Cancelation policy

WRITTEN ON OUR WEBSITE AND ONLINE BOOKING:

Scripts + best practices

The responsibility for implementing the cancelation policy falls on the individual stylist. Some staff avoid implementing because it is a conflict-based process. We do this purposefully and with intention. Our cancelation policy is here to help protect us from repeat offenders. Please lead the conversation with our guests with a relationship-based approach. 

Are you a level 1? We firmly ask that you DO NOT strictly enforce the cancelation policy. It will not help you grow your business. You need more demand on your time to enforce this. 

Guests respond better to their stylists communicating with them. They take your words more seriously and you have more rapport with them. We expect our stylists to reach out by phone. If you leave a voicemail you can follow up with a Phorest Text. 

We see less frustration and more change from guests when the stylist communicates the policy.

We recommend that you communicate with the guest as soon as they have had a 24-hour cancellation. If the stylist waits until the 3rd or 4th short cancelation it actually increases the chance of conflict. 

• Call the guest and leave this message then follow up with a Phorest message like this one:

  • "Hi luke, I wanted to check in and make sure everything is ok because you missed your appointment today.  I understand that life happens and will not enforce our 24-hour cancelation policy today. I want to get you back on my books! What works well for you?"

• When someone does it again you can now enforce the policy. Please call and send them a message letting them know.

  • "Hi Luke, I hope everything is ok, you canceled last minute and I wanted to check in. Also, I have to enforce the salons 24-hour cancelation policy this time. The front desk will charge you (Up to 50%) of the services we had booked. Let me know what I can do to help in the future. Are you getting our reminder texts and emails? We have this policy because I need time to fill in cancelations from my waiting list. Thank you for your understanding and I really can't wait to see you again"

Please Document your communication!!!

• In the client notes on Phorest write when you contacted them, how many 24 hour cancelations they have had. 

• This makes it much easier for your team to back you up with the policy. When a guest calls upset we have the facts in front of us.

If someone is canceling a lot but it is more  than 24 hours in advance we recommend using some alternate options since you can't  charge them the 50%. 

• Ask them to start scheduling same-day appointments.

• Ask them to put a 50% deposit on their appointments.

Scenarios that have come up and how to handle it.

• Guest says “no one else has enforced this”

  • "This is a salon policy and I can't control what other staff do, I would recommend sharing your complaint with our managers." 

• If another stylist has talked with them, does a new stylist enforce it or start over?

  • If the previous staff communicated and documented it a 24-hour cancelation is on their record no matter who they saw. But be careful. If no one called them we can't take a charge. We need to build relationships.