Some clients come back on their own. Others need a nudge. Build the rebooking into the appointment, and let Treatwell handle everything after.
Start the rebooking conversation before your client leaves the chair
The moment a client stands up from your chair, your window shrinks. They’re looking for their bag, checking their phone, thinking about the rest of their day. Anything you wanted to say about their next visit needed to happen a few minutes ago.
The strongest rebooking happens chair-side, during aftercare. Your client is still in the moment, still happy with what they see in the mirror, and you’re already in conversation. That’s your window.
Use assumptive language. “Let’s get your next colour in the calendar before you go, we’re looking at around six weeks. Would a Tuesday or Thursday suit you better?” gives two clear options rather than leaving the door open for “I’ll book online later” (which most clients won’t). Reception then finalises the slot.
If a client isn’t ready to commit, don’t push. A relaxed “no problem, we’ll send you a reminder when you’re due” keeps the door open.
Let Treatwell Connect send the reminder for you
Not every client rebooks at reception, and that’s okay. Treatwell Connect’s automatic rebook reminders pick up the slack. When a client hasn’t booked their next appointment within their usual window, Treatwell Connect sends them an SMS on your behalf, typically around 40 days after their last visit.
To switch it on, go to Marketing > Automated Messages > Increase Bookings in Treatwell Connect. You’ll need to buy SMS credits (via the same page). Client phone numbers need to be up to date in your list, or the reminder has nowhere to land.
Two things worth knowing:
- Clients who’ve already rebooked won’t get a reminder until after their next appointment. No awkward doubling up.
- If you’ve enabled both SMS and email reminders, both go out. Email is free, SMS uses credits.
You can also see exactly which reminders converted into bookings and how much revenue each generated, under View Insights on the same page. Useful when you’re deciding whether to top up your credits.
Give clients a commission-free way to rebook
All rebookings are commission-free, whether the client already uses the Treatwell app or downloads it for the first time. What matters is that Treatwell can recognise them as a returning one, so keep their phone number or email up to date in your client list, and their next booking will match your records.
The Treatwell client app is where this works best. When a rebook reminder goes out, clients who don’t have the app yet are prompted to install it, then taken to your salon page to book. Because their contact details match your client list, that booking is still recognised as a rebooking. It won’t be treated as a new client. Those who already have it can book and rebook you 24/7 from their phone, get push reminders before their appointment (which cuts no-shows), and are up to 50% more likely to leave you a review. Those things stack up.
On top of that, you can point more of your clients to the app by sharing your referral link, which lives in Treatwell Connect under Marketing > Your client app. A few ways to share it:
- Send Treatwell Connect’s prebuilt “Your client app” email campaign to your marketing-opted-in client list.
- Drop the link into your social media captions or stories.
- Share it alongside a five-star review directly from Dashboard > Customer reviews in Treatwell Connect.
Make it personal
Rebooking is easier when clients feel the relationship is personal. Two Treatwell Connect features help you build that.
Let clients book with the team member they trust
When a client has a good experience with a specific stylist or therapist, they want to book with that same person next time. Preferred stylist selection is automatically enabled on your Treatwell marketplace listing, so clients can pick who they want at the point of booking (as long as that team member is available for the service and time selected).
For it to work well, every bookable team member needs a complete profile with their name, photo and qualifications. Portfolio photos have to be uploaded via the Treatwell Connect mobile app, not desktop. Encourage the team to refresh theirs seasonally with their best recent work.
Use client notes to personalise every visit
Treatwell Connect lets you add notes to any client profile. Colour formula, preferred style, allergies, birthdays, that holiday they mentioned last time. Little things.
That’s the difference between a salon and a favourite salon. When you can pick up a conversation where it left off, or remember a preference without being reminded, clients feel it. And they come back for it.
Be bookable outside your opening hours
47% of bookings on Treatwell happen outside opening hours. Almost half of your potential rebookings are being decided at 10pm on a Wednesday, when your salon is closed and no one’s answering the phone.
