Deposit needed
Why is a deposit needed to confirm a booking?
So you want to make a booking, but the thought of paying a deposit is putting you off! Well, there are many good reasons to request a deposit when you are ready to make an appointment. Please read on…
What can happen between the time of making a booking and attending the first appointment?
• There’s a high DNA (Did Not Attend) rate
Did you know that the ‘Did Not Attend’ rate for missed NHS appointments is nearly 10%? This costs the NHS £162 million per year! This is a staggering number of patients who will make an appointment and then decide not to show up. Ok, I’m not the NHS, but I’m sure you can appreciate that “no shows” do impact on any business.
If you are an employee, that would be the equivalent of your boss randomly turning you away from your workplace one in every ten days. And no, you wouldn’t get paid for that lost day.
How long has your issue been on your “to-do” list? Hmm, for several months! Well, you are not alone…
• Some patients struggle to be decisive
Many anxiety-related conditions have avoidance as a feature of the condition e.g. phobias, social anxiety and addictions. You will wait until your fear is debilitating you before you proactively deal with it.
Most of you will appreciate that the avoidance of dealing with something just makes the situation worse in your mind. As the event looms closer, the anticipatory anxiety increases. This further influences you to run away from resolving the situation unless you have good reason to follow through.
Without a strong motive to attend your appointment, you could be slave to this obstructive feature of anticipatory anxiety. Although you will have had good intentions at the time of booking, the anxiety/fear takes over and you struggle to show up on the day of your appointment. You don’t set out to deceive anyone, but the emotional volatility of your condition can render you helpless.
You are then too embarrassed and ashamed to deal with the booking and may not communicate your cancellation. In the long term, your therapy is delayed and indeed your condition can deteriorate as a result. Not to mention that the therapist has also lost their appointment space!
So, are you serious about your having your condition treated?
• A deposit commits you to the therapy process
Many clients who are unsure about whether to have a treatment or not are often swayed by the ‘moment’; the therapist has “sold” their treatment to you in your initial enquiry. But once you hang-up the phone, you are still dominated by apathy.
A financial payment is a true indication of your commitment to your goal. It shows that you have made your decision to pursue your goal and are prepared (within reason) to do what it takes to achieve it.
This is an essential ingredient for any effective therapy and creates the inertia to start looking past your own (emotional) obstacles. It means that you are no longer prepared to procrastinate.
How does a “no show” affect my business?
• I’m self-employed
Being self employed and having a client not show up is preventing me from earning my living. I can only treat one client at a time, so if a client does not attend their appointment, I have lost the revenue for that appointment space.
A ‘no show’ effectively means that I also lose nearly 20 minutes chasing up my ‘lost’ client before finally accepting that they are not attending. There is no opportunity to fill that hour lost at such short notice.
I have created a 24 hours notice cancellation policy for any changes in appointment times. This gives me a reasonable opportunity to allocate another patient into that ‘lost one hour appointment space’.
• I rent the treatment room
Unlike some therapists who work from home, I rent a treatment room in an established therapy centre. When a client does not attend, not only am I unable to earn my living, but it costs me rent for that lost appointment space. Using the scenario (above) of your boss turning you away from your work without pay every ten days, it also means that you would lose your travelling expenses and have a wasted part of your day at your ‘leisure’ to fill at short notice.
So what helps you to trust that this is a professional hypnotherapy service?
• You can discuss your issues before booking
There are many stages to build up your confidence that this is a professional service. You can contact me:
• By email to have your enquiry and the booking stages validated in writing,
• By phone to discuss your condition and for me to consider your suitability for treatment
• If this has not resolved your doubts about the treatment, you can meet me as part of a free ten minute initial consultation. No treatment will be given during that initial meeting.
• The hypnotherapy practice is very well established
I have been practising professional hypnotherapy since 1997. I am a registered practitioner with the following associations who will confirm that I am qualified, insured and DBS (formerly CRB) checked. Registration with these associations means that I am bound by a strict code of professional conduct and ethics:
The General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR)
The International Hypnotherapy Association (IHA)
The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)
The Therapy Centre (as a premises) was established in 1995 and continues to offer the local community orthodox and complementary professional therapies.
• PayPal is very secure
The reason that I have chosen PayPal as a payment method is because security is excellent. PayPal help to arbitrate any disputes should a situation arise that requires a third party.
My terms and conditions (T & C’s) can be found here. Your acceptance of these T & C’s is required when making a booking. The main term is a 24 hours notice requirement for any changes in your appointment. If you wish to cancel with more than 24 hours notice, you can have a refund (minus PayPal transaction fees) or rebook using the same deposit.
Are these T & C’s are too restrictive?
If you are in a situation that finds these terms and conditions unhelpful, then please contact me. I will attempt to make any reasonable changes to the booking system that will suit your lifestyle.
How effective is the appointment confirmation process?
Since the implementation of a deposit confirmation, I have noticed a reduction in my “Did Not Attend” rate. As my prospective patient, I believe that you start your treatment with a more focused commitment to achieve your therapeutic goal.
