7 Ways to Reduce Appointment No-Shows

No-shows are a tax on your day. Most are preventable with small process changes.

1. Collect a deposit on high-value jobs Even $25 changes the customer's commitment level.

2. Send two reminders, not one 24 hours before and 1 hour before. Skip the 1-hour reminder for early-morning jobs.

3. Make rescheduling one tap A "Need to reschedule?" link in the reminder text recovers revenue that would otherwise disappear.

4. Confirm the address A quick "we're heading to 123 Main St — reply Y to confirm" catches typos before the truck rolls.

5. Show the technician's name and photo Customers are far less likely to ghost someone they recognize.

6. Track no-show rates by source If one lead source has 3x the no-show rate, raise the deposit or stop spending there.

7. Charge a no-show fee — and waive it Having the fee in your terms gives you leverage. Waiving it on first offense earns goodwill.