Overbooking

Overbooking means scheduling more appointments than real capacity, on the statistical assumption that some clients won't show. The practice comes from air travel, where it's rational and regulated; transposed to local services, it changes nature: the "seat" can't be compensated by the next flight — it's a professional's hour.

The calculation looks seductive on paper: with 20% no-shows, a 120%-full calendar lands at 96% full. But the distribution's tail is expensive: the client you tell their appointment is doubled isn't a re-accommodated passenger, it's a client who tells the story around the neighborhood. Honest methods get the same result without the risk: reminders that cut no-shows, a waitlist that re-houses cancellations, deposits that commit the undecided.