It’s Okay To Charge Cancellations Fees
Does it make you uncomfortable charging patients for late cancellations or for not showing up?
We know a lot of practitioners agonise over it. You’re a nice, giving, kind person. It might feel vexatious or unfair, or you’re concerned it will deter people from booking with you in the future, or that they might complain about it on social media or forums.
Most Humans Get It
Here’s the thing. Reasonable people know it’s right and they know it’s fair. Sure, they might feel irked about it but they are cross with themselves, not you.
There will always inevitably be no-shows and last-minute cancellations. Things happen, life happens and appointments do get missed for good reasons.
But good reasons don’t help your business. It’s a loss of income for you. And it could be difference between having a profitable month or one that goes into the red.
Pros Of Charging A Cancellation Fee
It will go some way to cover your overheads that you pay during that appointment slot (electricity, rent)
It’s standard practice in other industries (think hotel rooms!)
Your own time is compensated
You reinforce to patients the value of your services and time
Patients might become more diligent about sticking to their appointment and change the ‘other’ thing that’s come up!
Cons Of Charging A Cancellation Fee
You might say goodbye to persistent skippers (this could go up the pro list!)
Some patients will have genuine emergencies and charging them a fee could add to a stressful situation (but you can always knock it off their next treatment!)
You initially feel uncomfortable !
Given the pros, on balance, outweigh the cons it’s both wise and sensible to press ahead and charge patients who don’t turn up.
How Do I Do It?
We concur that it is extremely awkward to phone someone and ask them to pay it over the phone - besides, who has the time for that!
That’s why we’ve built the ability to seamlessly and easily charge fees into GlowdayPRO. Simply by adopting our patient management system, software that you need anyway to organise your time and manage patient’s treatments, you’re protected from late-cancellations and no-shows.
The Nitty Gritty
You set your cancellation fees when you create your GlowdayPRO account/profile. This is usually a percentage of the cost of the treatment.
We tell all patients this policy when they are booked in your diary, it is made very clear to them what fees will apply.
We also tell them their payment card will be charged in the event of a no-show/late cancellation.
If it does happen, we charge their card and collect the fee directly and deposit it in your bank account. You don’t have to ask for anything, chase anything or do anything!
And It Works
We have not had one single complaint from any patient that they have been charged a fee for not showing up. As we said earlier, most reasonable humans accept that it’s fair and just. It’s normal, rational and appropriate.
And the proof is in the pudding.
The average no-show rate in the industry is 18 per cent.
The Glowday no-show rate - 0.5%
You can’t argue with that!
The key to a successful cancellation policy is the clear communication of it. No surprises and complete transparency, which is exactly what GlowdayPRO provides.
Another feature that contributes to our low no-show rate, is the free appointment reminders that we send to your patients. If required, patients can cancel well in advance or reschedule via their patient portal.
The Bottom Line!
Cancellation fees work, they don’t deter future bookings and they benefit you and your business. So time to toughen up get to it!
Sign up for GlowdayPRO here.