Cancellations Happen: Here’s How to Make the Most of Them

Cancellations are bound to happen.

Maybe a client suffers an injury or finds themselves under the weather. Perhaps they had another obligation pop up. Or, maybe their priorities have shifted.

While cancellations are inevitable, there are steps you can take to help re-engage these clients, or avoid missing out on lost revenue and last minute schedule changes.

Here are a few tips for re-engaging with clients who have canceled sports lessons or training sessions:

1. “Store Credits” vs refunds

I don’t know about you, but when I make a return at a store, it feels like I just earned free money. Even though I’ve already spent the money, getting a credit back on my account makes me feel like I have a little extra to spend. And, when I have been given a store credit in exchange for my return, I feel obligated to spend it because I’ve already spent the money and don’t want it to go to waste.

You can apply this concept to your business.

When a client cancels a session (within the cancellation deadline), are they refunded their payment, or are they given a credit back to use on a future booking? One simple way to help re-engage clients is through returning a credit to their account rather than just refunding the entire transaction. This encourages your athletes to rebook their session with your business.

If an athlete purchases a lesson within Upper Hand, they are purchasing a credit that they can then use to book an appointment through the software. Upon canceling a session, if within the set cancellation period, this credit is returned to the clients’ account, allowing them to book a new time for the same event at a time that works for them.

2. Set a cancellation deadline

Last minute cancellations are frustrating for many reasons. For example, you could have been waiting around for an hour only to have a client cancel 5 minutes before their sports lesson was scheduled to take place. Not only did this lead to a waste of time, but it also caused you to miss out on an opportunity to add someone else to your schedule during that scheduled time. To eliminate last minute cancellations, you should consider setting a cancellation deadline for your clients. Implementing a cancellation policy will limit the amount of time a client has before the start of a session to cancel that session. This will help you better plan your days ahead, so that you’re able to prepare your programming for the athletes you will be working with.

With appointment booking software like Upper Hand, you can easily set a cancellation deadline so you can automatically take action when a cancellation occurs. Cancellation deadlines limit the amount of time a client has before the start of a session to cancel that session. If they are past the cancellation deadline you have set, they will no longer have the option to cancel their session.

3. Provide personalized follow up that makes them feel valued

Another approach you can take if an athlete cancels their training session is to extend a personalized message to them to see what you can do to help them reschedule. This will help you show your clients how valuable they are to you and your community. With Upper Hand AI, you can view a report of canceled sessions. You can then utilize that data to reach out to those clients who have canceled to re-engage them.

Another bonus you could offer is a coupon code or discount on a future purchase. Think about what other programs you may want your athletes to sign up for, and push people to sign up. This will help you build brand loyalty long-term.

Ready to turn clients into loyal brand advocates?

While scheduling conflicts, illness, or injuries are bound to pop up, there are ways you can improve the client experience in a way that makes it easy for your clients to get back on the books. Additionally, by establishing a policy and plan for when cancellations happen, you’ll be able to better prepare for your day or week ahead. Using an appointment booking software like Upper Hand can help you automate many of these tasks – from setting cancellation deadlines to issuing credits instead of refunds. If you’re interested in seeing Upper Hand sports software in action, schedule a call with a member of our team!