Glossary
What is Waitlist (Appointment)?
An appointment waitlist captures customers who want a time slot that's currently full, then notifies them and rebooks them automatically when a cancellation opens up.
In depth
Waitlists turn a missed booking into a "we'll text you if something opens up" experience instead of "sorry, fully booked." When a customer cancels, the waitlist auto-fills the slot from the next person waiting — eliminating empty chairs without anyone calling around.
In manual systems, the owner has to remember who's on the waitlist, call them when a slot opens, and hope they pick up. Most cancellations stay unfilled because the owner is busy with the customers in front of them.
Automated waitlists fix this: when a cancellation happens, the system immediately texts the first person on the waitlist with the open slot. They reply YES or NO. YES = auto-booked, slot filled. NO or no response = AI moves to the next person.
For a salon with 5 cancellations per week, an auto-filling waitlist recovers most of those slots — typically $400-1000/week in otherwise-lost revenue.
Real examples
- 1.Customer wants Saturday at 2pm but it's booked — joins waitlist. Three days later someone cancels their Saturday 2pm — customer gets an SMS and books it.
- 2.Massage therapist: cancellation at 4pm Tuesday. Waitlist auto-texts the next person ("4pm Tuesday just opened up — want it?"). They reply YES, get booked, you didn't lift a finger.
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