How to handle late clients

Set a grace period and mean it

Pick your number — 10 minutes is standard for 30–60 minute services, 15 for long ones — and attach the consequence: inside the grace period, service runs as booked (minus the lost minutes); past it, the appointment becomes a rebook or a shortened version, client’s choice. Written down, it stops being personal.

Shrink the service, not the next client’s

The cardinal rule: lateness is absorbed by the late client’s slot, never by the people after them. “We’ve got 20 minutes left of your slot — I can do X in that time, or we find you a fresh slot.” One on-time regular kept waiting costs more than one late client rescheduled.

Scripts that keep it warm

• Running late (they texted): “Thanks for the heads up! I can still take you until {end time} — or if you’d rather not rush, grab a new slot here: {link}.”
• Arrived past grace: “So glad you made it! We’re past the window for the full {service} — want the express version now, or your usual with a fresh slot?”
• Chronic case, at booking: “For your bookings I’ll add a 15-minute cushion so we’re never rushed — sound good?” (Then book them into a longer slot.)

Prevent it upstream

Late clients are often reminder-less clients. The day-before text with the exact time, plus “running late? just reply” — gives lateness a channel that reaches you before it reaches your waiting room. And chronically late regulars can simply be booked into the last slot of a block, where they inconvenience only themselves.

Frequently asked questions