For salon owners · Bookings and no-shows
Fill a same-day cancellation from the waitlist
See who on your waitlist fits the gap a cancellation just left, and get one text for them that says the first to reply gets the time.
The prompt
Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and fill in each part in [BRACKETS]. Salon owners and whoever runs the front desk.
I run a salon. A client just cancelled for today and a stylist has an empty block. I keep a waitlist of people who wanted in sooner, and I want to offer the time to the right people fast. What I have: - The open block: stylist, start time and end time: [OPEN BLOCK] - The waitlist: each person's first name, the service they want, the stylist they want or anyone, when they can come, and the date they joined: [WAITLIST] - How long each service takes, processing time included: [SERVICE LENGTHS] - How I sound with clients: [MY TONE] What I want: 1. Check each person on the waitlist: does their service fit in the block, did they ask for this stylist or say anyone is fine, and can they come at that time. 2. List the people who fit, in the order they joined, with one line on why each fits. If two shorter services could fill the block back to back, tell me. 3. Write one short text for the people who fit. It names the time and the stylist and says the first to reply gets it. 4. Write a short, kind reply for anyone who answers after it is taken. Rules: - Write a draft for me to read. Do not send anything. - Use only what I gave you. If something is missing, ask me instead of guessing. - Never quote a price, promise the time to more than one person or claim anything I did not give you. - If someone's service runs past the end of the block, leave them off. Do not suggest cutting a service short. - Leave out clients' full names, card details and anything about their health. Give me back: - Who fits and why, in waitlist order - The text to send - The reply for late answers
When to use it
A client cancels this morning, a stylist now has an empty block this afternoon, and you have a waitlist of people who wanted in sooner.
When not to
Do not use it to decide whether the client who cancelled pays a late-cancel fee. That is your call.
What to paste in
- [OPEN BLOCK]: The stylist and the start and end of the empty time.
- [WAITLIST]: First names only, with the service, the stylist they want, when they can come and when they joined the list.
- [SERVICE LENGTHS]: How long each service on the waitlist takes in your book, processing time included.
- [MY TONE]: Three or four words for how you sound, or a text you sent before that you liked.
Never paste
- Clients' last names or phone numbers
- Card details
A filled-in example
Sample. Fictional business, fictional client.
OPEN BLOCK: Dana, today 1:00 to 3:30. WAITLIST: Priya, balayage, Dana only, weekdays after noon, joined Oct 2. Sam, men's cut, anyone, any time, joined Oct 5. Lena, highlights and cut, Dana or Rae, mornings only, joined Oct 6. Jo, root touch-up, anyone, today works, joined Oct 9. SERVICE LENGTHS: Balayage 3 hours. Men's cut 30 min. Highlights and cut 3.5 hours. Root touch-up 2 hours. MY TONE: Quick and friendly, first names only.
What you should get back
- The people whose service fits the block, in the order they joined
- One short text that names the time and stylist and says the first reply gets it
- A kind reply for anyone who answers after it is taken
- Nobody offered a service that runs past the block
What stays with you
The prompt writes a draft. You decide what happens to it, and nothing should reach a client until you have read it. Decisions about money stay with a person every time, and so do health questions and complaints. When KeenHand builds a routine like this, every message carries the same four decisions: Automate, Approve, Revise, Reject.
Related
- Answer 'anything Saturday?' with real openings. A reply to the 'anything Saturday?' text that offers only openings long enough for the service they want, with the stylist they asked for.
- Message a client after a no-show or late cancel. A message for a client who missed or cancelled late that states your policy, carries out your decision on the fee, and offers to rebook.
- See your rebook rate and empty chair hours. A short weekly read of how many clients left with their next appointment and which chair hours sat empty, with the math shown.
More: every prompt for salons, bookings and no-shows, and AI for salons.
Which three fit your salon?
The free quiz scores your salon on sixteen things and picks the three prompts aimed at your three lowest. It takes about three minutes.