Standing Facial Appointments

Standing appointments are appointments a client schedules in advance if they know that they will be coming in to have the same service done frequently. If you haven’t incorporated this service into your business, I encourage you to ask your clients if they want standing appointments the next time you see them.

Having a client on standing appointments does two things:

• First, it ensures that the client will get their preferred appointment day and time every month (or however frequently they come to see you). 
• These appointments will also help to ensure you will have a full schedule for the future, and you will know your schedule ahead of time.

Because I have so many clients on a standing appointment basis, I keep track of them not only in my daily appointment book but also on a separate sheet with a one month calendar. Here I arrange the clients who are coming in once per month on the day and time of day their standing appointment is on. This gives me a visual of how many standing openings I have as well as keeping these clients on their appointment continuum.

If Mary Smith is coming in on Tuesdays at 10am every 4 wks, I’ll write on one Tuesday of the one month calendar sheet:

• 10am Mary Smith—4wks

Whoever the other standing clients are who come in on the same week Mary Smith does, I’ll put them in the standing calendar on that same week.

Some clients who come in every 6 or 8 weeks want standing appointments. These clients will also go on my standing appointments calendar. Here, Jenny Jones wants to come in every 8 weeks on a Wednesday at 2pm:

• Wednesday, 2pm J Jones—8wks

Then, if I have another standing client who wants to come in every 8 weeks, I will try to get her into the every 8 weeks on the same Wednesday my other client comes in at 2pm. And if I can’t exactly coordinate everyone how I’d like them to come in, at least with my standing calendar I am aware of the days, time slots, and frequency I have available.

This is an example of how to start a standing schedule calendar.

In this example, Nancy Patson wants a 10:30am standing on a Tuesday. Since Mary Smith already has a standing 10am every 4wks on one of the Tuesdays in a month, Nancy has to start on a different Tuesday. Sometimes this will mean she will have to begin her standings closer or further away from the day we decide is her week of the month. Nevertheless, with a few adjustments, Nancy will have a 4 wk standing appointment time for as long as she wants it.

The highlighted yellow (on the 2nd Wednesday of the month) is to let me know I have an 8wk availability on that day (and week) at that time. Actually, if someone wants an 8wk standing around that time, for instance at 2:30 or 3pm, I will put them into that slot on that week.

I have to say it is somewhat intricate for me to write about standings and how I schedule them. Hopefully these examples along with the photos help to make things clear to you if and when you start your standing schedule.

Something to note: While I was working in Chicago, my schedule got so busy that many people decided to take standing appointments so they knew they could get in. Therefore, at a certain point, I had to close off my standing availability, or I’d run the risk of never having an opening unless it was a cancellation or a moved appointment. Just be sure to manage your standing calendar in a way that works best for you.

One last thing: Only use pencil when writing on your standing calendar! I recommend using pencils—only—to write in your appointment book as well. Otherwise you could have a big mess on your hands. Some days my appointments change completely from how they were the week before.

Changes happen, life happens, and many times—standing or not—a client needs to move her appointment with you. See More on Standing Appointments to find out how I handle this and other situations with regular, standing clients.