- Every change by phone or WhatsApp costs you a few minutes and always arrives at a bad moment.
- Decide up front until when a client can reschedule or cancel for free, and what happens after that.
- With a fixed rule and a ready made message, a change takes half a minute.
- With Bookable Praktijk, clients reschedule and cancel themselves, within your rules. With Start, you change the appointment in your calendar.
In this article
- Why rescheduling and cancelling takes so much time
- Set the rules before you need them
- A sample text for your cancellation policy
- Rescheduling is better than cancelling
- How to let clients reschedule without a booking system
- What to do when someone cancels too late
- What a late cancellation costs and how to fill the slot
- Which businesses gain most from clients rescheduling themselves
- How Bookable does this
- Frequently asked questions
Why rescheduling and cancelling takes so much time
A client cannot come. That is normal. The problem is how the message reaches you. A phone call in the middle of a treatment. A text at ten at night. An Instagram DM you only see three days later.
Every change takes a whole string of steps. You read the message, find the appointment, check what is free, suggest something, wait for a reply, update your calendar and confirm. That is five to ten minutes for something your client could do in ten seconds.
The late cancellation weighs the most. An appointment that drops out on the day itself is rarely filled again. That is an empty hour you had prepared everything for.
A worked example with your own assumptions. Say three clients a week change an appointment and every change takes five minutes. That is a quarter of an hour a week, or about 13 hours a year. Your figures will differ. Count for a month and you will know.
Set the rules before you need them
A client who knows the rules argues less. So decide on five points in advance.
| Rule | Question to answer | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Notice period | Until when is rescheduling or cancelling free? | Up to 24 hours before the appointment |
| After that | What happens if someone cancels later? | You keep the deposit |
| Number of changes | How often can a client reschedule? | Twice per appointment |
| Arriving late | What if someone is more than 15 minutes late? | The treatment is shortened |
| Not showing up | What if someone says nothing? | You keep the deposit |
Which notice period suits you? A short treatment of 30 minutes can often still be filled when someone cancels the day before. For a long treatment of two hours, 48 hours is more realistic. Look at how long it usually takes you to fill a slot.
A sample text for your cancellation policy
Put the rules in a short text that your client sees when booking. Keep it short, because your client reads it between two steps. Feel free to copy this text and adapt it.
You can cancel or move your appointment free of charge up to 24 hours beforehand. If you cancel later or don't turn up, we keep the deposit. If you are more than 15 minutes late, we may not be able to carry out your full treatment.
Put the same text on your website, next to your prices. Then nobody can say they did not know. You will find more examples and tips in the help centre, on the page Cancellation policy: a sample text.
Rescheduling is better than cancelling
It matters a lot to you whether a client reschedules or cancels. When they reschedule, the revenue stays. When they cancel, it disappears. So make rescheduling the easiest choice.
You do that with a small change in your wording. In your confirmation, do not only say what happens when someone cancels. Say too that a client can reschedule for free within the same notice period. People who know they can reschedule choose a new time more often than they stay away.
Answer a cancellation with a suggestion too. A client who writes that they cannot come gets two new times from you straight away. Then a cancellation becomes a reschedule, and your client stays with you.
How to let clients reschedule without a booking system
You do not need software to improve this. A ready made reply and a fixed routine already do a lot.
Pick one channel
Decide where clients report changes and say so everywhere. For example only WhatsApp, or only the phone until 6 pm. Then you do not have to search four apps for a message.
A fixed reply with three options
Never only ask when it suits them. Offer three times straight away. Then your client only has one choice to make.
Hi [name], no problem. Your appointment on [day] at [time] is free again. Would [time 1], [time 2] or [time 3] suit you better? Let me know and I will change it right away.
A list of clients who want an earlier slot
Write down which clients would like an earlier time if something frees up. When an appointment drops out, you send them a short message. Then a cancellation does not become an empty slot.
Update your calendar right away
Do it while your client is still in the conversation. If you wait until the end of the day, you forget a change. Then two clients end up with the same hour.
What to do when someone cancels too late
It happens, even with loyal clients. A child is ill, a car will not start. How you react decides whether that client comes back.
