As you deck the halls and adjust your playlists, you should seriously consider giving your waitlist and table management system an update, too. With holiday parties a-plenty, this is no time for clutter and inefficiency!

You need to reboot your hostess stand and kick that datebook-and-grease-board duo to the curb. We have a shiny digital solution that will keep your season truly merry and bright—and save you plenty of woe (and money) to boot. We’re talking about a waitlist app that brings your queue, your reservations, and your resources together on one easy-to-use interface. It’s called Waitlist Me Pro.

Why do you need it? Let us count the ways:

#1. You need an intuitive way to balance walk-ins and reservations

What’s worse than losing a reservation fora twosome on date night? Losing a reservation for a 12-top the week before Christmas. Yikes. Still, it happens.It’s easy to forget a group—yes, even a big one—when you’re struggling to handle the nightly dinner rush.

When you upgrade your restaurant to a digital waitlist and reservation system, you say “goodbye” to misplaced reservations.With Waitlist Me Pro, you can use our flexible reservation views to see what your restaurant has in store for the holiday season and beyond. Plus, we built the app to incorporate reservations and walk-ins seamlessly. That makes it a cinch to navigate your guest list, no matter what.

#2. You need to visualize the best places to seat parties in your restaurant

Forget about peering behind the hostess stand to survey available seating options. Your hosts won’t even have to squint at hard-to-decipher grids anymore, either! With simple, digital table and resource management, confusion over where to seat your large and small parties is a relic of yesteryear.

Waitlist Me lets you view your tables indifferent ways, including by availability, by size, and by server. They’recolored coded so that you can immediately tell what’s open and what’s not. The Pro-level version of the app also gives you access to our layouts and sections feature, which allows you to build more detailed floor plans that are still easy to read.

#3. You need to keep bringing in foot traffic, no matter how busy you are

A wall of waiting guests in your lobby is intimidating to newcomers. To them, one large group waiting for a few tables to be pushed together can look like a dozen parties—and that’s enough to make anyone want to try the restaurant down the street rather than risk a queue.

Technology can transform your vestibule and the way you run your restaurant. With Waitlist Me’s text notification feature, you can set your guests free. Instead of lingering around your hostess stand, waiting for their name to be called, they can hang out at the bar or wander around the area without worrying about losing their table. When they’re next in line, you can let them know, no shouting necessary.

#4. You need to ensure that all your guests have a great experience

With a paper waitlist and reservation system, you’re constantly flipping back and forth and scrabbling around for notes. It’s unprepared and unprofessional, and that’s frustrating for your hosts and for your customers. And ETAs? Let’s not even go there.

Our app brings a new level of sophistication to eating out. We designed it to be easy to use from the get-go,which will decrease employee training time. And because Waitlist Me is so simple, hosts can focus their attention where it should be: on the guests,rather than on the paper they use to keep track of them.

We’ve added some new features and UI improvements to help manage customer requests made from your website or social media page if you are using the Waitlist Me web widget. When a request is received, you’ll be able to see more information in the waitlist view about what it is for and where it came from. The entries appear at the top of the waitlist and will flash orange. If you’re on the Reservation or Resource Management view, a quick pop up will alert you to the new request.

For waitlist requests, you can see all the key information about the customer request such as name, group size, and any notes the customer added. Simply press on the row to accept the request, and move through the same steps you’d normally take to add customers to the list, but with the information the customer entered already pre-populated. You can also change the status color, assign a resource, and add any notes you need for your own reference. Then chose an estimated wait as the final step. Accepting reservation requests work similarly, with the added benefit of when you press on the row, it will show the request in the context of that day’s list of reservations to see if you have availability.

If a request was accidentally rejected, you can still see it in the History section by tapping on the “Show History” bar at the bottom of the waitlist. The History section also has some filters on the right side that can be used to show customers that have been served and removed from the waitlist in addition to rejected requests. Use the return arrow button on the right to accept a previously rejected request.

Ah, the sounds of the season are upon us! Tinkling bells, rustling wrapping paper, and the voices of children and adults alike, eager to jump into winter with both snow-booted feet.

