How to fill last-minute cancellations in your hair salon

A client cancels an hour before their colour. That's a chair and a stylist sitting idle, and unlike most costs, it can't be earned back later. The sooner you offer that time to someone, the better your chances of filling it.

Why a waiting list often doesn't work

Most people won't join a waiting list. They'd rather book something that's certain. And an old list full of vague wishes means a lot of messaging for very few takers.

A better idea: offer the time to people who are already booked later

You already have a list of people who want an appointment: everyone who's booked in the next week or two. Some of them would happily come earlier. A short, friendly offer to move up works better than a cold message to someone who never asked.

1. Pick clients booked for the same kind of service and the same stylist, if they asked for one.
2. Text a few of them at once, not one at a time, so you don't wait.
3. Keep it short: the time on offer, the time they currently have, and an easy way to say yes.
4. Make "no thanks" painless. Their original booking stays as it is if they ignore it.
5. When someone says yes, their old time becomes free too, so offer that one on in turn.

Rules of thumb that help

• Only offer times far enough away for the client to get there, such as at least an hour and a half.
• Don't text at night. Keep it to sensible hours.
• Let people opt out of these offers.
• Don't offer a time to someone whose service takes longer than the gap.

Doing it automatically

WorkRoute does exactly this. When you cancel an appointment in the diary, it can text up to three clients with later bookings who'd fit the gap, with a link to tap and move up. The first person to accept gets it, their old time can be offered on, and you get a notification. It only sends between 7am and 8pm, only for times at least 90 minutes away, and people can switch these offers off.