Using the waitlist

Using the waitlist

The waitlist collects clients who want a time you cannot offer yet, so you can fill a gap the moment one appears.

Good to know: clients put themselves on the waitlist from your booking page. There is no way to add someone from your dashboard, so a caller has to join it themselves.

Before you start

• You need an admin login. The Booking Settings tab is hidden from staff logins.
• Waitlist only appears in your sidebar once the feature is switched on, under Contacts.

Step 1: Turn the waitlist on

1. Open Settings, then the Booking Settings tab.
2. Find Optional Booking features and turn on the Appointment waitlist switch.
3. It saves on its own and confirms that guests are notified by email when a slot opens.

Waitlist now appears in your sidebar.

Good to know: if Appointment waitlist is not in that list, the waitlist is not available on your account yet. Use the Support link in the sidebar and ask us to switch it on.

Step 2: Choose what happens when a slot opens

Turning the switch on reveals When a slot opens just below it. Pick one of three:

• Staff choose. Nothing is sent automatically. A Waitlist banner appears across the top of your dashboard saying which slot opened and how many waiting clients match, with Offer appointment, View waitlist and Dismiss.
• First in line. The first matching client is notified by email and SMS on their own. If they do not book within 30 minutes their invite expires and the next matching client is notified. The slot stays on your public booking page the whole time, so anyone can still take it.
• Offer to all. Every matching client is notified at once. The slot stays open and whoever books first gets it.

Your choice saves as soon as you select it.

Good to know: in First in line and Offer to all, cancelling an appointment is what sets this off, whether you cancel it or the client does. You do not have to do anything else.

Step 3: Send clients to the waitlist

Clients join from your public booking page.

1. Say you will send them your booking link. It is under Settings, then the Booking Page tab.
2. Ask them to pick the service and the day they want.
3. When a day has nothing free they see No times available, then a Join waitlist button.
4. They fill in Service, Preferred date, Who would you like to see? (Anyone available or a named person), their name, Mobile number and Email, then Any time that day or Between specific times.
5. Their name shows on your Waitlist screen as Waiting.

Tip: keep your booking link saved in your phone so you can send it in seconds.

Step 4: Offer a slot by hand

You can do this at any time, in any of the three modes.

1. Open Waitlist from the sidebar.
2. Stay on the Active tab and find the client.
3. Click Offer spot.

ResNeo looks for a free slot that matches their date, service and time window, then emails or texts them a link to your booking page with the date, service and time already filled in. They finish the booking themselves.

Good to know: the entry turns Complete as soon as the invite goes out, and Complete entries leave the Active tab. Switch to All to see it again.

Warning: an invite cannot be taken back once it is sent. If you send it to the wrong person, phone them and explain.

If Offer spot is greyed out, a short note beside it explains why: no slots free on that date, none inside their time window, or no calendar offers that service. If it says it could not check availability, the button still works and ResNeo checks again when you click it.

What each status means

• Waiting: they are on the list and nothing has been sent.
• Complete: an invite has been sent to them. It does not mean they have booked, so check your calendar for that.
• Expired: a timed invite in First in line mode ran out after 30 minutes. The next matching client is notified for you.
• Cancelled: you clicked Cancel on the entry while it was still Waiting.

In First in line mode a row also shows Expires and a time. In the other two modes invites have no time limit.

Use the bin icon on Expired and Cancelled rows to tidy them away. ResNeo asks "Remove this entry permanently?" first.

Change the invite wording

1. Open Settings, then the Communications tab.
2. Scroll down to the Waitlist invites section.
3. The Waitlist invite card is where you turn invites off, add SMS as well as email, or edit the message.

Invites go by email only until you tick SMS here.

Common problems & fixes

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
There is no way to add someone myself	Clients join the waitlist themselves	Send them your booking link and ask them to join from a full day
No Waitlist link in the sidebar	The waitlist is switched off, or you are on a staff login	Ask an admin to turn on Appointment waitlist under Settings, then Booking Settings
A client I offered has disappeared	The entry turned Complete and left the Active tab	Switch to All
Offer spot is greyed out	No slots free on that date or in their time window, or no calendar offers that service	Read the note beside the button, then check the service and the calendars it is on
Nobody was notified when I cancelled	You are in Staff choose mode	Use the Waitlist banner on your dashboard, or open Waitlist and click Offer spot
An entry says Complete but nothing is in my calendar	Complete means the invite was sent, not that they booked	Give them time to use the link, or phone them and take the booking yourself
The invite went by email and they wanted a text	SMS is off for waitlist invites	Tick SMS on the Waitlist invite card under Settings, then Communications

Next steps

• Taking a booking
• Using the calendar
• Guest communications (email and SMS)