What is the most reliable way to reduce no-shows?
Send a reminder before every meeting. A 2011 systematic review by Hasvold and Wootton covered 29 studies of hospital appointments. The median missed-appointment rate fell from 23.1% to 12.5% after reminders were introduced.
Reminders made by an individual phone call showed about a 39% reduction relative to the baseline rate. SMS and recorded-call reminders showed about 29%. The review found no clear difference between reminders sent the day before and those sent a week before.
A later systematic review and meta-analysis by Werner and colleagues covered 61 studies and also found significant evidence for reminders, although results for telephone reminders were inconsistent. All of this research is on health appointments, so read the percentages as a direction rather than a forecast for your own sales calendar. We did not find comparable published studies on B2B sales meetings.
What should the booking itself include?
Confirm the date, time, location or video link, and who will attend, and send it in writing straight after the call. Make the meeting easy to move, because a rescheduled meeting is better than an empty chair.
The Werner review noted that the content of a message may help explain the mixed findings across reminder channels.
For a sales meeting, this suggests a short message that says what the meeting is for, how long it will take, and how to change the time.
Should you charge a fee or offer a gift for turning up?
Neither is a substitute for a reminder. In the Werner review, a Danish study of a fine for non-attendance did not appear to reduce non-attendance, and a small gift card was associated with higher attendance in another study.
For a first sales meeting with a business you have not yet worked with, a penalty is also likely to sour the relationship before it starts. A clear purpose, a confirmed time and a reminder cost far less and carry no such risk.
What do you do when a prospect still does not show?
Contact them the same day, politely, and offer two new times. A missed meeting is often a diary clash, and a short message that makes rebooking easy keeps the conversation open.
Keep a simple count of meetings booked and meetings held for each lead source. Without both numbers you cannot tell whether a gap comes from the list, the opening of the call, or the follow-up after it. If the same prospect misses twice, it is reasonable to stop and note the reason.
How does Greetsby handle no-shows?
Greetsby sends a reminder before each meeting it books and contacts no-shows to rebook, at no extra cost. It calls the people on your own list and books meetings into your calendar. Your business approves the opening and the reason for the call before calls start, so the prospect knows why the meeting is in their diary.
The weekly report shows calls made, people reached, meetings booked and meetings held, so the gap between booked and held is visible each week. Every call is recorded, including those that did not book, and you can play any call on your list.
Pricing is one flat price per batch of numbers called: S$1,800 for 1,000 numbers, S$3,600 for 2,000 and S$5,400 for 3,000, which is S$1.80 a number covering up to 4 attempts each. It is paid before calls start, with no contract and no monthly fee. Greetsby does not promise a number of meetings, and the first batch shows what your own list produces. You can write to hello@greetsby.com or choose a batch on the Get started page.
Questions
How far ahead should I send a reminder?
The Hasvold and Wootton review found no clear difference between reminders sent the day before and those sent a week before. A practical approach is to confirm in writing at booking and send one more reminder shortly before the meeting.
Do reminders work for B2B sales meetings?
The research we found is on health appointments, where reminders reduced missed appointments. We did not find published studies on B2B sales meetings, so track your own booked and held numbers.
Does Greetsby charge extra for reminders and rebooking?
No. The reminder before each meeting and the contact with no-shows to rebook are included in the batch price of S$1.80 a number.
Can an individual insurance agent or adviser representative hire Greetsby?
No. Under MAS rules, only the financial adviser firm may appoint an introducer, so the firm must be the one to sign up.
Sources
- Hasvold and Wootton, Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare: Use of telephone and SMS reminders to improve attendance at hospital appointments, a systematic review
- Werner et al.: Behavioural economic interventions to reduce health care appointment non-attendance, a systematic review and meta-analysis
General information for businesses in Singapore, not legal advice.