Working with the Waitlist
Introduction
When your salon is fully booked, the waitlist helps you track customers who want appointments. This tutorial shows you how to add customers to the waitlist, record their preferences, and convert waitlist entries into confirmed appointments when slots become available.
Who this is for: Owner, Admin, Manager, Staff, Receptionist What you'll learn:
- Navigate the dedicated waitlist page
- Add customers to the waitlist
- Record service and staff preferences
- Set priority levels
- View, filter, and manage waitlist entries
- Convert waitlist entries to appointments
- Fill a cancelled slot from the waitlist
- Update entry status and notes
Time to complete: 10 minutes
Prerequisites
- Complete Tutorial 2.2 (booking appointments)
- Customer must exist in the system before adding to the waitlist
- Understanding of your salon's services and staff
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Access the Waitlist
The waitlist has its own dedicated section in the sidebar:
- Click Waitlist in the sidebar navigation (it sits between Cash Drawers and Messages)
- The Waitlist page displays all entries in a searchable, filterable table
Waitlist page features:
- A Search & Filter card with a search box, three filters and a Clear Filters button
- Search by customer name, email or phone (the box is labelled Search by customer name..., but it matches email and phone too)
- Filter by status, priority or service
- Table columns: Customer, Service, Preferred Staff, Preferred Date, Time, Priority, Status and Actions
- Click the Preferred Date or Priority column headings to sort by them
- Click any row to view full entry details, or use the Edit button in the Actions column to go straight to the edit form
Cancelled entries are hidden by default. The status filter starts on All except cancelled. To see cancelled entries, choose Cancelled or All statuses.
Alternative access:
- The Appointments calendar has a Waitlist tab in its left panel (Day and Week views only) listing every Active entry, highest priority first
- Click an entry to select it, then click on the calendar to place it as a new appointment (see Step 8)
- The calendar toolbar also has its own Add to Waitlist button, which returns you to the calendar after saving
Step 2: Add a Customer to the Waitlist
When a customer requests an appointment but no slots are available:
- Click Add to Waitlist button on the Waitlist index page
- The Add to Waitlist form opens with three sections
Section 1: Customer & Service
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | Yes | Search and select the customer |
| Service (Optional) | No | The service they're requesting |
| Preferred Staff (Optional) | No | If they want a specific team member |
Section 2: Scheduling Preferences
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Preferred Date (Optional) | No | When they'd like to come in. Must be today or later - past dates are rejected with "Preferred date cannot be in the past." |
| Preferred Time | No | Options: Anytime, Morning, Afternoon, Evening |
| Priority | Yes | High Priority, Normal, or Low Priority |
| Contact Preference | No | Options: Any method, Phone, SMS, Email |
Section 3: Notes
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Customer Notes | Special requests, preferences visible to customer |
| Internal Notes | Staff-only notes (e.g., "flexible on dates but needs Saturday") |
- Click Add to Waitlist to save
Step 3: Set Priority Levels
Priority marks how urgently a customer needs a slot:
| Priority | When to Use |
|---|---|
| High Priority | Urgent need, VIP customer, or long-waiting customer |
| Normal | Standard waitlist request |
| Low Priority | Very flexible customer, no rush |
High-priority entries appear at the top of the calendar's Waitlist tab, and are counted separately on the Dashboard.
On the Waitlist page itself the table is sorted newest-first by default, with priority used only to break ties. Click the Priority column heading to sort the whole list by priority.
Step 4: View and Filter Waitlist Entries
The Waitlist index page provides powerful filtering options:
Search:
- Type in the search box to find entries by customer name, email, or phone
Filters:
| Filter | Options |
|---|---|
| Status | All except cancelled (the default), Active, Converted, Expired, Cancelled, All statuses |
| Priority | All Priorities, High, Normal, Low |
| Service | All Services, or select a specific service |
Clear Filters:
- Click Clear Filters to reset all filters and show all entries
Step 5: View Waitlist Entry Details
Click on any row in the waitlist table to view the full entry details:
Entry Detail Page Shows:
- Status badge and priority level
- Customer information with contact links (phone, email)
- Service and preferred staff
- Scheduling preferences (date, time range, contact preference)
- Entry details (created date, conversion date, expiry date, and who created the entry)
- Notes section (customer notes and internal staff notes)
- Once an entry has been converted, a Converted to Appointment card with a View Appointment button
Quick Actions from Detail Page:
The available actions depend on the entry's current status:
- Message [first name] - Open the customer's messages. This is available for every status. The label is View Messages if the first name is missing.