Here at Waitlist Me, we’re all about traditions—well, some traditions. The seasonal kind that come with snow, Santa hats, and sweet treats? Bring it on! The long lines of, well, last year? No thanks. Our app puts more ease into the winter season, which helps everyone get the most out of it. For businesses, it means more loyal customers walking in the door and opening their wallets. For consumers, it means a better time no matter what they’re up to.

Wondering how a waitlist app can make a difference when it comes to winter traditions? Here’s the proof in the figgy pudding:

Ice skating

Wobbling your way around a rink is a wintry rite of passage. A digital waitlist clears your lobby, allowing wannabe Olympians to grab a bite to eat or watch the crush while they wait to lace up a pair of skates. It’ll cut down the line intimidation factor, which can send fresh faces running back out into the parking lot for fear of a long wait. Plus, it’ll help your skate attendants focus on the customer at hand rather than the pile-up behind them.

Holiday shopping

Playing elf for your nearest and dearest isn’t nearly as simple as it sounds. That’s where your sales associates come in. Put their product knowledge and creativity to work—and get the most out of your personnel scheduling—by creating an in-store personal shopping service. Waitlist Me makes it easy to manage. With its notes feature, you can leverage your employees’ strong suits. To utilize it, ask customers what they’re looking for when you add them to the list. Then, assign sales associates accordingly depending on their specialties.

Pictures with Santa

Corralling kids is a headache on the best of days. With candy canes and chocolate bars adding to the frenzy? Well, you’re looking at a true Nightmare Before Christmas situation. If you’re running a mall Santa-style operation, a waitlist app can make an incredible difference for the parents trying to keep their littles ones in line. With Waitlist Me, parents can join a waitlist and take their tots off to toddle around (and work off some of that energy). When the big guy in the suit is ready, the app sends them a text. Easy.

Christmas tree hunting

Come Thanksgiving, there are scads of parking lots stacked with blue spruce and Frasier fir trees. For tree farmers and sellers looking to head home before Santa packs his sleigh, customer service is essential in order to stand out from the crowd. Get in the game by helping your customers one-on-one. Add each tree-peeper to your waitlist when they walk onto your lot and dispatch an assistant to help them pick the tree that’s perfect for their holiday celebrations.

Community events

Whether you’re managing a Church holiday party, arranging auditions for a winter play, or manning a gift-wrapping booth to fundraise for a local charity, there are tons of seasonal reasons a waitlist might come into play. Use it to maintain order, prevent petty squabbles, and let everyone enjoy their time with family and friends. A waitlist app disperses long lines, letting folks mingle instead of tethering them to a queue.

When the weather outside is frightful, where do people go? Indoors, of course! And once cabin fever strikes, they’ll be rushing through sleet, snow, and beyond-freezing temperatures to find diversion at your business.

A waitlist and reservation app is the best way for any small business to manage this kind of forecast. Not only will an app like Waitlist Me improve your customer’s waiting experience, but it will also help you manage your resources, boost your efficiency, and increase your margins.

Keep reading to learn how a waitlist app can help you win over new customers and make more money this winter.

Bowling alleys

Thanks to theme nights, top-notch eats, and a brilliant bar scene, bowling alleys are making a comeback. A waitlist app helps you juggle all your draws. Waitlist Me keeps every guest enjoying their outing thanks to text notifications. When their lane, their table, or their game is ready, they’ll get a heads-up automatically—without needing to physically wait in line.

More businesses that can use this feature:

Skating rinks

Arcades

Casinos

Gyms

“New year, new you” is the mantra health and wellness centers across the world live by. Make it come true for your gym business and your clientele with a little help from a waitlist and reservation app. An app can help balance new clients with regular rise-and-grinders. The newbies can explore different stations (and make an appointment with a private trainer) while gym rats can reserve equipment (and jump right into their usual workout).

More businesses that can use this feature:

Spas

Salons

Rec centers

Shopping malls

Brr! Is there a better place to be on a chilly weekend afternoon than an indoor shopping wonderland? We think not. But to keep people coming in the door, retailers in mall environments need to offer one thing online sellers can’t: superior customer service. While some customers are independent browsers, many are thrilled to take advantage of personal shoppers, especially during the holidays. Stores can use waitlists to offer superior service to individuals who crave personalized attention—and with Waitlist Me, shoppers can wander while they wait.

