How do I use the Waitlist on the Appointments calendar?

This article shows you how to use the Waiting column on your Appointments screen to add clients to a waitlist when no suitable timeslots are available.

The Waitlist feature is not currently available on PhorestGo.

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.

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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.

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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 earliest 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 the 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.

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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 for at least 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.

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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 dotsRemove.

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