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Prevent no-shows at your salon

Avana cuts salon no-shows with deposits at booking, automatic reminders and clear cancellation rules, all in every plan. If someone still doesn't turn up, their next booking shows you they stayed away before.

Deposit at bookingReminder when you chooseIncluded in every plan
One system against empty chairs

Five points where Avana stops a no-show

Each step does a different job. Together they make sure the client comes, or cancels early enough for someone else to take the slot.

  1. 1Cancellation rulesThe client reads how late they can cancel for free while booking.Take a look
  2. 2DepositSomeone who has paid something is far less likely to skip it.Take a look
  3. 3ReminderAn email at the moment you choose.Take a look
  4. 4WaitlistIf someone cancels in time, the slot goes to whoever is waiting. In Business Plus.Take a look
  5. 5Marking a no-showWhoever stays away anyway is flagged at their next booking.This page
Why it works

Fewer appointments that quietly never happen

Each no-show is an hour you kept free and can't sell again. Avana's protections work before the appointment, when they still make a difference.

Your longest services get the most protection

Turn on a deposit for your balayage or full set and leave short services alone. That's where an empty chair hurts most.

Clients stop forgetting

Every client with an email address gets a reminder automatically, four hours before by default, or one to three days ahead if you prefer.

You know who you're dealing with

Mark a no-show and every future appointment for that client carries a red label with the count. You don't have to remember it yourself.

Closing the gap

Three moments, three settings

Avana's no-show protection works at three moments: at booking, before the appointment and when someone doesn't come. You set each one up once.

At booking

A deposit on your long services

In your payment settings, choose a deposit up front as a fixed amount or a percentage of the price, then switch it on or off for each service.

  • If the client doesn't come, the deposit stays with you
  • You can ask only new clients to pay up front
  • If you cancel, the deposit is refunded automatically
Before the appointment

A reminder that arrives in time

Choose when the reminder email goes out: four hours, or one, two or three days before. It includes your address and how long they still have to cancel.

  • Avana warns you if the reminder lands after your cancellation window
  • Your address and the cancellation deadline are in it
  • Clients can cancel from the email while it's still free
If nobody comes

Mark the no-show and Avana remembers it

Open the appointment and mark it as a no-show. The client isn't sent anything, and every later booking shows how many times they didn't come.

  • A no-show doesn't count as a visit
  • With new-clients-only deposits, they pay up front again next time
  • You can create an invoice for part of the price
Before and after

What changes once Avana takes it over

How it usually goes in a salon without a system, and how it goes with Avana.

Without a system and With Avana side by side
 Without a systemWith Avana
A client forgetsYou message everyone yourself the night beforeThe reminder goes out by itself
The long appointmentYou hope they turn upA deposit is already in
Explaining your rulesAgain for every client, on the phoneClients read them while booking
Someone cancels in timeYou ring round your regularsYour waitlist gets an email (Business Plus)
Someone stays awayYou try to rememberA red label at their next booking
The same client books againYou don't like to say anythingThey pay up front again, if you choose that
Working together

What cuts no-shows down even further

Three parts of Avana that plug into your no-show rules.

No-showsWaitlist

An early cancellation makes room for someone waiting

A reminder two days ahead gives the client a chance to cancel. The free slot then goes straight to whoever is waiting for that day, in Avana Business Plus.

No-showsReports

See what staying away costs you

Under income you missed, your reports count how often someone didn't come without a word, with a button straight to your payment settings. Reports are part of Avana Business Plus.

No-showsInvoices

Charging something for a no-show

Turn on no-show invoicing in your invoice settings and choose a percentage. Avana creates the invoice, and you send it to the client yourself.

Everything that helps

Five things in Avana that work against no-shows

All in your settings and all included in every plan.

You can't block a client in Avana. You can choose to take deposits from new clients only: a no-show doesn't count as a visit, so anyone who stayed away pays up front again next time.

Questions

No-shows: what salon owners ask us

How do I stop no-shows at my salon?

With a few small hurdles that reinforce each other: a deposit at booking, a reminder in good time and clear cancellation rules. Avana covers all three in every plan. If someone cancels in time, the waitlist in Avana Business Plus fills the slot again, and anyone who stays away anyway is flagged at their next booking.

Does Avana charge a no-show fee automatically?

No. The amount you set for late cancellations and no-shows appears in your terms and in the booking confirmation, but Avana doesn't charge it on its own. What you can count on is what the client paid up front as a deposit, which stays with you after a no-show.

