3 Features to Reduce Appointment No Shows 

Nobody likes the feeling of wasted time, and perhaps no waste of time is more devastating than no-shows. Across all industries, the average no-show rate typically ranges from 10 to 15%. In recent times for retail, this number is much likely higher.

No-shows in retail appointment scheduling are typically within two categories: associate no-shows, and consumer no-shows. Each correlate with longer waiting times, worse customer experiences and lost ROI. In today’s post, we cover three ways of reducing consumer no-shows in your stores. 

Use Instant Messaging Alerts & In-App Messaging

While in-store services are booked for specific time slots, in reality, customers have busy personal schedules that don’t always align with these times. Sending reminders to customers for appointments via instant messaging alerts, be it through social media, email, or text will be helpful in maintaining updates on when customers are heading to stores and adjusting store resources as needed. 

Ideally, the customer will have options to notify stores on potential delays, as well as have the ability to reschedule or cancel an appointment. This way, rather than being a hindrance for customers, an instant messaging alert can drive low-intensive actions that help stores prepare accordingly. 

Alongside email, SMS and social media integrations for messaging, in-app messaging can do the trick for store associates as well. However, an often-forgotten factor that people don’t always acknowledge with consumer no-shows is how sudden schedule shifts and absences can influence a customer’s likelihood of entering the store. 

Account for Shift Changes with Live Schedule Integrations 

When it comes to retail verticals like beauty and health care, personalized associate-customer relationships are king. Yet not every appointment booking solution is built with customer relationships and service capacity in mind. 

For example, at a salon, customers may want to have the option to reschedule an appointment with a particular barber whom they have received services from for the last few years. When that barber isn’t there, but the store doesn’t have the flexibility to adjust for the sudden change coming on a particular day, it can lead to disgruntled customers and missed opportunities for sales. 

A good appointment booking solution for the current and future will directly integrate with a workforce scheduler so that consumers can only see the times that are within a store’s, as well as a specific associate’s service capacity. They will also be immediately notified on live changes to an associate’s schedule and offered options to reschedule, pick another associate, or cancel the appointment entirely. 

Retail is becoming more localized and about the individualized customer experience than ever before. Live scheduler integrations will help retailers maintain visibility for each of their stores to their customers. 
Combined with in-app messaging and alerts, customers will also have actionable steps to adjust their appointments as needed heading up to the appointment. 

Support Conversion of In-Person Appointments to Online Conferences 

For verticals like fitness, health, and electronics, customers will be wary of heading to stores for sessions they can pursue remotely. Incorporating video conferencing and remote appointment capabilities will help your stores continue driving customer engagement from afar and ensure that if appointments are initially cancelled that they can still happen for customers who aren’t able to enter stores.

By emphasizing these three features, minimizing customer no-shows within your stores will be much more likely – and you will be able to differentiate your business from competitors. 

To learn more about how Nextenture can help you bring your business up to speed and eliminate customer no-shows from your stores, check out our mobile appointment scheduling solution, Engage, or request a meeting with a Nextenture consultant here.