Six sessions sold, two used, four forgotten
In January a client buys a course of six facials, meant to be spaced a few weeks apart. She comes in twice. Then there is a family event, a holiday and a busy month at work. By June she has not booked again. She still has four sessions, has half forgotten about them and feels a little embarrassed to call. When she finally does, it is nearly a year later and she is not sure the course is still valid.
The salon has been paid, so on a spreadsheet it looks fine. In reality there is an unhappy client, a result she did not get and four sessions that might become a dispute.
Nothing prompts the next session
- The first session is booked when the course is bought; after that it is up to the client.
- Therapists suggest rebooking at checkout, but a busy client says she will book online later.
- Generic rebooking reminders do not know she has a course or what interval it should follow.
- Nobody sees a list of courses that have stalled.
- Clients who fall behind feel awkward and avoid contacting the salon.
Unhappy clients and questions about unused sessions
It matters more in beauty than in many trades because courses are usually sold for treatments where the spacing is part of the point: a series of facials or skin treatments planned a few weeks apart, a run of waxes timed to the hair growth cycle, brow lamination kept up at regular intervals. When the spacing slips, the client often feels the course did not work, even though it was never completed as planned.
A course that is not completed does not give the client what she paid for, which is bad for your reputation even if it is not your fault. Stalled courses also create questions later about expiry and refunds. Therapists lose the regular clients that courses are meant to create.
Course pacing that keeps clients on track
- Each course type is given a planned interval between sessions, set by you for that treatment.
- At checkout after each session, the therapist is prompted to book the next one at the planned interval, with the client's usual therapist and time suggested.
- If the client does not book, she gets a message shortly before the next session is due, with a link that books that course session directly.
- If she drifts past the interval, a second, gentler message goes out, and the course moves onto a stalled list for the salon.
- Reception or the therapist sees the stalled list weekly and can make a personal call, which often works better than another message.
- Where your terms include an expiry date, the client is reminded well before it, so it never comes as a surprise.
| Course status | What the client gets | What the salon sees |
|---|---|---|
| On track, next booked | Normal reminder before the session | Nothing to do |
| Due, not booked | Message with booking link | Nothing yet |
| Overdue | Gentle follow-up | Course on stalled list |
| Near expiry | Clear reminder of your terms | Flag for a personal call |
Treatment intervals are your therapists' professional choice, and expiry terms are your business decision. We apply them as you set them.
Courses that get finished
On a normal week, a client who skipped rebooking at checkout gets a message the week her next facial is due and books from the link. Another, who has not responded to two messages, appears on the stalled list, and her therapist calls her on a quiet afternoon. It turns out she has had a baby, and they agree to pause the course, which is noted on the account. Nobody reaches the expiry date without knowing it was coming.
Is this your salon?
- Clients often stop partway through prepaid courses.
- Nothing prompts clients to book the next course session.
- You have no list of stalled courses.
- Clients have disputed expiry on old courses.
- Therapists rely on clients remembering to rebook.