No-show prevention: reminder timings that actually work in the UK

Most no-shows are not rude customers. They are people who booked three weeks ago, wrote nothing down and went to work.

A reminder fixes that. The timing decides whether it helps you or only helps them.

A message at 8am on the day might get them home in time. It does nothing for you if they cancel, because the slot is already lost.

• Confirm in writing the moment the job is booked.
• Remind two days before, and ask for a reply.
• Text on the morning with an arrival window.
• If there is no reply to the reminder, ring once the day before.
• Say what happens if nobody is in, before it happens.

Send it as soon as the date is agreed: day, date, arrival window, address, what you are doing and the price.

It is the customer's record and yours. It also stops "I thought you said Thursday".

This is the one that protects your diary.

Two days is long enough to offer the slot to someone else if they pull out, and close enough that the customer knows their plans.

Ask for a reply. "Reply YES to confirm" turns a reminder into a commitment, and silence tells you who to ring.

Send it before you set off for your first job: "I will be with you between 1 and 3".

A window is more honest than a time, and you are more likely to keep it.

If you are running late, say so as soon as you know. A customer who has been told will wait. One who has not goes out.

No reply to the two-day reminder is a warning, not a cancellation.

Ring once the day before. If you still cannot reach them, decide by the job: a short visit nearby may be worth the risk, a half-day with materials on the van is not.

Tell them what you have decided: "I have not been able to confirm tomorrow, so I have released the slot. Get in touch and I will rebook you."

Put one line in your booking terms about what happens if you arrive and nobody is in, and repeat it in the reminder.

A wasted-visit charge, or a deposit that is kept, are both common. Keep the amount close to what the trip really cost you.

You will rarely need to use it. Customers who have read it tend to be in.

Two no-shows a month on jobs worth £160 each is £320 gone, before fuel.

You cannot fill a slot you lose at 9am on the day. You can often fill one you lose two days ahead.

If the two-day reminder saves one of those two jobs, that is £160 a month for three texts per booking.

• Write the three messages once and save them.
• Add the empty-visit line to your terms.
• Go through next week's jobs and send the two-day reminder to each.
• Start a short list of customers who would take an earlier slot.

Two days before:

Hi [name], a reminder that I am booked to [job] on [day, date], arriving between [time] and [time]. Please reply YES to confirm someone will be in. If you need to move it, tell me today and I can rebook you at no charge.

On the morning:

Morning [name], I will be with you between [time] and [time] today. I will text when I am on my way.