- Find a Slot - Open the calendar with this entry selected (shown only when a service has been specified and the entry is Active)
- Edit - Update entry details (always available)
- Cancel - Cancel the waitlist entry (shown only while the entry is Active)
Step 6: Edit Waitlist Entry Details
To update a waitlist entry:
- Click on the entry to view details
- Click Edit button
- Update any fields including:
- Customer & Service selections
- Scheduling preferences
- Priority level
- Status (Active, Cancelled, Expired)
- Contact preference
- Customer and internal notes
- Click Update Waitlist Entry to save
Note: The Status field lets you change the entry status by hand. Converted is not in the list - it's set for you whenever you convert an entry into an appointment (see Step 8).
Note: Some statuses are the end of the road. Once an entry is Cancelled or Converted, its status is fixed - the other options appear greyed out, and you add the customer to the waitlist again if they come back. An Expired entry is different: you can set it back to Active to put the customer back on the list, and the entry then has no expiry date until you give it a new one. To cancel an expired entry, use the Cancel button on the entry instead.
Step 7: Update Notes Inline
On the entry detail page, you can quickly edit notes without going to the full edit form:
- In the Notes section, click Edit (or Add if the entry has no notes yet). You can also click straight onto an existing note, or onto the "No notes added - click to add" prompt
- Update Customer Notes and/or Internal Notes (staff only)
- Click Save to save changes
- Click the X button beside Save to cancel without saving
Step 8: Convert a Waitlist Entry to an Appointment
When a slot becomes available, you can convert an active waitlist entry into an appointment. Both methods below use the calendar.
Method 1: From the Entry Detail Page
- Open the waitlist entry detail page
- Click Find a Slot (only shown when the entry is active and has a service specified)
- The calendar opens with the Waitlist tab visible and the entry selected
- Click the desired time slot and staff column
- Complete any booking confirmations that appear
Saving the appointment marks the waitlist entry as Converted and links it to the new appointment. The entry leaves the calendar's Waitlist tab and the Dashboard's active counts. Open the entry again to see a Converted to Appointment card with a View Appointment button.
Method 2: Click to Place from Calendar (auto-converts)
- Navigate to Appointments in the sidebar
- In Day or Week view, open the Waitlist tab in the left panel
- Click a waitlist entry card to select it -- the card highlights with a purple border and shows "Click calendar to convert"
- Move your mouse over the calendar -- a ghost preview appears showing where the appointment would land
- Click the desired time slot and staff column
- The appointment is created immediately from the entry's customer, service, and staff -- no form opens. It is booked at the service's current length for that stylist, even if someone changed the service after you opened the calendar
This method also marks the waitlist entry as Converted when the appointment is created, exactly as Method 1 does.
Price: if the customer has a remembered price for the service, the new appointment uses it, the same as a booking made from the form (see Tutorial 2.2). Otherwise the appointment uses your standard price. The calendar does not show the Choose a price for this visit prompt here. If the standard price has changed since the price was remembered, check the price on the appointment or at the till.
Placing from the calendar asks the same questions as a clipboard paste:
- The slot is outside the stylist's shift, or they are on approved leave. A confirmation appears naming the stylist and the date. Click Book anyway to go ahead, or Cancel to pick another slot. The entry stays on the waitlist until you confirm.
- The gap is too short for the service. A confirmation offers to shorten the appointment to fit the gap. Accept it and the appointment is saved at the shorter length, and that length is kept - it is not stretched back to the full service time later.
