Best Ways to Handle No Shows & Cancelations
We have a lot of clients who are guides, and one of the biggest gripes has to be no-shows and last minute cancelations.
I get it, stuff happens, but sometimes getting ghosted at 6 a.m. at the boat landing makes you rethink what you’re doing…
Rather than take out your frustrations improperly, I feel you should take the necessary steps to ensure it doesn’t keep happening. In the end, it will save you time and money.
Take a Deposit
This may seem rather obvious, but you’d be surprised how many guides still operate without taking some kind of deposit. If there’s no skin in the game, as they say, it just makes it too easy to bail on you.
A common practice is to take as much as 50% of the trip down for a deposit. Many also choose to take a fixed amount, such as $500, to cover the event of a no-show.
Either way, it’s not a bad idea. And it’s really not that expensive to take deposits up-front, and online. After all, why wouldn’t you want to make it easy for people to book a trip with you?
Have the Right Paperwork in Place
I’m not an attorney, so I’m not going to give concrete legal advice. But I can tell you, coming from a long-time business owner, that having at least a simple contract in place will help protect you in the event of no-shows.
You should clearly specify what happens if there’s a no show, cancelation, bad weather, etc.
Again, I’m not going to get too winded here considering I’m not an attorney. I would highly recommend looking one up in your area.
Have a Booking Calendar
Before considering using a booking calendar on your website for your marketing, you have to be ready to literally change your “system” of doing business.
First off, you MUST keep the calendar accurate, to avoid double booking.
Second, you need to have it tied into your personal calendar. We use Google Calendars a lot here.
But when properly used, a booking calendar makes it a dream for your clients to book on their own. This will also avoid a lot of unnecessary phone calls. Make sure you’re properly describing what you’re offering, along with the price, and you’d be surprised how fast that calendar can fill.
Have Proper Channels to Fill Cancelations, Quickly and Affordably
Okay so this is where Outfitter Logic reallys shines. Because we effectively help you build 2 email marketing lists, you will always have 2 channels to use to fill cancelations (past client list & website inquiry list).
Best part of all here at Outfitter Logic, we do it all for you! Just give us the details and we’ll send it out quickly and efficiently.
Over time, these email lists will continue to grow and become more valuable. Being able to “touch” past clients as well is invaluable for repeat business.
Social Media
While this may seem rather obvious, it really only work well if you have a growing or established social media presence. For example, an effective way to fill cancelations is to post a notice on your Facebook page. Those who follow your page typically are interested already, just give them a reason to book.
While posting these notices in various Facebook groups can work, it can also upset moderators and potentially get you banned from the groups. So with that being said, the best long-term solution is to focus on your own page.
If you need assistance with growing your social media presence, we can certainly help your business with that. 🙂
Recap of No Shows & Cancelations
No matter what you do, you shouldn’t just continue to do leave your time and money open to being ghosted.
You should have a plan and be consistent with it. After all, time is money and you need to be paid, even if nobody shows. That’s just proper business.
