A no-show is a booking nobody honours: the customer neither comes nor warns you. It differs from a late cancellation, where the customer does warn you, but too late for the slot to be given away.
Why it is a real cost
An empty table on a Saturday night, a two-hour colour appointment or a room booked for the weekend can’t be recovered: the product (time, a seat) is lost. Sometimes you also lose the food prepared and the staff scheduled for that customer.
A concrete example
A hair salon books 2.5 hours for a colour and blow-dry. The client doesn’t come. The slot was too long to fill at the last minute with walk-ins: the stylist has lost half an afternoon of work.
How to reduce it
- a reminder the day before or that morning, by email, with a one-click cancel link;
- a clear cancellation policy, shown at the time of booking;
- a deposit for higher-risk bookings (large groups, special evenings, long treatments);
- a waiting list to refill freed slots quickly;
- a customer history to spot repeat no-shows.
A common mistake
Making cancelling hard (phone only, during service hours): a customer who can’t make it doesn’t call, and the cancellation turns into a no-show. To write your rules, see the booking cancellation policy guide.
Go further
Related terms
Deposit (arrhes vs acompte)
A booking deposit is money paid in advance to secure a booking. French law distinguishes arrhes (either side can withdraw: the customer forfeits them, the business repays double) and acompte (binding on both).
Commission-free booking
Commission-free booking means an online booking system where the business pays a flat subscription (or nothing) instead of handing over a fee for every booking or customer received.
Customer loyalty and referral
Customer loyalty covers what a business does so customers come back and recommend it: welcome, follow-up, loyalty card, newsletter and referral (a loyal customer brings a new one).