Online cancellation by the client — a freed slot beats an empty chair
A secure link in the email, a cut-off you set, and a refund scale according to the notice given.
The problem
A client who can no longer come has two options: tell you, or not turn up. Anything that makes the first tiresome pushes towards the second. If they have to ring during your opening hours — that is, during their own working hours — many will choose to do nothing.
The unannounced absence is the worst of both worlds. You lose the slot and you lose it late, with no chance of offering it to anyone else. A cancellation received forty-eight hours ahead, by contrast, is a slot you can recover.
Making cancellation easy feels counter-intuitive. It is nevertheless what turns absences into slots back on sale.
Without Kagenda
To let you know, they'd have to call during your opening hours — which is to say, during their own working hours. Many just don't bother.
With Kagenda
A link in the confirmation email, no account or password needed. The slot goes back up for booking, often in time for someone else.
How it works in Kagenda
Every confirmation email contains a cancellation link belonging to that booking. It asks for neither account nor password.
- The link is signedIt is good for that booking only, and allows neither seeing others nor guessing the neighbours'.
- The cut-off is checkedYou set how long before the appointment online cancellation stays possible. Past that point, the link points back to you rather than cancelling.
- The scale appliesIf an online payment was made, the percentage refunded depends on the notice given, according to the bands you have defined.
- The slot is returnedIt goes straight back into booking, with its buffer time. You get the information on your side.
From the confirmation email
- Signed link, specific to this booking
- Deadline checked
- Refund per the schedule
- Slot returned to booking
In practice
- 1
No call during your hours
The client cancels from a link, with no account or password — even during their own working hours.
No call neededDirect link, no account required - 2
A cancellation received in time
Forty-eight hours ahead, a slot is still recoverable — that's the whole point of making it easy.
48h beforeSlot recoverable - 3
Past the deadline
The link redirects to you instead of cancelling, if the notice period you've set is no longer met.
Deadline passedRedirected to you
Frequently asked questions
Can I forbid online cancellation?
Yes. Permission to cancel is part of your cancellation policy. You can switch it off, or limit it to sufficient notice.
Is the client refunded automatically?
When they cancel themselves and an online payment was made, the refund matching the scale is triggered in Stripe. The scale may provide for 0% below a certain point.
Does the cancellation link expire?
It stops allowing cancellation once the cut-off has passed. The client is then invited to contact you directly.
Am I told?
Yes, and the slot goes back into availability immediately in any case, without waiting for you to read it.