- The slot is next to an existing appointment. The placement snaps flush to the neighbouring appointment's edge, so you get no accidental one or two minute gaps.
Deposits: if the service needs a deposit, the new appointment carries it, and the Send Deposit Link dialog opens straight after, the same as after a normal booking.
Expired entries: an entry that has passed its Expires date cannot be booked, even if it still shows as Active because the hourly check has not run yet. You see "This waitlist entry has expired. Edit it and set its status back to Active, then convert it." Edit the entry, choose Active, save, and try again.
Step 9: Fill a Cancelled Slot from the Waitlist
When you cancel an appointment, Luminate checks the waitlist for clients who could take the freed time. If it finds any, the Fill this slot from the waitlist? dialog opens after the cancel.
It appears when:
- you cancel from the calendar (the appointment panel, or the action sheet on a phone or tablet), or from the appointment's own page
- the appointment starts at least 15 minutes from now and no more than 14 days ahead
- at least one active waitlist client fits the gap
It does not appear for a no-show, when you cancel a whole repeating series, when you change the status on the appointment's Edit form, or when a client cancels online.
The dialog names the stylist and the free time, then lists up to five clients, best match first. Each row shows:
- the client's name, with a High badge if their entry is high priority
- the service and how long it takes
- how long they have waited, for example Waiting 12 days
- a skin test badge when their skin test has expired or is missing. Hover over it to read the full message
- Message and Book buttons
Click the arrow at the start of a row to open the client's preferences. You see:
- the service: the same service, or a different one that fits the gap
- the stylist, day and time they asked for
- their note and the salon's internal note, if there are any
- the Deposit, when the service needs one
- their phone number and email address, with (preferred) next to the way they like to be contacted. Staff-role users see these masked if your salon hides client contact details
Only one row is open at a time. When a client's wish does not match the slot, the line shows in amber, for example Asked for Tue 29 Sep, a different day, Asked for Tom, a different stylist or Prefers evenings, a different time. A client who asked for a different stylist is still listed, but last. A different service that fits the gap is listed below clients who wanted the same service.
A client who cannot be booked is not listed. This includes a client with an allergic reaction on record, or a client with no valid skin test when your salon blocks bookings without one.
To offer the slot:
- Contact the client first. Click Message to open their messages, or call them. When you come back to the calendar with your browser's Back button, the dialog opens again with a fresh list
- When they say yes, click Book. The appointment is created in the freed slot for that stylist, with the same checks as placing from the calendar (skin test, rota, gap too short). If the service needs a deposit, the deposit dialog opens next
- If you cancelled more than one slot, the dialog opens again for the slots still free
Click Not now to close the dialog. Nothing changes on the waitlist. Click Open waitlist to go to the full list.
The stylist whose appointment was cancelled also gets up to three of these clients in their cancellation email, with a Fill this slot button. See Tutorial 16.5.
Turn it off: go to Salon settings → Staff → Waitlist and switch off Suggest clients from the waitlist, then click Save. This stops the dialog and the list in the stylist's email. It is on by default.
Step 10: Message a Waitlist Customer
To open a waitlisted customer's messages:
- Open the waitlist entry detail page
- Click Message [first name], or View Messages if the first name is missing
- Read or send messages in the customer's thread
This action is available for every entry status. Sending a message does not change the waitlist status.
Step 11: Cancel a Waitlist Entry
If a customer no longer needs to be on the waitlist:
- Open the waitlist entry detail page
- Click Cancel
- The Cancel Waitlist Entry dialog opens, summarising the customer, service and priority
- Click Cancel Entry to confirm, or Keep Entry to back out
- The entry is marked as Cancelled and disappears from the default list view (it's still there under the Cancelled or All statuses filter)
Note: You cannot cancel an entry that has already been converted to an appointment.
