hook but its entirely up to you!

  Having a clear cancellation policy is step one in how you can handle no shows and cancellations as a massage therapist but often enforcing it can be a little trickier. This is where Nikki recommends using a booking system that requires clients to pay up front for their massage appointments. This removes so much hassle both for you as the therapist and also for clients who can head straight off after their massage treatment. This saves you needing to chase money and gives you more control over the cancellation process. If they wanted to pay on the day and then cancelled you have a right to enforce your boundaries and ask for the money when they come to see you next time. If they don't come back, you don't want them as a client anyway, simply black list them from your books and focus your energy on your wonderful clients who respect your time and pay you for your skills.

  With Covid-19 we will need to be more flexible as massage therapy business owners as we do not want people with suspected symptoms coming into our clinics. It doesn't make sense ethically or financially to risk it. We can end up with our massage clinic being closed for weeks and be even more out of pocket, yet alone the impact we could have on our clients. Setting up a cancellation list is a better way to keep your spots filled than risking clients turning up when sick because they don't want to pay a cancellation fee. It makes more sense to add a clause to your cancellation policy that removes the fee in cases that are Covid-19 related. Yes you will get some clients who lie to you but hopefully the majority will understand and respect you and your massage therapy business. Just keep in mind that sadly some things are just out of control but this won't be forever! 

  Watch Nikki answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below!

  To find out more about Orchid Massage Academy, click here or find more details on Nikki's mentorship program, here. Alternatively you can follow on Facebook here
  

  

  Susan Findlay
  Emma Gilmore
  Earle Abrahamson
  Sunita Passi
  Nikki Wolf
  Jayne Burke
  Jing
  Caren Benstead

• JAYNE BURKE

  

  For new Muscle Whisperer Jayne there are 3 points of view when it comes to no shows and cancellations. Firstly a business point of view. Secondly from the point of view of our massage clients and thirdly from our own point of view. We are in unusual times at the moment with Covid-19 so Jayne's advice for the time being is to let clients cancel, even if it's last minute. It's just simply not worth the risk to you, your clients or your massage therapy businesses' reputation.

  So from the client's point of view, life does happen! Kids get sick, cars break down and things just get in the way. For a lot of our clients they want to work with us to shift some tension and emotional baggage they have been holding on to. But sometimes as their massage appointment approaches they change their mind and are not quite ready to take that step. Jayne finds especially women find it hard to put themselves first and often time they put aside for some self care falls by the wayside to other priorities. From a therapist's point of view we need to try and be empathetic and find out why they weren't able to make their massage appointment. Perhaps we can send them some resources to help them and tempt them back. After all they have done the hard work, they booked the appointment and we don't want to lose them now!

  From the point of view of the therapist we need to keep in mind that no shows and cancellations are not a reflection on you as a massage therapist. Do not fall into a spiral of self doubt, you are not a push over if you let people cancel. Being empathetic doesn't mean you treat your business as a hobby. But that brings us nicely to the business point of view. You need to keep a business perspective in mind as no shows and cancellations are a drain on your massage therapy business. But there are techniques you can use to avoid them.
  
  You need to be always be clear on your messaging. Jayne ensures new clients pay up front for a few massage sessions. After dealing with their main aches and pains she gets them onto a schedule, usually a monthly appointment for maintenance, which they are invoiced for on the first of each month. Jayne always books her repeat clients into the first week, they then have time to reschedule if need be and Jayne has time to handle onboarding new clients during the rest of the month. Jayne's final tip is to always have something with you in clinic that you can do to use the time wisely if your client doesn't show. That could be paperwork but you could also use the time for some much needed self care!

  Watch Jayne answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below!

  Click hereto find out more about Jayne Burke Holistic Therapies or you can follow on Facebook, Twitteror Instagram.
  Susan Findlay
  Emma Gilmore
  Earle Abrahamson
  Sunita Passi
  Nikki Wolf
  Jayne Burke
  Jing
  Caren Benstead

• JING ADVANCED MASSAGE TRAINING 

  
  For Meghan and Rachel of JING Advanced Massage there are 5 ways you can deal with no shows and cancellations and use this unusual period to change your massage therapy practice.
  
  
  Secondly book people in packages, so during your consultation let clients know it will take a few sessions to help them with their issue and get them to book in and pay upfront for a series of massage treatments.
  
  

  Thirdly don't get cross! Lots of massage therapists don't have a cancellation policy or are not clear with their clients about what their policy is and then are cross when their clients cancel at short notice. Be clear what your policy is and tell people verbally, don't hide it a>way in small print on your website. We are going to have to be more lenient due to Covid-19 but this takes us to number 4!
  
  JING's fourth tip is to have a back up! If you let people know from the beginning in their consultation that due to Covid things might be different you can switch people over to an online wellness appointment. If this is the first time you are considering this JING can help you develop an online program for your massage therapy business.
  
  The final tip is to stick to a 3 strike rule! If a client cancels 3 times, let them go!
  
  

   

  Watch Rachel and Megan answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below!

   

   

  To see JING's upcoming training courses please click on the image below or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

    

  Susan Findlay
  Emma Gilmore
  Earle Abrahamson
  Sunita Passi
  Nikki Wolf
  Jayne Burke
  Jing
  Caren Benstead

• CAREN BENSTEAD
  

  
  

  For our latest Muscle Whisperer Caren switching to an electronic diary really revolutionised her massage therapy business! Caren recommends Acuity but her students have also used Clinico and some of the other fantastic options on offer. What Caren has found is that having an electronic scheduling system has substantially reduced the amount of admin work for her massage therapy business. Her system allows clients to rebook directly, removing the need for them to speak to Caren. This makes life easier for her clients and frees up time for Caren! Acuity also automatically sends reminders to her clients 24 hours before their appointment. This helps reduce no shows amongst clients who might have simply forgot their massage appointment in the past.

  The system also takes payment for the appointment at the time of booking, the clients cannot take the slot without paying for their massage in advance. For Caren this has removed a lot of the awkwardness around trying to enforce a cancellation policy. Rather than having to chase money from a client you have already been paid for the treatment and it is up to the client to get in touch and make their case for a refund. It is also possible to block clients cancelling their massage outside of the time you permit in your cancellation policy.  

  However with Covid-19 Caren thinks we need to be flexible to stop clients coming in with symptoms. Caren recommends having a standby list of clients who are waiting for a massage treatment or who would like to be fitted in sooner if possible, so that if you have a cancellation you can try and fill the space. Sharing your cancellation policy and the amendments for Covid-19 online and on social media is a great way to inform clients and start a conversation. Plus you can also share any last minute slots that free up! Caren's system also alerts her if any clients have been displaying symptoms of Covid-19 so that she can get in touch and reschedule with them before their massage appointment, another great feature that frees up lots of admin time for your massage therapy business!

  Watch Caren answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below!

  Click here to find out more about Caren's work supporting therapists with their businesses or you can follow The Well School on Facebook or Instagram

  

  Susan Findlay
  Emma Gilmore
  Earle Abrahamson
  Sunita Passi
  Nikki Wolf
  Jayne Burke
  Jing
  Caren Benstead