You can reduce no-shows considerably. The most effective tools are an automatic confirmation and reminder, a deposit at the time of booking, and cancellation terms that guests see beforehand. And cancelling must be as easy for guests as booking.
No-shows are not inevitable
No-shows are guests who have booked a lane but neither turn up nor cancel in time. On a Friday or Saturday evening in particular, the lane then stays empty, even though you could have given it to other guests.
Many operators assume that no-shows are simply part of the business. Yet there are several measures that noticeably reduce their number. If you accept no-shows as something you cannot change, you are giving away revenue.
Why guests do not turn up
To reduce no-shows, it helps to know the causes. Typical ones are:
- The booking was forgotten. Especially if it was made weeks in advance.
- Cancelling is too much hassle. Guests cannot reach anyone to cancel, or changing the booking is too complicated.
- The booking feels non-binding. Guests who have paid nothing upfront feel less committed to their booking.
The better you know the causes in your centre, the more precisely you can counter them.
Measures against no-shows
With a booking system, many of these measures run automatically and cost your team no extra time.
1. Automatic reminders
Remind your guests automatically by email or text message 24 to 48 hours before their booking. Reminders like these help against forgotten bookings and give guests the chance to cancel in time.
2. Deposits and online payment
Ask for a deposit when guests book, which is deducted from their bill on the day. What happens to the deposit in the event of a no-show is set out in your cancellation terms. At the same time, guests feel they have already invested in their evening. To find out how to introduce online payments, read the article Online payment for bookings.
3. Clear cancellation terms
Write your cancellation terms clearly and display them prominently during booking. When guests know until when they can cancel free of charge, they are more likely to cancel in time, and you can rebook the lane.
4. Easy cancelling and rebooking
Send a link with the confirmation and the reminder that lets guests cancel or change their booking themselves. Guests who do not have to phone are more likely to cancel than simply not turn up.
5. Booking confirmation
As soon as a booking is complete, the booking system should send a confirmation automatically. It states the date, time, number of people and your cancellation terms. That makes the booking more binding.
Putting the right measures in place
Test what works best in your bowling centre. Start, for example, with automatic reminders and a deposit for groups and weekend bookings, and watch for a few weeks how the number of no-shows changes. After that, you can adjust or combine the measures.
Fewer no-shows, more reliable evenings
With reminders, deposits, clear cancellation terms and easy cancelling, you can reduce the number of no-shows and make bookings more binding. That gives your team more certainty when planning and means fewer empty lanes on busy evenings.
To find out which features a booking system should have for this, read the guide Booking system for bowling centres. One example of how deposits and automatic reminders work together in one system is Flexybox.
