The deposit policy that works: 50% upfront, here's the wording I use

Right so I've been meaning to write this up for ages. I'm a mobile therapist owner based in Glasgow 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 Acuity Scheduling 3 months ago. Setup took about three hours including customising my services and pricing. Within the first month I got 3 months's worth of time back. The automated reminders alone have saved me from eight 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.