Tattoo scheduling software solves a problem most appointment tools were not built for: a sitting that lasts half a day, was booked a month ago and cannot be filled at short notice if the client does not come. This page compares tattoo shop scheduling software and tattoo studio scheduling software on the desk with a tattoo scheduling app on the artist's phone, says what tattoo shop appointment software must do after the booking, and names what the best scheduling app for tattoo artist diaries does that a calendar does not. The free reminder template on this site sizes the reminder load from your own diary first.
Long sittings change the scheduling problem
A dentist can fill a cancelled twenty-minute check-up from the waiting list; a tattoo shop cannot fill a cancelled six-hour sitting the same afternoon. That changes what tattoo scheduling software has to do: the block has to be held with a deposit, the reminder has to go out early enough that a cancellation can still be re-sold, and the shop needs a list of clients waiting for a long slot so a gap can be offered to someone the same day. Dantas et al. 2018 named lead time as one of the two main determinants of a no-show across 105 studies, and tattoo lead times are the longest in the category.
Shop and studio software against the app on the phone
A tattoo scheduling app is right for one artist who books their own work and wants the diary in a pocket; the best scheduling app for tattoo artist diaries takes the deposit and sends the reminder without the artist touching it. Tattoo shop scheduling software and tattoo studio scheduling software are for the desk: every artist on one screen, one deposit policy, consent forms attached to every booking, and reminders that go out under the shop name. Acuity Scheduling publishes one calendar at $20 a month and up to six at $34, which is the going rate for the diary itself.
What tattoo shop appointment software does after the booking
Kheirkhah et al. 2016 measured a mean no-show rate of 18.8% and an average cost of $196 per missed appointment in the clinics they studied, and a sitting is worth more than a clinic visit. The Cochrane 2013 review found mobile text reminders lifted attendance from about 67.8% to 78.6%, risk ratio 1.14. So the software's real job is the week-out reminder that restates the deposit window, the day-before reminder, the confirmation recorded against the booking and the call list of clients who did not reply. Recallvia Pro is $20 a month to do exactly that from whatever diary the shop already runs.
Questions people ask about tattoo scheduling software
Is tattoo shop scheduling software different from tattoo studio scheduling software?
No; vendors use shop and studio for the same desk product. The real line is between the desk product, which holds every artist, and the app, which holds one.
How early should a tattoo shop send the reminder?
A week before a sitting, so a cancellation can still be re-sold, and again the day before. The free template on this site counts the messages for any pattern you choose.
What is the best scheduling app for tattoo artist use if I work alone?
The one that takes the deposit at booking, attaches the consent form and sends the reminder for you. Everything else in the feature list is decoration for a single artist.
Does Recallvia replace tattoo scheduling software?
No. It sends the reminders, records the confirmations and keeps the list of clients who have not rebooked, from the diary you already run, and stops there on purpose.
Sources
- Dantas et al., No-shows in appointment scheduling, a systematic literature review, Health Policy 2018
- Acuity Scheduling, pricing
- Kheirkhah et al., Prevalence, predictors and economic consequences of no-shows, BMC Health Services Research 2016
- Gurol-Urganci et al., Mobile phone messaging reminders for attendance at healthcare appointments, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013