Can I block a client who keeps not turning up?

No, blocking a client isn't possible. What you can do is take deposits from new clients only: a no-show doesn't count as a visit, so anyone who stayed away pays up front again next time. Every booking from that client also shows a red label with their number of no-shows.

Is the client told when I mark a no-show?

No. Marking a no-show in Avana sets the appointment to not attended and nothing is sent to the client. It's final and can't be undone, so only mark it once you're sure they aren't coming. If they turned up late, just leave the appointment as it is.

When should a salon send an appointment reminder?

A reminder should go early enough that the client can still cancel in time afterwards. By default the reminder email goes four hours before, and you can also choose one, two or three days. If clients can cancel for free up to 24 hours before, two days is the better choice, and Avana warns you if your reminder would arrive after the cancellation window.

Does the waitlist kick in after a no-show?

No. Avana's waitlist is triggered when an appointment is canceled or deleted. With a no-show the time has already passed, so there's nothing left to fill. The waitlist is part of Avana Business Plus and Avana Business Max.

Can I send a no-show an invoice?

Yes. In Avana's invoice settings, turn on no-show invoicing and choose what percentage of the price goes on the invoice. Avana creates it, and you send it to the client yourself. There's more about this on invoices.

Is no-show protection included in every Avana plan?

Yes. Deposits, reminder emails, your cancellation rules and marking no-shows are all in every plan, including Avana Business at $20.99 a month. The waitlist and reports are part of Avana Business Plus.

Is there a service fee, and who pays it?

When a client pays online, a small service fee is part of the price they see from the very first screen: 3% of the booking, at least $1.99 and at most $2.79. You pay nothing on your takings, because Avana charges no commission. That small amount from the client is what lets us pay you out in full, so the whole treatment price stays with you.

Question not answered here? Send it to us and a real person at Avana will answer it.

The short answer

How do you prevent no-shows at a salon?

Avana is a salon booking system with everything you need to cut down no-shows. You can take a deposit when a client books, as a fixed amount or a percentage of the price, switched on per service. Clients get a reminder email at the time you choose, from four hours to three days before. Your cancellation rules are shown while booking and in the confirmation. If someone still doesn't come, you mark the appointment as a no-show: the client isn't notified, and their next booking carries a red label with the count. Blocking a client isn't possible, but with deposits for new clients only, anyone who stayed away pays up front next time. It's all included in every plan. For a solo salon, Avana Business costs $20.99 a month, tax included, which is $0.69 a day.

Preventing no-shows

Fewer clients who simply don't turn up

A no-show at your salon costs more than the price of that one appointment. You kept the time free, maybe turned someone else away, and sat waiting for an hour. If you work alone, you feel it straight away. Most no-shows happen because someone forgot or didn't think it was worth canceling, and that's where a small hurdle at booking and a nudge just before help most. Avana puts both in one place: a deposit, a reminder email and clear cancellation rules.

What you set up works wherever the client books: on your booking page, in the widget on your website and through the QR code at your front desk. When someone cancels in time, Business Plus passes the slot straight to your waitlist, so a cancellation doesn't have to become an empty chair.

If someone stays away anyway, you mark the appointment as a no-show. The client record shows how often it has happened, and with deposits for new clients only, that client pays up front next time. If you want to charge something, Avana can create an invoice for part of the price, and your reports show what no-shows cost you. All of this is in every plan apart from the waitlist and reports; prices are on the pricing page.

What is no-show protection, and which salons need it?

No-show protection is everything you do to make sure a client who booked actually comes, or cancels in good time. A no-show is someone who doesn't turn up and doesn't let you know. Every appointment-based business gets them, but they hurt most when you work alone and offer long services: a colourist with a two-hour color, a lash artist doing a full set, a massage therapist with a full hour booked. That time can't be sold at the last minute.

In Avana you can take a deposit at booking, from everyone or only from new clients. The client gets a reminder email beforehand, four hours ahead by default. Your cancellation policy says how late a free cancellation is allowed. When you mark an appointment as not attended, every future booking from that client shows a red label with the count, and because a no-show doesn't count as a visit, that client pays up front again next time.

How big should a deposit be to stop no-shows?

Big enough that the client notices it, and not so big that they give up halfway through booking. Think of a fixed $10 to $25, or a share of the price for long services. A fixed amount is easy to explain; a percentage grows with your prices, so a $140 balayage gets a bigger deposit than a fringe trim.