Waitlist Entry Statuses
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Active | Waiting for an appointment slot |
| Converted | Successfully converted to an appointment |
| Cancelled | Entry was cancelled. This is final - to put the customer back on the list, add a new entry |
| Expired | Set automatically once an Active entry passes the Expires date shown on its detail page. You can also set it by hand when an entry is no longer worth chasing. Edit the entry and choose Active to put it back on the list |
Common Pitfalls
"I can't find a customer to add to the waitlist"
Customers must exist in the system before being added to the waitlist. Create the customer via Customers > Add Customer first.
"I can't find a waitlist entry"
Cancelled entries are hidden unless you set the status filter to Cancelled or All statuses. Otherwise use the search box and the priority and service filters, and check whether the entry has already been converted.
"I clicked a waitlist entry but nothing happened on the calendar"
Make sure the entry is selected -- look for the purple border and the "Click calendar to convert" message on the card. Once selected, click directly on a time slot in the calendar grid to place the appointment.
"Customer says they've been waiting but I can't find them"
Search by customer name on the Waitlist page. The entry might be Converted, Cancelled, or Expired. Check all status filters.
"I can't change the status to Converted"
Converted is not an option in the Edit form's Status dropdown. The calendar sets it when you create an appointment from the selected entry.
"I can't set a cancelled entry back to Active"
Cancelling is final, so the Status dropdown greys out every other option on a cancelled entry. If the customer wants back on the list, add a new waitlist entry for them. The cancelled one stays on the record.
"The entry I set back to Active expired again"
This no longer happens. Setting an Expired entry back to Active now clears the expiry date it had passed, so it stays on the list until you give it a new one or take it off yourself.
"I cancelled an appointment but no waitlist dialog opened"
The dialog only opens when a waitlist client fits: an active entry with a service the stylist offers, short enough for the gap, for a client who is free then. The appointment must start between 15 minutes and 14 days from now. It never opens after a no-show, a whole-series cancel, a cancel from the Edit form, or when the setting is off under Salon settings → Staff → Waitlist.
"A waitlist client I expected is not in the dialog"
Luminate leaves out any client who cannot be booked into the slot. The usual reason is their skin test: an allergic reaction on record, or no valid test when your salon blocks bookings without one. The dialog also leaves out a client who is booked elsewhere at that time. Open the waitlist to find them, and contact them about a skin test first.
"There's no Find a Slot button on the entry"
The Find a Slot button only appears when the entry has a service specified and is still Active. Use Edit to add a service if needed.
Tips and Best Practices
- Record specific preferences - "Afternoons only" or "After 3pm" is more useful than just "Afternoon"
- Use priority consistently - Reserve High Priority for genuine urgency or VIP customers
- Set contact preference - Know whether to call, text, or email before reaching out
- Add internal notes - Record details like "can do last-minute bookings" for quick reference
- Use the fill dialog after a cancellation - It lists the best matches for you, so check it before you close it
- Keep the waitlist current - Regularly review and clean up old entries
- Use filters to focus - Filter by "Active" status to see only pending entries
Related Tutorials
- Tutorial 2.1: Managing Your Appointment Calendar - Understanding the calendar
- Tutorial 2.2: Booking and Managing Appointments - Creating appointments
Frequently Asked Questions
Can customers add themselves to the waitlist?
Currently, the waitlist is managed internally by staff. Customers contact the salon to be added.
How long should customers stay on the waitlist?
Review entries regularly. Consider contacting customers after 2-3 weeks to confirm they still want to wait.
Does sending a message change the entry's status?
No. An active entry stays Active until it is converted, cancelled or expired.
Can I edit a waitlist entry after creating it?
Yes, click on the entry in the table, then click Edit to update preferences, priority, status, or notes.
Why can't I cancel a converted entry?
Once a waitlist entry becomes an appointment, the appointment record takes over. You would cancel the appointment instead.
How do I handle VIP customers?
Set their priority to High Priority so they appear at the top of the waitlist. You can also add notes about their VIP status.
Where do I find the waitlist?
Click Waitlist in the sidebar navigation, between Cash Drawers and Messages. The Dashboard also shows a Waitlist count tile and a High Priority Waitlist alert, and a customer's own record lists their active waitlist entries.
Last Updated: September 2026