Suddenly Sorted
Bookings & calendarGrowth & ProOwner & managers

What happens when someone wants a time I don't have?

They join your waitlist, on the booking page or by telling Sally. The moment a matching slot opens, through a cancellation, a move or an expired hold, the person who has waited longest is emailed. You can see and manage the list at the top of Bookings.

2-minute read Checked against the app · 6 Sep 2026 Desktop and phone

Where it lives

Open Bookings. When anyone is waiting, a Waitlist panel sits at the top of the page with a count. Expand it to see who's waiting, for what, and whether they've already been offered a slot. There's no setting to turn on; the waitlist appears on the booking page and in the chat whenever there's genuinely nothing free.

Your dashboard · Bookings · Waitlist panelDrawn from the live UI · sample salon
1: Bookings in the left menu. 2: the Waitlist panel, collapsed until someone joins. Names are a sample salon, not yours.

How customers join

  1. On the booking page, when a day is full

    Instead of a dead end, the page shows Notify me when a spot opens. They leave a name and an email or mobile.

    You'll see: them listed in your Waitlist panel straight away.
  2. In the chat, when Sally can't find a time

    If nothing suits, Sally offers the waitlist rather than a flat no. She takes their details and never promises a time, only that they'll hear the moment something opens.

  3. You can add or remove people yourself

    Use Offer on a row to send someone a specific opening by hand, or Remove if they've booked elsewhere. Removing doesn't message them.

When a slot frees up

Any time a booking is cancelled or moved, or a held booking expires unconfirmed, that time is free again and the waitlist is checked. Before anyone hears, the app re-checks that the slot is genuinely open, because a cancellation on a multi-staff day doesn't always free a chair. Then the person who has waited longest for that service gets one email with a link to book it. One freed slot, one notification, so you're never blasting the whole list for one gap.

  • Longest wait firstFair by default
  • One email per freed slotNo spam
  • Their row flips to notifiedSo you can see the chase

What it won't do

Honest by designJoining the waitlist never books anything. The customer still chooses a time from the email, so nobody is placed into a slot they didn't pick. Notifications go by email today; a mobile number is kept for you to ring if you'd rather.
Plan noteThe waitlist is included on Growth and Pro. On other plans a full day simply shows the next available dates. Compare plans.

Common questions

Someone was notified but didn't book. Does the next person get it?

Not automatically. The slot stays open on your booking page for anyone, and you can use Offer on the next row to send it on by hand.

Why didn't a cancellation trigger an email?

Usually because nobody on the list wanted that service, or the freed time still wasn't bookable once staff and cleanup time were checked. Correct opening hours matter here too.

Can I see who's waiting on my phone?

Yes. The Waitlist panel sits at the top of the Bookings tab in the app, with the same Offer and Remove buttons.

Still stuck on this?

Tell us the customer's first name and the day they wanted. We'll check the waitlist entry and any notification sent.

Send us a message
Was this useful?

A real person will get back to you.

Our team is in New Zealand. Send us a message and we’ll reply by email, usually within a day.