A policy only works if the customer knew about it before booking. Buried in a terms page, it is unenforceable in practice and unpleasant in conversation. Stated plainly at the moment of booking, and repeated in the confirmation, it becomes a normal condition of doing business that almost nobody argues with.
The other requirement is that cancelling within the window is genuinely easy. A policy that punishes late cancellation while making cancellation hard is really a policy that generates no-shows, because the path of least resistance for a customer who cannot easily cancel is to say nothing. Give people a clear way out and most of them will use it in time for you to refill the slot.
Sensible policies also flex by job type. A twenty-minute callout and a full-day install do not deserve the same notice period. When Clerkzo answers questions on your website, it answers from your own published pages, so if your policy is written down clearly it gets explained accurately at two in the morning without you being asked about it again.
Related guides
Related terms
Browse all 104 terms- Appointment DepositAn appointment deposit is a partial payment taken when a booking is made, held against the final invoice and usually forfeited if the customer cancels late or fails to attend. It converts a verbal commitment into a financial one.
- Recurring AppointmentA recurring appointment is a booking that repeats automatically on a set pattern, such as every Tuesday, every fortnight, or twice a year. One agreement fills many slots instead of one.
- Availability WindowAn availability window is a defined block of time during which a service can be booked or a visit will take place, such as between 8am and 12pm. It replaces a precise appointment time with a range you can realistically keep.
- Buffer TimeBuffer time is the gap deliberately left between appointments to absorb travel, setup, paperwork and jobs that run over. It is scheduled empty space that exists so the rest of the day stays on time.