Missed Meeting Templates – How to Write a No-Show Email

This article walks you through steps to take if a client, prospect or fellow team member fails to show up for a previously agreed upon meeting (in-person, video call or phone call). It also includes a template for a day before meeting reminder so that you can ideally avoid a no show all together.

Patiently Waiting….

You have a phone call, virtual call or in-person meeting scheduled for 9:00am today. You are the meeting organizer and sent a meeting reminder email 24 hours prior (template below). It is 9:05 and you are the only person on the Zoom/Teams virtual call or, you received voicemail when you called the person directly. What do you do next?

For starters let’s acknowledge the importance of timeliness in all aspects of life, especially in the professional world. Everyone is busy and it is highly important to be on time to any and all meetings. With that being said, life happens and the person with whom you are scheduled to meet may have a valid reason for their tardiness. Reasons might include: their previous meeting ran late, they needed a quick bio break after back-to-back meetings, they wanted to refill a 40oz water bottle or got stuck in expected traffic (unforeseen circumstances). They could have just totally blanked. Give grace.

Back to the fact that it is 9:05 and you are the only person on a call

Here are the steps I would take:

1) If the meeting is internal to your organization and you have Slack or Microsoft Teams, send a quick message that reads: “Are you able to join our 9:00am meeting?”

2) If you don’t have Slack or Teams, another option is to send a text message if you and this person have a history of texting. “Are you able to join our 9:00am meeting?”

3) If your meeting is with an external client or partner, you will likely have their cell phone number. Most people include their mobile number in their professional email signature. Even if you don’t normally text with this individual, feel empowered to send a quick text reminder that may read “Hi, it’s Meg from SmithGroup – does now still work for our call? I’m on the Zoom.”

4) If none of the above are options, a quick email works. If you go the email route, make the subject your key text. “Still available for our call?” or “Hop on to our 9:00am call when you are free.” In the interest of time, you can even leave the body of the email blank.

5) You can also call the external client or partner on their cell in addition to sending the text recommended in the step 3.

Meeting No Show Follow-Up Email Templates

Ok…none of the above worked. Now what? If your meeting was at 9:00am and a solid 10 minutes have passed without the other person joining the call, it is safe to assume they won’t be joining for whatever reason. Go ahead and send an email proposing alternate times to meet. Below are no-show email templates you can use for the missed meeting. Continue to keep your tone professional regarding the missed appointment, even if you feel frustrated.

Willow,

I’m guessing something came up during our scheduled call today at 9:00am (restate the scheduled meeting time that was missed). Looking forward to giving you a demo of SalesReps’ new Coaching platform (include the purpose of the meeting and be sure and mention your company name).

Do any of these new proposed dates/times work for you?

(list new meeting time options for this week and next week or include your calendar booking link if you have one and feel it is more convenient for clients)

8/1 – after 10am
8/2 – 9-12
8/4 – 12-3
8/5 – 9-2

Best Regards,

Meg

312.555.5151(always be sure your contact information is included in your email signature)

Template 1 Cleaned Up Version

Willow,

I’m guessing something came up during our scheduled call today at 9:00am. Looking forward to giving you a demo of SalesReps’ new Coaching platform.

Do any of these new proposed dates/times work for you?

8/1 – after 10am
8/2 – 9-12
8/4 – 12-3
8/5 – 9-2

Best Regards,

Meg

312.555.5151

Template 2

Below is another option that is a lighter. Pick which tone best suits your client situation.

Willow,

I missed you on our scheduled time today at 9:00am. (restate the scheduled meeting time that was missed with a personal touch). I can’t wait to give you a demo of SalesReps’ new Coaching platform (include the purpose of the meeting and be sure and mention your company name). My other clients are having incredible success with it. I am free today after 3pm MT if your schedule allows (provide a new time for today, if possible). If not, below are a few alternate dates/times (provide additional options in the future as well).

8/1 – after 10am
8/2 – 9-12
8/4 – 12-3
8/5 – 9-2

(list new meeting time options for this week and next week or include your calendar booking link if you have one and feel it is more convenient for clients)

Best Regards,

Meg

312.555.5151

(always be sure your contact information is included in your email signature. Nothing makes me crazier than when I can’t find a phone number for someone!)

Template 1 Cleaned Up Version

Willow,

I missed you on our scheduled call today at 9:00am. I can’t wait to give you a demo of SalesReps’ new Coaching platform – my other clients are having incredible success with it. I am free today after 3pm MT if your schedule allows. If not, below are a few alternate dates/times.

8/1 – after 10am
8/2 – 9-12
8/4 – 12-3
8/5 – 9-2

Best Regards,

Meg

312.555.5151

24 Hours Prior – Reminder Email Templates

Best practices confirm that sending email reminders for next day meetings go a long way in ensuring your client, prospect or even fellow team members show up during your pre-agreed upon time. You are re-affirming your mutually agreed upon commitment to meet and also providing a reminder on what the client or prospect can expect to gain from you. A template could look like this:

Lisa,

Quick reminder that we have a call scheduled for tomorrow at 10:00am MT (State the scheduled meeting time. **Note that I didn’t pose the question “Does tomorrow at 10am MT still work for you, Lisa?” Asking the question gives your client or prospect an “out” or an excuse to cancel and we don’t want that!). Looking forward to providing a demo of SalesReps’ new data driven Coaching platform (include the purpose of the meeting and be sure and mention your company name). Current clients are seeing a 20% increase in revenue attainment for their sales reps by leveraging the rep-specific insights in Coaching (include a compelling, data driven, “proof point” that they can expect to receive from your product for service. This reminds them of the “what’s in it for me” in case it has slipped their mind). I know your team can have similar results, if not better!

Best,
Meg

312.555.5151

Cleaned Up Version – Meeting Reminder

A cleaned-up version looks like this:

Lisa,

Quick reminder that we have a call scheduled for tomorrow at 10:00am MT. Looking forward to providing a demo of SalesReps’ new data driven Coaching platform. Current clients are seeing a 20% increase in revenue attainment for their sales reps by leveraging the insights in Coaching. I know your team can have similar results, if not better!

Best,
Meg

312.555.5151

Bottom Line…Respect Your Time AND Give Grace

Your time is incredibly valuable. The best way to ensure success for your next meeting is to send a reminder the day before. If your client or prospect is a no show to your meeting, give them the most generous interpretation of why they missed and promptly provide reschedule options. Guilt and shame are not helpful in the workplace so keep your tone professional at all times.

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