How the Setmore onboarding team cut no-shows and built stronger connections
No-shows are bound to happen in a business that relies on appointments. But that doesn’t mean they should be the de facto occurrence. Naresh Kumar and the Setmore onboarding team took action to increase demo attendance and build powerful connections from the get-go—using some helpful features.
No-shows — they happen to us too
Our support and onboarding team is 100% human. Always has been, always will be. That means every demo is an opportunity to help people new to Setmore find exactly what they need, all the while knowing they have a helping hand whenever they need it.
“Sign-ups grew daily, but less than 1% translated into bookings in the onboarding team calendar each month.”
It’s not unusual. Setmore is built to be intuitive, but to bridge the gap, the team added a ‘Book a demo’ button to our website and built it into the sign-up flow. Decreasing any friction points and making the service known resulted in a 9x increase in demos booked.
However, growth in bookings brought a new challenge: no-shows. It impacts any service-based business. But the onboarding and support team wanted to understand why this was happening and what could be done.
Awareness is the first step
Naresh was aware there was a pattern, but had to get to the bottom of what it was. Using the Reports feature in Setmore, he could see which appointments were confirmed or canceled, and also started tagging no-shows with their appointment labels.
”We made use of the Reports functionality coupled with Labels (Team members were labelling appointments as “No-shows”) to identify patterns.”
By identifying who was missing, the team also noticed in Reports that those booking far in advance often missed their appointments. Through discussions after no-shows, they realized that some people didn’t know what a demo would cover.
“We also found that customers booking far in advance or unsure of what the demo covered were most likely to miss their slot.”
A home-based solution
Knowing why clients weren’t showing up to demos was insightful, what they did with that information was inspirational. Armed with the data and Setmore tools, they were able to make small but mighty changes:
- Shorter scheduling window: Having a shorter window of up to 5 days meant it stayed top of mind for clients.
- Clear service names: Specific types of demos were created in services. Each with a proper title and a brief description, also highlighting that the service was free.
- Personalized booking fields: A new ‘Scheduling aim’ box was added to the booking process, allowing clients to share what they wanted from their demo.
- Timely reminders: Emails were sent one day before a demo, while SMS reminders were sent one hour before.
- Confirmation details: Every confirmation email now includes clear Google Meet instructions to avoid missed slots.
Missed appointments were still bound to happen, but the appointment was labeled accordingly, and a follow-up reschedule email was sent – letting them know the team was still there if they needed them.
“Our onboarding and support team ensures that even the tiniest of details matter in providing exceptional customer experience, and that resonates in our customer communication.”
Making an impact
The results? Well, they speak for themselves:
- No-shows dropped from 60% to 25%
- People who attended demos were 30% more likely to keep using Setmore than those who skipped onboarding.
“The best thing is that we are now able to serve our customers more readily and help them set up their Setmore accounts.”
With better descriptions, a tighter booking window, and timely reminders, more people were showing up to learn about their app – leaving with knowledge and confidence.
Communications plays a vital role. But, of course, you can’t do all that manually while running a business. That’s why Setmore’s automated tools help you provide stellar customer service effortlessly.
Data-driven learning
“When the right tools and assistance are offered at the right time to a client, then their rate of success with your product is high.”
The team got to know their clients better, understanding why they weren’t turning up and what they could do to make the overall experience better. With Reports, finding that information was easy.
If you’re facing a similar no-show debacle, here’s the advice:
- Start by labelling your no-shows. This can help you follow up with those who miss appointments
- Compare booking times vs. appointment times in Reports.
- Edit your booking window if needed
- Look for repeating patterns in missed appointments.
- Consider taking a deposit with a payment integration
- Add timely reminders, and SMS has a greater success rate.
- Make sure service details are crystal clear.
What’s ahead?
The team plans to experiment with on-call calendars during peak hours to offer instant demos. Quicker responses reduce the likelihood of no-shows and add a human element to the customer journey.
Every appointment counts
By combining automation with empathy, the onboarding team transformed missed opportunities into meaningful moments — helping customers feel supported from day one.
You can do the same! Book a demo with Naresh and his team for a walkthrough, expert tips, and 24/7 human support.
Or, get started now for Free, and make time for what truly matters.
by Lee
Writes words. Has a dog.
