Why customers go quiet after asking the price, and how to reply so they book
Ten past ten on a Wednesday night, a customer asks how much a facial costs. The next morning the clinic replies with one line. She reads it and never answers. The number was right. It just left her three more questions to ask.
Key points
- Most customers who ask the price and then go quiet still have questions, such as what's included, how long it takes and when there's a slot.
- Replies that close the sale put the price, what's included, the time it takes and available slots in one message.
- End your reply with a question that's easy to answer, such as offering two times to choose from, rather than asking which day suits them.
- You can follow up once with a customer who's gone quiet, with something useful like a new free slot. Don't chase repeatedly.
- Write standard replies for your most common questions so everyone at the shop answers fully and the same way.
Ten past ten on a Wednesday night. A woman has just washed her face, looks in the mirror and thinks her skin looks duller than it did last month. She opens the page of a clinic a friend once recommended and types: "How much is the brightening facial?"
At ten the next morning, the clinic's admin opens up and works through the overnight messages. She replies: "1,990 baht, depending on your skin." The message shows as read. Nothing else follows.
The admin assumes the customer was just curious. The customer is thinking something else. What does that include? How long does it take? If it depends on my skin, could it cost more? When could I even come? Asking means waiting another half day for each answer. So she opens another clinic's page, one that answered everything in a single message.
Customers go quiet after asking the price because the reply leaves them three more questions
Shop owners tend to write these people off as "price checkers" who were never going to buy. Some aren't. But scroll back through old chats and a pattern shows up again and again: the shop's reply is accurate to the letter, and it hands the customer a pile of questions to deal with.
Asking a follow-up in chat is harder than it looks. Every question means waiting, and every wait is time to look at another shop. Three questions means three waits. Most customers take the easier route and go to whoever answered properly the first time.
Behind "how much is it?" are several questions the customer didn't type
Someone who types "how much?" doesn't only want a number. They're trying to decide whether to come, and there's a second set of questions in their head they haven't written yet.
What does that include? Is cleansing part of the 1,990 baht? Will something else be added at the till? "Depending on your skin" makes people worry about being charged more on the day.
How long does it take? They need to fit it in. Can they do it on a lunch break, or do they need half a day off?
Is it right for me? Will it work for my skin? How many sessions will I need?
When can I come? If you're booked until next month, the price hardly matters.
Hair salons see exactly the same thing. "How much is colouring?" is followed by how long is your hair, does it need bleaching, how many hours will it take. Shops that answer those along with the price in the first message get back customers ready to book, not customers thinking up their next question.
Answer everything in one message, then ask something easy
Replies that close the sale tend to share a shape. Start with a clear price. Say what's included and how long it takes. If the price can change, say why, and that you'll always tell them first. Then finish with two real free slots to choose from.
That closing question matters more than it looks. "Which day suits you?" sends the customer off to check their calendar, think, and come back. "We have 11 am or 3 pm this Saturday, which works for you?" can be answered in a word. Most people answer the easier question.
It's a little longer, but the customer can read it in ten seconds, and there's nothing left to ask. Use their name if you know it. The chat feels like talking to a person, not receiving a price sheet.
Customers message at night, and a 10 am reply is often too late
Lots of people only have time to message a business at night: after work, after dinner, before bed. That's exactly when you're closed. A question sent at 10 pm that gets answered at 10 the next morning may have been booked somewhere else the night before.
You don't need someone answering chats until midnight, but you do need something that replies straight away. At the very least, an automatic message with prices for your main services, how long they take and a booking link. A real person can follow up in the morning.
Do the maths for an imaginary clinic that gets 40 price enquiries a week. With the old replies, 4 of them book. With complete, faster replies, 8 do. That's 4 extra customers at 1,990 baht each.
4 customers × 1,990 baht × 4 weeks = 31,840 baht a month
That money comes from people who were already messaging you. You didn't have to find a single new customer.
Follow up once with a customer who's gone quiet, with something useful to them
If a customer has read your reply and gone quiet for a day, following up isn't rude, as long as the message gives them something new. "Hi Fon, a slot just opened tomorrow at 2 pm, tap here if you'd like it." Some people simply forgot to reply. Some are waiting to see their work schedule. A message like that makes the decision easier.
Once is enough. If they're still quiet, let it go. Chasing every day gets you blocked and spoils the chance they'll come back on their own later. For using LINE to reach past customers at the right moment, see LINE OA for shops, and for where chat fits in getting customers overall, finding customers online as a local business.
Write one set of answers so everyone on the team replies the same way
Most shops get fewer than ten questions over and over: prices for the main services, opening hours, parking, how to book, whether you can reschedule. Sit down and write your best answer to each, following the shape above, and save them as quick replies in your chat app. Whoever is on shift gives the same complete answer, no matter which admin is working that day.
Clinics have one more thing to watch. There are rules on advertising medical services that clinics must follow, and phrases like "guaranteed results" or "visible after the first session" shouldn't be in your saved replies. If you're not sure what you're allowed to say, check with someone who knows the regulations for medical facilities first.
If chats are piling up faster than people can answer, woowey builds a system for a monthly fee: a bot in LINE that answers questions about prices and hours instantly, even late at night, one inbox for messages from your website and LINE, and a booking system where customers pick their own time. We set the answers to match how you want to reply. Tell us what customers ask most, and we'll handle the rest.
Next Wednesday night, someone else will look in the mirror after washing her face and message to ask the price. If the reply tells her everything she wanted to know, with two free times to pick from, she might just answer "11 please" before going to bed.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do when a customer asks the price and then goes quiet?
Follow up once with something useful, like a new free slot or a detail you hadn't mentioned. Next time, include what's included, how long it takes and available slots in your first reply about price.
How do I reply to customer chats so they actually book?
Give a clear price, say what's included and how long it takes, then end with an easy question, such as offering two free times to choose from.
Should I give prices in chat or ask customers to come in first?
Give a starting price or price range in chat and explain what can change it. Without a price, many customers assume you're expensive and go elsewhere.
How many times should I follow up with a customer who stopped replying?
Once, about a day after they go quiet, and only with something new and useful to them. If they still don't reply, leave it so they don't block you.
The woowey team
We build websites and systems for businesses
We build websites, booking systems, online stores and back offices for Thai businesses, then look after them every month. What we write here comes from what we see working with real shops.
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