Being fully booked is a good problem — until a cancellation leaves a gap you can't fill in time. The waitlist closes that loop: anyone who couldn't find a slot is first in line when one opens, and they're notified without you doing a thing.
How customers join
There are two ways a customer ends up on your waitlist — both happen on their own:
In chat, when nothing's free
If a customer asks to book and Sally finds no availability for the days they want, she warmly offers the waitlist instead of just saying "sorry, we're full". If they say yes, she takes their name and contact and adds them — no time is ever promised, just "we'll let you know the moment something opens".
On your booking page
When a service or day is fully booked, your booking page shows a "Notify me when a spot opens" option. The customer leaves their details and they're on the list.
What happens when a slot frees up
The moment an existing booking is cancelled or moved to a different time — or a confirm-to-hold booking expires unconfirmed — that slot becomes available again, and Suddenly Sorted emails the waitlist for you. You don't have to watch your calendar or send anything by hand.
- Automatic — freed slots trigger the waitlist email on their own.
- Fair, one at a time — the person who's been waiting longest for that service gets the email, one notification per freed slot, so you're not blasting your whole list for one gap.
- Double-checked first — before anyone's emailed, the system re-checks that a slot is genuinely open (a cancellation on a multi-staff day doesn't always free capacity), so nobody's sent chasing a time that isn't there.
- No false promises — joining the waitlist never guarantees a specific time, so no one's left disappointed.
Where you'll see your waitlist
There's a Waitlist panel on your Bookings page showing who's waiting, for what, and how many are on the list. Once someone's been offered a freed slot, their entry flips from waiting to notified so you can see the chase happening. You can always reach out yourself if you'd like to — most of the time you won't need to, because the notifications do the chasing for you.
Tips for getting the most from it
- Keep your availability accurate — the waitlist only kicks in when Sally genuinely can't find a slot, so correct opening hours matter.
- Confirm cancellations promptly — the sooner a booking is cancelled or moved, the sooner the waitlist is notified and the gap gets filled.
- Pair it with reminders — reminders & confirmations reduce last-minute drop-offs, and when one does happen, the waitlist mops it up.