Waitlist System
The 6pm yoga class is always packed. Every week, it fills up within hours of opening. Members who don't book fast enough miss out.
Or do they?
The waitlist gives them a second chance. And when a spot opens, everything happens automatically—no staff intervention needed.
How It Works
Joining the Waitlist
Jessica wants the Tuesday yoga class, but it's full (12/12 spots taken).
She taps "Join Waitlist."
Added to Waitlist
Yoga Flow
Tuesday, Jan 21 at 7:00 PM
You are #3 on the waitlist.
We'll email you if a spot opens up.
Jessica's in line. She didn't get the class, but she's not out of luck either.
The Waitlist Order
Waitlists are first-come, first-served:
Waitlist for Yoga Flow (Tuesday 7pm)
───────────────────────────────────────
1. Dan Thompson (joined 9:15 AM)
2. Maria Santos (joined 10:42 AM)
3. Jessica Adams (joined 2:30 PM)
───────────────────────────────────────
When a spot opens, Dan gets first dibs. Then Maria. Then Jessica.
When Someone Cancels
It's Tuesday at 10am. Rachel, who had a confirmed spot, realizes she can't make tonight's class.
Rachel cancels her booking.
Here's what happens automatically:
- Rachel's spot is released
- Her credit is returned (it's more than 12 hours before class)
- Dan (waitlist #1) gets promoted to the class
- Dan receives an email immediately
- Maria moves to waitlist #1, Jessica moves to #2
Dan's email:
Subject: You're In! Yoga Flow - Tonight at 7:00 PM
Good news! A spot opened up in the class you were
waiting for:
Yoga Flow
Tuesday, Jan 21 at 7:00 PM
Mike Chen
You've been automatically added to the class.
One credit has been deducted from your account.
────────────────────────────────────────────────
⚠️ Can't make it anymore?
You have 15 MINUTES to cancel without penalty.
After that, normal cancellation policies apply.
[Cancel This Booking]
─────────────────────────────────────────── ─────
Dan's in. Automatically.
The 15-Minute Grace Period
Here's the thing: Dan joined the waitlist on Monday when he was free Tuesday night. But now it's Tuesday morning, and his schedule changed.
The 15-minute grace period protects Dan.
When Dan gets promoted from the waitlist:
- He receives an email immediately
- He has 15 minutes to cancel without penalty
- If he cancels within 15 minutes, his credit is returned
- The spot goes to the next person on the waitlist (Maria)
Why this matters:
Dan joined the waitlist 24 hours ago. A lot can change in 24 hours. Maybe his boss scheduled a meeting. Maybe his kid got sick. Maybe he forgot he had dinner plans.
The grace period gives Dan a fair chance to say "actually, this doesn't work anymore" without losing his credit—even if the class is now less than 12 hours away.
Why 15 minutes specifically? It's long enough for someone to check their phone and make a decision, but short enough that the spot doesn't sit empty if they're not interested. In our testing, most people respond within 5 minutes — they either want it or they don't. The extra 10 minutes covers people who are in meetings or driving and can't check immediately.
What Happens During the 15 Minutes
Timeline:
───────────────────────────────────────
10:00 AM - Rachel cancels her spot
10:00 AM - Dan gets promoted, email sent
(15-minute window starts)
10:08 AM - Dan sees email, realizes he can't go
10:08 AM - Dan cancels within grace period
→ Credit returned ✓
→ Maria gets promoted next
OR
10:00 AM - Rachel cancels her spot
10:00 AM - Dan gets promoted, email sent
(15-minute window starts)
10:20 AM - Dan tries to cancel (20 minutes later)
→ Grace period expired
→ Normal 12-hour class rule applies
→ Credit NOT returned (class is tonight)
───────────────────────────────────────
After the Grace Period
Once 15 minutes pass, Dan's booking is treated like any other booking:
- 12 or more hours before class: Can cancel with credit returned
- Less than 12 hours before class: Late cancellation policy applies
The grace period is specifically for that "I just got promoted but things changed" moment.