More businesses that can use this feature:

Cosmetics stores

Bookstores

Thrift stores and consignment stores

Play places

A zillion rowdy tots tumbling into one ball pit? That’s an accident waiting to happen. Indoor play spaces can use a waitlist app to ensure that every wee visitor’s experience is as fun and safe as possible. Station an attendant with a waitlist by the door or by a popular piece of equipment with a maximum occupancy. Add newbies to the waitlist (and cycle players in and out regularly) to let everyone have a turn.

More businesses that can use this feature:

Climbing wall centers

Trampoline parks

Escape rooms

Museums

Savvy visitors want to get the most out of their trip, and that means checking out all the tours and interactive experiences your museum has to offer. Whether you offer living history or natural, performance art or visual, a waitlist app lets your museum’s guests queue digitally. This means they won’t waste a single minute of their visit tapping their toes in line. They can wander through exhibits and, when your docent is ready for them, arrive in time for the grand tour.

More businesses that can use this feature:

Aquariums

Wineries

Breweries

It’s a retailer’s dream to boast a line long enough to wrap around a city block. A lot of the promos and products you dream up might even be designed to attract these 6-o’clock-news-worthy waits. Think: Black Friday doorbusters, innovative croissant-donut hybrids, and once-in-a-lifetime bear-stuffing deals.

But the reality? Well, it’s not as dreamy as it seems. In fact, it’s kind of nightmare. The history of long lines is plagued with stampedes, riots, and heat stroke victims. Yikes!

And that’s just for the people who join those long lines. For every customer that’s willing to wait, there are tens to hundreds that won’t be. Think about it this way: What would you wait hours for? What would make you want to camp out on a sidewalk?

If you did it at all, it would have to be for something truly incredible. A dinner at a new-to-the-neighborhood restaurant? Not likely. A shopping spree at a boutique? No way. An after-work drink? Forget it. A pilates class? Never.

How a long line hurts your business

A long line might get you a few dozen customers who are willing to wait in exchange for a first look or a door prize. But at what expense? That line might stretch wayyy down the street, but when hundreds of other passersby see it, they’re going to think that your business is the last place they want to be.

Sure, they might stop and ask what the line is for. Sure, they might talk about your establishment. Most of that conversation may be negative, though. Many of those on-lookers are going to be saying, “Some people waited 3 hours for a burger. How dumb is that?!” rather than: “The line for the best burger in town was 3 hours long yesterday. I’m going to go get one tonight!”

The truth is that long lines alienate customers. They dissuade people from giving you a chance. Potential customers have long memories. They will remember one or two long wait times, and forever associate you with inconvenience. Those customers are going to go somewhere else.

Why? Because…

* They don’t want to hop on the next-cool-thing bandwagon. Some customers instinctually rebel against hype. They’ll opt for a just-as-good competitor, instead. And because they didn’t have to wait, they’ll perceive your rival as being better than you are simply due to that lack of a long line.

* They’re worried the customer service stinks. Long lines can indicate efficiency problems. Guests encounter them and assume that someone at the front is lollygagging or that you’re understaffed. That’s ding No.-1 against your reputation for a top-notch guest experience.

* They aren’t interested in hanging out in a crowd. Some folks love feeling like sardines packed in a tin, but most don’t. A crowded business creates unnecessary pressure on the customer to hurry through their experience, regardless of whether they’re shopping, eating, or doing something else.

* They’re concerned something is wrong. Have you run out of the product you’re running a promo for? Are the cash registers down? Are you understaffed? Is this whole waiting-in-a-crazy-long-line thing all going to be for naught? Cue customer anxiety.

A better alternative

It is great when you have something everyone wants, but you don’t have to make them suffer in a long crazy line to get it. Waitlist Me makes it easy to manage a line virtually rather than physically. Add people to your waitlist so they know they have a spot in line and have visibility into the wait process, while allowing them the flexibility to walk around or do something else while they wait. Then simply press a button to notify them with a text message when it is their term. It is simple, and effective.