No Show? Here’s How to Politely & Impactfully Email Someone Who Missed a Meeting.

No Show? Here’s How to Politely & Impactfully Email Someone Who Missed a Meeting.

You show up for a scheduled call. Five minutes go by. After ten, you can decide to call it. Whoever you’re waiting for has probably missed the meeting. Ugh.

Whether it’s an employee, colleague, manager, client, or potential client, this can be a frustrating roadblock, especially if it’s recurring. When someone misses a meeting, not only is it a poor use of your time. It can make it harder to move whatever you’re working on according to schedule. But take a minute before following up with a message you’ll regret. Keep in mind that there are plenty of reasons someone might not have showed, and by politely sending a well-written email to someone who missed a meeting, you give yourself a better shot of maintaining the relationship and reaching your ideal outcomes.

If you’re someone who already struggles with writing emails, figuring out how to navigate an email when you’re frustrated or stressed might prove to be especially challenging. That’s why today, we’re covering some best practices for professional emails, offering a structure, and sharing some email templates to someone who missed a meeting.

Best practices for professional emails

Let’s start with some best practices for any kind of professional email.

Some of these go without saying, but they’re worth reiterating. Bottom line: no one likes getting a passive-aggressive email! Nor a long one. Nor one that’s missing context. And this is rarely the best way to get the point across. So before you draft your email to someone who missed a meeting, remember these tips.

• Be polite and direct. First things first – keep the purpose of this email to communication. Save any frustrations or feelings for your next conversation. Avoid passive-aggressive phrases like “as you weren’t in the meeting,” and keep your message to the point. They might have a valid reason, or there was a misunderstanding. By giving them the benefit of the doubt, you take a solution-oriented approach to moving forward.
• Short and organized. Choose an email format that’s easy to understand. Short sentences, clear headers, and consistent formatting will make it easier for the person who missed the meeting to follow. Include key takeaways as bullet points or suggest a time to follow up when you can go over the topic in more detail. If the email gets too long, consider linking to additional documents that support your message rather than including everything in the body of an email.
• Give context. It can also be useful for the person who missed the meeting to have context around the purpose, tone, or key roles of the meeting. Start with a summary before dropping into the action items.
• Call to action or next steps. Rather than wasting more time on an unending email chain or unclear follow-ups, ensure that your email has a clear call to action or next steps. What would you like them to do after reading and reviewing the email? Schedule another call? Action something on the project? Give clear deliverables so the person who missed the meeting can make it up.

Writing an Email to Someone Who Missed a Meeting

Sending your follow up? Here are some of the most important sections to include.

• Introduction
• Context
• Important points
• Supporting links or documents
• Next steps – how to reschedule, follow up, or move forward with the project

While the exact contents of the email will be determined on a case-by-case basis, this structure serves as a good foundation for any professional email you write!

Email Templates to Someone Who Missed a Meeting

Below are some email templates to someone who missed a meeting, along with context about when you might use them. The key is to use these as a framework, while adapting to your tone or situation.

Reschedule request to an external who missed a call

Hi {NAME},

Wanted to follow up on the {purpose of meeting} we had scheduled for {time of meeting}. Know your schedule is probably packed, but would love to share some ideas about how we can work together on {their project} like {interesting idea}. Are you still interested?

If you’re up to reschedule, you can book an appointment {booking link}. Speak with you soon.

{your name}

Reschedule request to a team member or current client

Hi {NAME},

We missed each other for the {purpose of meeting} we had scheduled for {time of meeting}.

Are you free to reschedule {suggested times}? I’d like to discuss {topic} and a meeting would go a long way. You can book an appointment {booking link}

Let me know?

{your name}

Meeting Summary, reschedule

Hi {NAME},

We had a {purpose of meeting} meeting {time of meeting}. Wanted to send a follow up with some key points.

• {Key point}
• {Key point}
• {Key point}
• {Any supporting documents, more about the project}

Let’s plan to schedule another call {time} so we can go over these? You can take a look at my calendar to reschedule {booking link}. Be in touch soon!

{your name}

Meeting Summary, no reschedule

Hi {NAME},

We had a {purpose of meeting} meeting {time of meeting} and I wanted to send a follow up with some key points.

• {Key point}
• {Key point}
• {Key point}
• {Any supporting documents, more about the project}

The next steps are {next steps}. Please let me know if you have any questions and we can have a brief call to discuss?

{your name}

Frequently missed meetings

Hi {name},

I noticed you haven’t been at our {purpose of meeting} the last couple times. Is there another time or format that will work better for your schedule?

It’s important that we cover {topic} and this {timeframe} check-in will be of significant help. You can take a look at my calendar to reschedule {booking link}

{your name}

Ongoing scheduling issues

Hi {name},

Sorry we keep missing each other! Would still love to speak about {topic} when it works out. The gist is {quick summary}.

You can pick a time that works for you {booking link}, but if our schedules don’t match, let me know and I’ll find another time that works for you.

Thanks and looking forward to connecting!

{your name}

You can check some more follow up email templates on skrapp.

How to improve meeting scheduling

If missed meetings are a recurring problem for you or your team, there are a few steps you can take to improve things! Here are our best suggestions…

Use a scheduling tool

Rather than relying on phone tag or getting lost in email limbo, having a scheduling tool with your up-to-date calendar is a powerful and efficient way to manage your meeting schedule. Modern booking tools like Calendly, Acuity, etc., allow clients to view bookable time slots, automatically showing your availability and updating your calendar when booked. Your client management software might also have this function built in.

Calendar invitation with agenda and joining information

People are more likely to show when they know what to expect from a meeting. By adding event details to the calendar or sending an email ahead of the call with agenda items, both parties are more accountable and have an opportunity to prepare. The meeting becomes a better use of everyone’s time!

The same goes for adding join information to the calendar event. Make sure it’s obvious how and when to join the call when the scheduled time arrives.

Reminder Emails

And to have the very best chance of someone showing up for a meeting – use reminders! This can be an automated email with joining information 24 hours before the event or a quick email in the days leading up, noting that you’re looking forward to the meeting and what you’d like to achieve.