When A Cancellation Is OK
We all have tight schedules and we all need to make an income. I am a staunch believe in a 24 hour cancellation policy for several reasons.
- It sends a message to my clients that my time is valuable.
- I am less likely to be cancelled on if there are financial consequences.
- If I am cancelled on, I am not financial impacted.
Those are just the top three reasons to have a policy in effect but are there exceptions? Is it ever ok to allow someone to cancel and not charge them for the missed appointment? The answer, of course, is yes but it must be handled on a case by case basis. If you let everyone take advantage of this policy, then you shouldn’t have the policy in the first place. In other words, don’t have a policy you are not willing to enforce. That being said, I allowed two cancellations today alone.
I live in the NorthEast and we have been whacked with weather. Both of the clients that cancelled today had flooded basements and other water issues that were too stressful to walk away from. Yes, a massage might have relieved some stress but I understand having to take care of things like water damage first. I was lucky. Although my house leaked a bit, my neighbors lost trees and wires and shingles and light poles.
The point is to make a judgement based on the situation in the moment. In my book, natural disasters qualify for a pass in the 24 cancellation department.
Stay focused.
In my office, we have a policy of allowing everyone one missed appointment per year without billing them. After that, they are going to receive a bill. And of course, just like your people with the flooded basements, we make allowances for illnesses, death in the family, or some other catastrophic emergency. We also maintain a list of people who have abused our policy in the past, and they have to guarantee their appointment with a credit card.My intake forms contain our cancellation policy, and people are obligated to initial that particular sentence to acknowledge that they have been informed. We also have a sign prominently posted right inside the door. I make mention of it in our newsletters, and it is on our website. I have framed it in terms that people understand: “You may not think missing an appointment is a big deal. But if several people do that to a therapist in a week’s time, there goes someone’s house or car payment, or their child care, or their grocery money.” When I put it out there like that, it seemed to really get people’s attention, and the incidence of blown-off appointments and last-minute cancellations went way down.