Running a Waitlist
Even when a time slot is full, customers can join a waitlist. When a place frees up, it is offered to one person at a time, in the order they joined. Instead of simply telling customers you are full, this turns the moment into another chance to book. The waitlist is off by default.
How to set it up
- In Reservations, open "Setup" and select "Reservation settings".
- Open the "Advanced" tab.
- Turn on "Take waitlist entries for full slots".
- Enter "How long the place is held" in minutes. If the person offered the place does not respond within this time, it passes to the next person.
- Select "Save" at the bottom of the screen.
What the customer sees
On the public booking page, full time slots show "Full — join waitlist". Selecting it opens a sign-up screen where the customer enters their name and phone number.
When a place frees up, only the first person in line is notified. It is not sent to everyone at once on a first-come, first-served basis. The booking is confirmed when the customer completes it from the link in the offer.
When the hold time runs out
If the customer does not complete the booking within the set time after the offer, the place passes to the next person automatically. The slot is not left empty while waiting indefinitely for the first person.
No offers are sent late at night
Offers are not sent between 10 pm and 8 am. If a place frees up during these hours, that customer waits for the next opening.
Checking who is waiting
- In Reservations, select "Waitlist".
- For each time slot, the number of parties waiting and the total number of people are shown.
- You can see each person's position, contact details, and whether they currently have an offer.
The total number of people is shown as well as the number of parties because 3 parties adding up to 12 people may be a reason to prepare a separate table.
To take a customer off the list, select "Remove".
No offers after a no-show
A slot freed up by a cancellation is offered to the waitlist, but a slot freed up by a no-show is not. It frees up right before the booking time, so an offer would not reach anyone in time.
Checks before you go live
Create a full slot and confirm that the waitlist option appears on the public booking page. After signing up, also confirm that the entry appears on the "Waitlist" screen.
Then cancel one booking in that slot, and confirm that the first person receives an offer and the second person does not.
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