What are no-shows costing your salon?

Put in a few numbers from your diary and see what no-shows and late cancellations cost you each week, month and year. Nothing you type leaves this page.

How the sum works

No-shows are counted as fully lost: appointments × no-show rate × average value. Late cancellations are counted as lost unless you refill the gap, so they're multiplied by the share you don't refill. A year is 52 weeks; a month is a year divided by twelve.

The booking-fee line assumes you keep the fee when a client doesn't turn up, which is how most salon policies work. It doesn't count the bigger effect: clients who have paid something upfront tend to turn up more reliably in the first place.

Where to find your own numbers

• No-show rate: count the no-shows in your last 12 weeks of diary and divide by the total appointments in that time. Rates vary a lot by salon, service and area, so your own figure beats any industry average.
• Average value: your takings for a month divided by the number of appointments that month.
• Late cancellations: use whatever notice window your policy sets, usually 24 or 48 hours.

Cutting the number

• Take a booking fee on longer or higher-value services, and deduct it from the final bill. Our free booking fee policy template covers the wording.
• Send reminders a day or two before, with an easy way to rebook rather than just cancel.
• Keep a waiting list and offer cancelled slots the moment they open up.
• Reply to enquiries fast. A client who books in a rush with the first salon that answered is less committed than one who booked properly.