Stop letting clients book you through Instagram DMs — here's why
Helena Rogers
👑 VIP
👑 VIP
Local Business Owner · Torquay · 4mo ago
Right so I've been meaning to write this up for ages. I'm a aesthetics clinic owner based in Cardiff and I spent way too long using WhatsApp as my main booking tool. I know a lot of you are still doing this and I get it — it feels personal, it's easy, your clients know how to use it. But here's what it was actually costing me.
Every Sunday night I'd spend two hours going through messages, confirming appointments, sending manual reminders, chasing people who'd said 'yes I'll be there' three days ago and then gone quiet. Two hours every single Sunday. When I eventually calculated that out over a year it was over 100 hours of unpaid admin.
I moved to Treatwell 18 months ago. Setup took about three hours including customising my services and pricing. Within the first month I got 18 months's worth of time back. The automated reminders alone have saved me from four no-shows that would definitely have happened.
The bit I was most nervous about — telling my existing clients — was a complete non-event. I sent a single message saying I'd moved to online booking and included the link. About 80% booked straight away. The other 20% needed a gentle nudge but they got there.
Every Sunday night I'd spend two hours going through messages, confirming appointments, sending manual reminders, chasing people who'd said 'yes I'll be there' three days ago and then gone quiet. Two hours every single Sunday. When I eventually calculated that out over a year it was over 100 hours of unpaid admin.
I moved to Treatwell 18 months ago. Setup took about three hours including customising my services and pricing. Within the first month I got 18 months's worth of time back. The automated reminders alone have saved me from four no-shows that would definitely have happened.
The bit I was most nervous about — telling my existing clients — was a complete non-event. I sent a single message saying I'd moved to online booking and included the link. About 80% booked straight away. The other 20% needed a gentle nudge but they got there.
💬 3 Replies
👁 1.5K Views
💬 3 Replies
Join the conversation! You need to be logged in to reply.
The no-show stats in this post match my experience almost exactly. I was losing roughly £20 a month to no-shows and cancellations before I introduced deposits. That money was just gone. Now it's protected. The maths on deposits is completely obvious once you see it.
#1
Been using BookPin for a year and I'd echo everything in this post. The one thing I'd add: set up the automated follow-up message asking for a review. I get three new Google reviews a week without doing anything. Massive for local SEO.
#2
The bit about re-engaging lapsed clients is something I hadn't thought of using Trafft for. Going to set that up today. I've got loads of clients I assumed had just moved on who might just need a gentle nudge.
#3