In Avana you choose a fixed amount or a percentage of the price in your payment settings. A fixed amount is never more than the service itself, and a percentage is worked out on the service plus add-ons, after any discount. You switch the deposit on or off for each service, so a quick brow tidy can stay free while your full lash set has a deposit. Start with your longest services, because that's where an empty chair costs the most.

What do you do with a client who keeps not showing up?

Record it first, and then ask that client to pay up front. You can always have a word, but without a record you won't remember after a few months whether it was twice or five times. A deposit is also a clearer arrangement than a warning.

In Avana you open the appointment and mark it as a no-show. It then shows as not attended, the client isn't sent anything, and every future booking from them carries a red label with the count. If you take deposits from new clients only, that client pays up front again next time while your regulars carry on paying at the salon. Blocking isn't possible, but with that setting it's rarely needed. To charge for the missed appointment, turn on no-show invoicing in your invoice settings.

When is the best time to send a reminder email?

Send it early enough that a client who can't make it still has time to cancel for free. If your policy allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before, a reminder four hours ahead comes too late to help: the slot is lost either way. Two days before gives them a natural moment to check their week.

In Avana you choose four hours, or one, two or three days before, and the email includes your address, the time and the cancellation deadline. Avana warns you if the reminder would land after your cancellation window. Clients can cancel from the email while it's still free, and if they do, your waitlist in Business Plus gets the chance to fill the slot.

What does a no-show actually cost a salon?

Work it out once for your own salon and you'll know what a deposit is worth. Take a $55 gel manicure with nail art that falls through once a week: that's over $200 a month. A three-hour balayage left empty once a month costs half a day of takings. And on top of that, you couldn't give that time to anyone else.

In Avana you don't have to keep track yourself. The reports in Business Plus show, under income you missed, how often someone didn't come without a word and how often a booking was canceled less than 24 hours ahead, with buttons to your payment settings and your waitlist. Avana values each gap against what you earned per booked hour in that period. If it turns out to be a handful of no-shows a month, a deposit on your longest services is often enough.

How do you write a no-show policy clients actually read?

Keep it short, put it where the client is already looking, and use numbers rather than paragraphs. A line like "Free to cancel up to 24 hours before, after that $15" is clearer than three paragraphs of terms on your website. Above all, the client should read it before the booking is confirmed.

In Avana you set it up under canceling and rescheduling. You choose how late a free cancellation is allowed, what a late cancellation or no-show costs and whether clients may reschedule themselves. Clients read those rules while booking, on your booking page and in the confirmation and reminder. After your deadline they can no longer cancel online and are shown who to call instead. The amount you mention isn't charged automatically, which is what the deposit is for. More on this under cancellation policy.

Pricing

Three plans, and the price is right here

Every plan includes sales tax, takes no commission on your bookings and can be canceled any month. Try Avana free for 7 days, no card needed.

MonthlyYearly save up to $142

Business

For the independent salon that takes bookings seriously.
$20.99/month

$0.70 a day, and no commission on your revenue.

Start free
Most popular

Business Plus

For the salon that wants every gap in the week filled.
$35.99/month

$1.20 a day. One extra appointment a month covers it.

Start free

Business Max

For the salon that also teaches, with Avana Academy included.
$70.99/month

$2.37 a day, with Avana Academy included.

Start free
  • Mobile app for iPhone and Android
  • 2 extra team members includedEach with their own calendar. After that, $7.99 a month per person.
  • Avana Academy includedSell courses with certificates for your students.
  • Treatment rooms in your calendarAdd the room or chair to each appointment, so two treatments never clash.
  • 5 free SMS a month included
  • Email campaigns
  • Automatic birthday and win-back emails
  • Use your own domain name
  • Your own branding in campaigns
  • Advanced settings
  • Early access to new features

All prices include sales tax. Move to another plan and you only pay the difference.

Add-ons when you need them

Three things you can add on their own

On the same bill as your plan, and you can stop any month.

Avana Connect

Link your Instagram once. From then on, an assistant answers client messages with your own prices and free times, and clients can book right there in the chat.

$12.99a month
Add Avana Connect

Avana Academy

Sell your own course to people who want to learn your craft. You record the lessons once, the practical day sits in your calendar and certificates go out on their own.

$11.99a month
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An extra team member

Someone joins you on Tuesdays and Saturdays? Add them with their own hours and their own column in the calendar, and clients can book with them by name.

$7.99a month
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