You have a pristine service you’re promoting on OnCommando, and you’re wondering how to get more bookings. Because for some reason, it’s not working out – even though the main requirements are already in place: your experience speaks for itself, punctuality is your middle name, you deliver results the same way Biggie Smalls delivers punchlines, and your professionalism is as unmatched as the friendliness with which you treat your clients. So why is it that your business profile is getting cooked, rather than getting booked?
Here’s a trusted guide on how to get zero bookings as a service provider.
TL;DR
For those who don’t have time for our shenanigans and actually want to get more bookings:
- Weak headlines kill bookings: vague, unprofessional, overly long, or error-filled titles drive customers away instantly.
- Poor communication guarantees failure: ghost bookings, ignore messages, and delay urgent replies to lose clients fast.
- Bad pricing destroys trust: charge absurdly high or suspiciously low rates and hide extra fees to scare customers off.
- Skip post-job follow-up: ignore reviews, avoid staying in touch, and forget past clients to prevent repeat business.
- In reality, small improvements in headlines, communication, pricing, and follow-up dramatically boost your booking success on OnCommando.
Step 1: Upload ZERO photos
The thing about online services is that customers aren’t able to get a look and feel for service providers in the same way they would at a brick-and-mortar business. This makes it immensely important to substitute this look-and-feel experience with other factors, such as clear, well-lit pictures of yourself and your team, before-and-after photos of previous work (e.g., an overgrown garden → a neatly trimmed one), images of the high-quality tools you use to get the job done, etc.
So – as business owners – what do we deduce from this? Correct: post absolutely nothing unto your profile. Nothing creates customer trust more than a business profile that shows only the default image of your initials (best case: they’re not even your business initials, but the initials of your own name).
Step 2: Write a Headline and Descriptions That People Forget Immediately
If you’re wondering how to get more bookings with headlines, remember this: Customers don’t just land on service provider platforms by chance and start scrolling through services they might need. They are looking for a specific service like “dog sitter in London”, or “delivery driver near me”. This is why headlines not only have to be SEO optimised, but also captivating, precise and professional.
With this in mind, let’s dive into some techniques that are sure to tank your chances of getting booked immediately:
- Tell customers as little as possible about your business: e.g., “Top Service👍”
- Instill reliability with unprofessional wording – “Service cheap, skills on fleek”
- Make it about yourself, not your business – “I cook”
- Overwhelm customers by listing too many (often unrelated) skills: “I do gardening, dog-walking, your thesis, your dishes, …”
- Make your headline as long as possible so it definitely gets cut off – customers love opening multiple tabs to find information that should have been in one sentence.
- Include spelling mistakes in your header or description to create trust: “Best delivery driver, no ragrets”
Step 3: Start Ghosting Your Customers
Successful companies are all defined by customer centricity. While pulling up an empty chair in meetings to symbolize the ever-present customer may be a bit much for some, putting your client first when it comes to communication style, fast response times, and de-escalation in hectic situations is the first step toward good reviews – and more customers.
That being said, how about we forget all that and just not respond to customers at all? Here are surefire ways to fail at customer relationship management:
1. Don’t respond to bookings:
Once you’ve set up your profile on OnCommando and linked it with your e-mail … stop checking your emails altogether. That way, you won’t be able to see when jobs come in and the potential client can cancel early on and probably never return to your profile.
2. Ignore Follow-Up Answers or Reviews:
If a customer asks for clarification before booking – like “What time are you available?” or “Can you handle a medium-sized dog? – the best strategy is to answer as short as possible or not at all. The same goes for negative reviews.
3. Take Your Sweet Time With Urgent Requests:
Wait at least 48 hours before responding to time-sensitive requests. Respond with a helpful phrase such as “Hey, are you still looking?” This works especially well for emergency plumbers, locksmiths or pest control.
Step 4: How to Not Get More Bookings – Insane Pricing
Pricing is one of the strongest signals customers use to judge credibility, value, and professionalism. While successful service providers research their competitors, set fair market rates, and adjust pricing based on complexity and demand, why shouldn’t you try something more creative?
Do not bother with market alignment when you can shock potential clients into closing the tab instantly? If your goal is to reduce bookings as fast as possible, nothing beats irrational pricing strategies.
Charge Ten Times the Market Rate:
If most cleaners charge £20 per hour, go bold with £200. Clients will admire your confidence before immediately booking someone else.
Undercut & Undermine:
Set your price so low that customers get suspicious. £1 for assembling a wardrobe? Perfect way to signal: “I am not in the business of assembling wardrobes, I’m in the business of scamming people into paying me minimal amounts of money they will not bother to go after.”
Hide Extra Fees Everywhere:
Offer a “£15 job” and then add charges for travel and tools. Customers love expensive surprises.
Step 5: Don’t Follow Up After a Job Well Done
There’s a reason we stay loyal to certain businesses even when we know we could get the same service cheaper somewhere else. Sometimes that reason is a personal bond with the provider, but often it’s much simpler: the customer knows the job will get done with you – and they’re not sure it will be handled with the same level of care if they choose someone else.
If recurring business is not what you’re looking for, here’s what to do:
1. Do not leave them your business card
2. Do not respond to their positive reviews
3. Do not offer maintenance or follow up support
4. Never mention referral discounts
5. Act like you don’t remember them the next time
Final Take – How to Get More Bookings With OnCommando
Seriously though, setting up your profile may take a few refined touches before it’s good to go, but those small details go a long way and ensure that customers not only see your profile but also click on it. If you have more questions about how to set up your OnCommando profile for success, feel free to reach out to us at any time.
FAQs
Use clear, professional language, include your main service and location, and keep it short. Avoid vague claims or long skill lists. A sharp, keyword-focused headline helps customers find and trust you.
Respond quickly, answer follow-up questions clearly, and stay polite even in stressful situations. Good communication builds trust, boosts reviews, and increases repeat business.
Research similar providers, set fair market rates, and explain any added fees upfront. Balanced, transparent pricing signals professionalism and makes customers more likely to book you.