This article will show you how to use the Waiting column on your Appointments screen in order to add clients to a waitlist when no suitable timeslots are available.
The Waitlist feature is not currently available on PhorestGo.
If you are on the latest version of Phorest (Phorest 10), please see the updated waitlist. Otherwise, please see the legacy waitlist.
Updated Waitlist (Phorest 10)
In this Section
Adding a Client to the Waitlist
Click Waiting List, then click New+ to add a client to the list.
Select an existing client or click New Client+ to create a new client. Then, select the service they wish to book and choose a staff member if they have a preference. If the client is happy to book with any available staff member, click Skip.
Adding More Services
If the client is looking to book more than one service, you can add more by clicking +Add another service
Selecting the Client's Availability
Next, select the days and times the client is available.
Morning is any time up to and including 11:59 AM, while Afternoon is any time from 12:00 PM onwards.
Alternatively, if the client is looking for the soonest available timeslot, set the availability to As soon as possible.
Adding Notes
Finally, add any appointment Notes, then click Done to finish.
As soon as the booking is moved from the waitlist to your appointment calendar, notes will automatically be added as appointment notes.
Moving a Booking from the Waitlist to your Appointment Calendar
When a time slot that matches a booking on your waitlist becomes available, a waitlisted booking will temporarily appear on your calendar as a holding slot. It will remain there for 7 minutes to allow you to contact the client and confirm their availability.
It is not currently possible to adjust this 7-minute duration.
Click holding slot, and then click Book to convert it from a waitlist appointment to an actual booking, or click Don't book to leave it on the waitlist.
If there are multiple suitable bookings on the waitlist, priority will be given to the booking that was created the longest time ago.
If you choose Don't book, a 1-hour cooldown will be added to that client's waitlist booking. This means the prompt to book that same client again will not appear until after 1 hour.
Once the appointment is moved from the Waitlist over to a staff member's column, the client will receive a Confirmation email/SMS provided you have your Confirmation SMS/Email enabled.
Understanding & Managing Your Waitlist
Filtering the Waitlist
By default, all waitlist bookings will be displayed when you view your waitlist. However, you can filter the view to find specific waitlist bookings by clicking the Filters button. Waitlist bookings can be filtered by specific requested days and/or times of day.
You can also use the Staff dropdown menu to find waitlist bookings where a specific staff member has been requested.
Understanding Waitlist Bookings
Each waitlist booking will show the key details for that client. Below is an example of a waitlist booking, and a template of the information displayed on a booking.
Removing a Booking from the Waitlist
Waitlist bookings will not automatically disappear when the client's preferred dates have passed. You can remove a booking from the waitlist by clicking the 3 dots > Remove.
Do Legacy Waitlist Bookings Transfer?
Existing waitlist bookings from the legacy waitlist do not transfer to the new waitlist and will need to be recreated.
Legacy Waitlist (Previous Version of Phorest)
Click the Clock icon on your Appointments screen to open the Waiting column on your calendar.
If a client is looking to book an appointment but there are no timeslots available, you can book an appointment in the Waiting column with a start time matching another appointment.
If an appointment with a matching start time becomes canceled or deleted, and that timeslot becomes available, a pop-up message will appear asking if you would like to move the appointment from the Waiting list into this newly available timeslot
Once the appointment is moved from the Waiting List over to a staff member's column, the client will receive a Confirmation email/SMS provided you have your Confirmation SMS/Email enabled.
If the appointment is left in the Waiting List column, it will be recorded in the client's Service History (Double-click the appointment > Client Card) but will have an indicator to say it's a Waiting List appointment. However, once the appointment is moved to a staff member's column, it will show as a regular appointment.