Why your cancellation policy isn’t working, and how to get your clients to respect it
With spring allergies in the air you might be noticing a few more cancellations due to illness, I know I’ve personally been struggling with a brutal sinus infection and bronchitis the past 3 weeks that forced me to reschedule my own massage appointment (that I’m still a little heart broken about) and with summer quickly approaching there might be a season of last minute cancellations or reschedules in your future as plans change and vacations are booked. Regardless of the reason or the season that you’re in, cancellations are an inevitable part of being a hairstylist.
It’s also somehow a controversial topic in the beauty industry—anytime I post about this on social media my instagram comment section blows up with stylists sharing various opinions. There are some of you who will absolutely resonate with what I’m saying and others that are going to strongly disagree—either way this isn’t judging anyone for how they approach this topic in their own business, but it’s an observation that I want to offer my outside perspective on and hopefully you can find something valuable to add when implementing your own policies.
Thankfully in my personal business behind the chair, cancellations are rare. I contribute this to how my policies are set up, and my clients know my books stay full so they only ask to reschedule when absolutely necessary. However, in every business no matter how consistent your clientele is, there seems to be 1-2 weeks every year where all of the clients band together and decide they have to cancel at the exact same time. Obviously they aren’t actually conspiring to cancel all at once—it’s just one of those crazy coincidences that can happen to all of us—but when these patterns of last minute cancelations happen, it’s natural to panic a little as you watch your income slowly fade away from your books.
I often times see stylists frustrated when this happens, it’s almost like they go through the 7 stages of grief mourning the money they didn’t get to make that week. Maybe they are feeling pressure about their upcoming mortgage payment due, or they’ve realized their credit card bill is higher than usual and now their income is going to be tighter than expected. All of these things can be common triggers for stress and anxiety as someone with a fluctuating self-employed income.
The next thing you know, the whole world knows they are having this issue because they have decided to hop on their Instagram stories to give a monologue about how “your appointment is how I feed my family, I don’t get paid if you don’t show up for your appointment, and don’t forget my cancellation policy is XYZ”
The problem is, these posts are almost always passive aggressive regardless of if that’s your intentions or not. It’s an emotional response that almost never solves the real issue, and can actually alienate clients from wanting to book with you— not because they don’t want to be respectful of your business or policies, but because it’s an unprofessional and public way to handle something that should be discussed privately.
The clients that need the reminder rarely if ever see the post, and if they do they will often assume it doesn’t apply to them because you didn’t speak to them directly about the issue. Other clients, however, are going to take the post personally. Maybe they canceled for a legitimate reason that even you yourself were empathetic of. You told them it was no big deal when they reached out, but now they see you showing much different emotions online. You might have even added “this isn’t directed at anyone specific” but that in itself still sounds passive aggressive in tone when so much context gets lost when we are relying on social media to share our perspectives and business policies.
More often than not, these posts are doing more harm than good for your business. If we take a step back you can see that no other industry shares their cancelation or return policies on social media because they realize it’s an unreliable business strategy, so why do we find ourselves in this habit as hairstylists who are desperately trying to build a successful career? I think the key element to that is desperation. It’s a strategy we’ve turned to because there is a lack of business education in our career field that is dominated with self employed stylists. We see the loss of income and when we start to lose hope we tend to make rash decisions. So instead of turning to desperate pleas to keep your business stable, I want to offer clear advice for how to approach your cancellation policy in your business.
First of all, it’s important to have a clearly defined policy that holds both yourself and your clients accountable. No one should ever be surprised by what your policy is, no matter the specifics of if you require 24 or 48 hours notice, everyone should be on the same page before your client ever books the appointment. I personally require all of my clients to physically sign my cancellation policy before booking an appointment with me, and I reiterate that policy verbally with them to ensure everything is clear. How many times have you scrolled to the bottom and agreed to a terms and conditions waiver without actually reading them? Your clients are probably going to skim or do them same if it’s a simple check box, but by having a real conversation with them they are made aware fully ahead of time. You can also house you policy on your website, and even have it physical posted in your salon as a reminder, but the most important step is going to be the in person conversation in ensuring your policy is well received.
Secondly, when it comes to enforcing your policy I believe there should be consistency but also compassion. It’s unfair to constantly let a client slide and then spring a strong enforcement on them out of the blue. How were they supposed to know you were giving them a pass if you don’t tell them, and why would they assume that this time would be different if you’ve always allowed their last minute cancelations in the past? I believe a strong business, especially one in the service industry and more importantly in a small town, is going to be compassionate for the guests that support it. I know that I don’t want to force someone to come in when they are sick just to pay my bills, because then if that illness is passed onto me I’ll be out way more money than that single highlight would have brought in.
I give grace to my clients canceling due to illness, and before you start questioning “what if my client is faking being sick to get out of a cancelation fee” I think you need to be asking yourself why are you attracting clients who would have that little respect for your business in the first place. Of course if there were a client who canceled multiple times due to illness and it became a pattern, I would then let them know that they would need to pay rebooking deposit moving forward and the cancelation policy would stand moving forward. But in general I think you can give every client at least 1 free pass a year and simply let them know because they are a loyal client and you completely understand that emergencies come up, there is no need to enforce your cancelation fee that day.
Which also leads me into my last tip, the best policy is also going to come with a mutual accountability on your end. Why would you hold your clients to a higher standard than you hold yourself? I know that as stylists behind the chair, there are going to be days when the domino effect is real and we are running behind and can’t seem to catch up. There are also going to inevitably be times when you yourself get sick, and before you say that you never get sick—because I used to say the same—realize that this superhuman immunity doesn’t last forever and your time will come. When those moments happen I know that I want my clients to be understanding and give me grace, so I also want to make sure that I am extending them the same respect as well.
This is something I am sure to communicate which them when I am going over my policies. If I need to cancel for any reason I will be sure to contact them as soon as possible and I will do everything in my power to ensure they won’t have to wait an extended period of time to get back in. I actually have built in hours with in my schedule for sick days so that I can see most clients within a week of needing to reschedule without having to sacrifice my day off. I believe by reassuring my clients that I also want to be respectful of their time, they are more aware and respectful of how their own commitments impact my business. I’ve even offered a free product or simple add on treatment when I’ve had to last minute cancel an appointment before due to my own illness or emergency. Although you don’t have to go as far as offering things that cost you or your business money, I do believe that even a simple thank you card could go a long way in letting that client know how you respect their time.
It’s our responsibility to ensure that running late and canceling appointments is not a common occurrence in our business, but when it happens we need to own up to our end of the commitment we made to our clients who have possibly taken off work, gotten a babysitter, and have been looking forward to this appointment for weeks.
What you decide to include in your cancelation policy is going to be unique to your personal business—what works for me isn’t necessarily going to be the exact policy you need for your own business—but whatever that policy is I hope you can communicate it clearly, show your clients compassion, and hold yourself accountable is the process of enforcing a fair policy that protects both your business and your clients. I leave you today with the reminder that your boundaries are worthy of respect and you have the freedom to enforce them while being compassionate and respectful of others in the process.