The Treatwell booking widget solves this. Add it to your website and your social media profiles, and clients can book (or rebook) 24/7 without picking up a phone. To install it, log into Treatwell Connect on desktop and follow the steps under Settings > Online booking.
The same applies to your Treatwell profile, which is always live and always bookable. Between the marketplace, your widget and your client app link, you’ll have very few moments when a client can’t book you.
Track your rebooking rate in Treatwell Connect reports
Rebooking gets easier when you know where you’re starting from. Treatwell Connect’s retention reports show you the split between new and repeat bookings across any timeframe, so you can see whether your rebooking work is landing.
A healthy salon runs at a rough balance between new and returning clients. If your repeat share is drifting downwards, that’s the signal to lean back into your rebook reminders, client app link and personal touches. If new client acquisition is the weaker side, that’s a different fix (visibility, offers, profile optimisation).
The point isn’t to hit a specific number, it’s to know your baseline and watch the trend. Reports live in the Reports tab of Treatwell Connect.
Make sure the rebookings you’ve secured actually happen
A booking in your calendar isn’t a rebooking until the client turns up. Two Treatwell Connect features protect what you’ve already won.
Automatic appointment reminders go out to every client before their booking, as long as their contact details are current. Both email and SMS reminders are free, take zero effort from you, and cut no-shows noticeably.
Prepayment is the second lever. A client who’s paid ahead is far less likely to cancel or no-show, because they’ve got skin in the game. Turning on online payment is a simple switch in your profile settings, and it also opens up Treatwell Rewards for your clients.
Reward your loyal clients
As a Treatwell partner, you get access to Treatwell Rewards, our loyalty programme built into the platform at no extra cost. Every booking your clients make through Treatwell earns them points, which they convert into vouchers to spend on future treatments at your salon. Points only clear once the appointment actually happens, so a cancellation or no-show means no points for that booking.
Our full guide to Treatwell Rewards walks through how the points, milestones and vouchers work at your salon.
Log into Treatwell Connect and set up your rebooking system
Log into Treatwell Connect and set up your rebooking system in ten minutes: switch on automatic rebook reminders under Marketing > Automated Messages (top up SMS credits while you’re there), grab your client app referral link from Marketing > Your client app, and check your new-versus-repeat split in Reports. Then have the chair-side conversation the next time a client’s in your chair.
Not yet on Treatwell? Start for free and get every tool your salon needs to turn one-off clients into regulars.
FAQs
What’s the best time to ask a client to rebook?
Chair-side, during aftercare. Your client is happiest, and you’re already in conversation. Reception then finalises the slot. By the time they’ve got their coat on, the moment’s usually passed.
How do I get clients to rebook if they don’t book on the day?
Let Treatwell Connect’s automatic rebook reminders do the work. They go out around 40 days after the last booking, via SMS (credits required) or email (free). Set them up under Marketing > Automated Messages > Increase Bookings in Treatwell Connect.
How can I reduce no-shows on rebooked appointments?
Two things help most. Keep client contact details current so Treatwell Connect’s automatic reminders reach them, and enable online prepayment. Clients who’ve paid in advance are significantly less likely to cancel.
Do rebookings cost me commission?
No. Rebookings are commission-free, as long as Treatwell can recognise the client as a returning one. That means their phone number or email needs to be in your client list to match our records. The Treatwell client app is a natural home for repeat bookings, and you can share your referral link (found under Marketing > Your client app in Treatwell Connect) to point clients to it.
How do I know if my rebooking strategy is working?
Check Treatwell Connect’s retention reports. They show your new-versus-repeat booking split over any timeframe. If the repeat share is rising, it’s working. If it’s slipping, lean back into rebook reminders, the client app link and personal touches.
Should stylists or receptionists handle rebooking?
Both. Stylists start the conversation chair-side, because that’s when trust is highest. Reception finalises the booking. Consistent language across the team stops clients slipping through the gap between chair and till.