Multiple Cancellations
Sometimes several people cancel around the same time. The waitlist handles this smoothly:
Scenario: 3 people cancel within an hour
───────────────────────────────────────
10:00 AM - Rachel cancels → Dan promoted
10:15 AM - Tom cancels → Maria promoted
10:45 AM - Lisa cancels → Jessica promoted
Each promotion:
- Happens instantly when the spot opens
- Triggers its own email
- Starts its own 15-minute grace period
───────────────────────────────────────
Each person on the waitlist gets their own notification and their own grace period.
Late Cancellations and the Waitlist
What if Rachel cancels at 6pm, one hour before the 7pm class?
Rachel's situation:
- Late cancellation (less than 12 hours)
- Her credit is NOT returned
Dan's situation:
- Gets promoted to the class
- Gets the email with 15-minute grace period
- If he can make it, great—he's in
- If he can't, he has 15 minutes to cancel penalty-free
The waitlist still works even for last-minute cancellations. Dan gets the same grace period regardless of when Rachel cancelled.
Waitlist Visibility
What Members See
Jessica can check her waitlist status anytime:
My Waitlist
───────────────────────────────────────
Yoga Flow - Tue Jan 21 at 7:00 PM
Position: #2 (was #3)
───────────────────────────────────────
She can see she moved up (because Dan got promoted or someone ahead of her left the waitlist).
What Staff Sees
Staff can view the full waitlist for any class:
Yoga Flow - Tuesday 7pm
Waitlist (2 people):
──────────────────────── ───────────────
1. Maria Santos - joined 10:42 AM
2. Jessica Adams - joined 2:30 PM
───────────────────────────────────────
What Instructors See
Instructors see the waitlist count on their roster. They know people are waiting if someone cancels.
Leaving the Waitlist
Voluntary Exit
Jessica realizes Tuesday won't work after all. She doesn't want to risk getting promoted and having to deal with cancelling.
She removes herself from the waitlist.
No penalty. No credit involved (she never had a spot). She's just no longer in line.
Automatic Removal
The waitlist clears when:
- The class happens (no more spots to wait for)
- The class is cancelled (everyone is removed)
- Someone gets promoted (they move from waitlist to confirmed)
Real Scenarios
"I Got Promoted But I Can't Go"
Maria gets promoted to yoga at 4pm for the 7pm class. She's in a meeting until 5pm.
At 4:12pm (12 minutes later), she sees the email on her phone.
She has 3 minutes left in her grace period.
She taps "Cancel This Booking." Her credit is returned. Jessica gets promoted next.
Crisis averted.
"I Missed the Grace Period"
Dan got promoted at 10am but didn't check his email until noon.
The grace period expired at 10:15am. When Dan tries to cancel at noon:
- The class is tonight (less than 12 hours)
- Normal late cancellation policy applies
- His credit is NOT returned
Lesson: Keep an eye on your email when you're on a waitlist, especially close to class time.
"The Whole Waitlist Got In"
Popular class, but lots of cancellations. All 5 waitlist people got promoted throughout the day.
Each one:
- Got their own email
- Had their own 15-minute window
- Made their own decision
Three kept the spot. Two cancelled during their grace period. Everyone was treated fairly.
"I Was #1 and Didn't Get In"
Dan was #1 on the waitlist, but no one cancelled. The class happened without him.
That's how waitlists work—no guarantee of a spot. But being on the waitlist gave him the best possible chance without overbooking the class.
For Gym Owners
Waitlist Data
Track waitlist patterns:
- Which classes have the longest waitlists?
- How often do waitlisted people get promoted?
- What's the conversion rate?
If a class consistently has 10+ people on the waitlist, you might need:
- A larger room
- An additional session
- A different time slot
No Manual Work
The entire waitlist system runs automatically:
- Promotions happen instantly when spots open
- Emails go out automatically
- Grace periods are tracked automatically
- Credits are handled automatically
Your staff doesn't need to manage any of this. They can if they want to (adding someone to waitlist, removing someone), but the system handles the normal flow.
Related Topics
- Booking Classes — How members book and cancel
- Managing Rosters — The instructor view
- Session Handling — How booking cancellation policies work
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