PocketSuite’s Cancellation Policy feature incentivizes clients to show up for their appointment and ensures that you are paid for your time regardless of their attendance!
Cancellation Policies are available by default.
In this article:
- Learn how to set up cancellation policies and understand the flow for:
- Bookings
- Packages
- Subscriptions
- Product orders
- Customization in enforcing cancellation policies
- Difference between client canceling and you canceling
How to set up cancellation policies
PocketSuite’s Cancellation Policies look different for each item your business provides. To get started, go to “Settings” and tap on “Cancellations”.
Now you may begin customizing your cancellation plans. Click to see the different options and flows for Bookings and Product Orders, Packages, and Subscriptions.
Bookings and Product Orders
To set a cancellation policy for bookings or product orders, tap on “Bookings” or “Product orders” respectively. In the case of cancellation for either, PocketSuite will charge the client a percentage of the price of the booking or a flat fee if they cancel within a specified time period leading up to the booking. Any deposits the client has paid will not be refunded. If the late fee is a percentage, the cancellation fee will be calculated based on the total cost, deposit included.
To set the late fee, tap on “Late fee”. PocketSuite provides the option to charge the late fee as a percentage of the total cost or as a fixed amount. To set this, tap “Type” and select the type of fee you wish to enforce.
If choosing a fixed amount, tap “Fixed amount” to enter the amount you wish to charge the client. Tap “Done” when you are finished.
If choosing a percentage, tap “Percent of total” to enter the percentage of the total cost you wish to charge the client. Tap “Done” when you are finished.
Now you are ready to set the time window for the cancellation fee. The time window is defined as the specified time prior to the appointment. For example, if the time window is 24 hours, the client must cancel more than 24 hours prior to the appointment to avoid a late fee. Tap on “Deadline” to set this time window.
Tap on the time window you wish to enforce. Tap “Done” when you are finished.
Tap “Cancellation Policy” to describe how your cancellation policy works.
Packages
To set a cancellation fee for packages, tap on “Packages”. For any package cancellation, PocketSuite will enforce the client’s cancellation penalty based on the specific service they canceled. There are three options: Charge fee, Lose Session, or Both.
If “Charge Fee” is chosen then the cancellation fee of that service will be enforced.
If “Lose Session” is chosen, then the canceled session is deducted from their package. No cancellation fee is charged.
If “Both” is chosen, then the cancellation fee will be enforced for the canceled service and the session will be deducted from the client’s package.
Subscriptions
To set up a cancellation policy for subscriptions, tap on “Subscriptions”. PocketSuite will charge a client a cancellation fee as either a percentage of the remaining unpaid total of the subscription or as a fixed amount. Subscription cancellations can only occur after a subscription is active, after the 1st payment. The cancellation period is defined as the period of time leading up to the next payment deadline.
To set the late fee, tap on “Late fee”. PocketSuite provides the option to charge the late fee as a percentage of the total cost or as a fixed amount. To set this, tap “Type” and select the type of fee you wish to enforce.
If choosing a fixed amount, tap “Fixed amount” to enter the amount you wish to charge the client. Tap “Done” when you are finished.
If choosing a percentage, tap “Percent of total” to enter the percentage of the total cost you wish to charge the client. Tap “Done” when you are finished.
How to enforce your cancellation policies
PocketSuite enforces your cancellation policies through your clients’ credit cards. Therefore, it is imperative that you are able to directly charge your clients’ credit card information to have an enforceable cancellation policy. The easiest way to do so is by requiring clients to provide their credit card information when booking. Tap “Schedule” on your dashboard to see this in action.
When customizing your appointment, tap “Status”. PocketSuite provides three options of confirming an appointment:
- “Already Confirmed” means that you have already confirmed the client’s appointment. Do not use this option if you wish to enforce a cancellation fee.
- “Requires Confirmation” means that the client must sign off on the appointment to confirm its booking. Do not use this option if you wish to enforce a cancellation fee.
- “Requires credit card” means that the client must provide their credit card information to confirm its booking. This provides PocketSuite with the tools to enforce your cancellation policy.
If you do not wish for your clients to repeatedly enter their credit card information, you may also save their card information under “Payment Methods”. To do so, tap “Payment methods” under “Settings”.
Tap the “+” in the top right corner then tap “Payment card”.
Complete your client’s credit card information and tap “Save”. The card will now be saved and you may apply it to any future cancellation fee from that client.
Client cancellation vs. Pro cancellation
PocketSuite’s Cancellation Policy feature provides you with the power to determine if a cancellation policy is enforced. If a client cancels, the cancellation policy is enforced if the proper criteria are met. However as a Pro, should you decide to cancel a client, you have the option to determine if a client is given a cancellation fee. To cancel a client, go to “Calendar”.
Tap on the appointment you wish to cancel. Tap on “Cancel” then “Cancel this appointment”.
Tap “Cancellation type”. To waive the cancellation fee, tap “Courtesy Cancellation”. If you choose any other reason, you will have to manually toggle “Enforce cancellation policy” to keep/waive the cancellation fee.