Stay friendly and clear. Point to the terms your client saw when booking. Say what that means for the deposit and offer a new appointment. An exception is fine, as long as you make it on purpose and not out of fear of an argument.
Hi [name], sorry it did not work out. As you are cancelling less than 24 hours before, we keep the deposit, as stated when booking. If you would like a new appointment, I can offer [time 1] or [time 2].
Unsure whether to make an exception? Look at the client and the reason. A loyal client who cancels for the first time often gets a second chance. Someone who stays away for the third time does not. Write down for yourself how you judge it. Then you decide the same way every time.
What a late cancellation costs and how to fill the slot
An appointment of €45 that drops out on the day is €45 less revenue. With two of those a month, that is €1,080 a year. That is a worked example with your own assumptions: 2 times €45 times 12 months.
How do you fill a slot like that? Three things work. A waiting list, a message to clients who earlier asked for an early slot, and a post in your story or status saying there is still a place today. The last one does not always work, but it takes you thirty seconds.
Prevention is still best. A deposit when booking and a reminder the day before make clients let you know sooner. Read more in Reducing no shows: five measures that work and in the article on what a client who does not show up costs you.
Which businesses gain most from clients rescheduling themselves
Every business gets changes, but some get far more than others.
- Practices with a series of appointments, such as a physiotherapy practice, where one change affects the whole schedule.
- Coaches and personal trainers, whose clients move sessions around their work.
- Hair and beauty salons with a full book and a waiting list.
- Businesses with long treatments, where a late cancellation leaves a big hole.
If you only have a few appointments a week and rarely a change, clients rescheduling themselves matters less. If you have many, Praktijk saves you time every week.
How Bookable does this
We need to be precise here, because what your client can do alone depends on your plan.
| What your client can do | Start | Praktijk |
|---|---|---|
| Book alone | Yes | Yes |
| Get a reminder by WhatsApp and email | Yes | Yes |
| Pay a deposit when booking | Yes | Yes |
| Reschedule or cancel alone | Not included | Yes, within your rules |
| Join the waiting list | Not included | Yes |
With Praktijk
Your client reschedules or cancels alone, within the rules you set, for example up to 24 hours beforehand. The reminder contains a link to reschedule or cancel. You no longer have to call or reply. When a slot is full, your client joins the waiting list. When an appointment drops out, the next person on the list gets a message.
With Start
Your client books alone and gets a reminder. Rescheduling or cancelling is not something they do alone in Bookable. They tell you, and you change the appointment in your calendar. That works well for a business with few changes. With the ready made texts from this article, it takes half a minute.
In both plans your client pays a deposit with Bancontact or iDEAL. If they cancel too late or do not show up, you keep the deposit according to your cancellation policy. If you work in sport and coaching, that page explains how rescheduling within your rules works. A hair salon looks different again, with a waiting list for full days.
Praktijk costs from €49 a month when you pay yearly, and Start from €29 a month. You try both free for 14 days, with no card.
- No card needed
- No commission
- Cancel monthly or yearly
Frequently asked questions
How can a client reschedule an appointment online?
With a booking system where clients reschedule themselves, your client gets a link in their reminder and picks another time. At Bookable that is part of the Praktijk plan, within the rules you set.
Can clients cancel by themselves with Bookable?
Yes, with Praktijk, within the rules you set, for example up to 24 hours beforehand. With Start, your client tells you and you change your calendar.
Until when can a client cancel for free?
You decide. Often it is 24 hours before the appointment, and 48 hours or more for long treatments. Put the notice period on the booking page and on your website.
Can I keep the deposit if a client cancels too late?
If it is in your cancellation policy beforehand and your client sees it when booking, you can keep the deposit. The simplest way is a deposit when booking, so you do not have to charge anything afterwards.
What if a client does not show up?
If that client paid a deposit, you keep it according to your terms. For each treatment you choose whether a deposit is required.
How do I fill a slot that frees up at the last minute?
With a waiting list, a message to clients who want an earlier time, or a post in your story or status. With Praktijk, the next person on the waiting list gets a message automatically.
Can I change a client's appointment myself?
Yes, you simply do it in your calendar. Always tell your client the new time.
Founder of Bookable. Questions about this article or about your own business? Send a message whenever you like. A real person replies, within 24 hours.