The hunt for must-have Valentine’s Day gifts is officially on. Whether you manage a big-name retailer or a small business storefront, a waitlist and reservation app is the 10-minute tech upgrade you need to keep your stress levels low and your customers’ shopping experience smooth and enjoyable this February 14^th.  Here’s how busy retail outlets are using  some of our app’s top features as Valentine’s Day approaches.

Text notifications

When you’re dealing with intimate purchases like lacy underthings or personal scents, sales associates and shoppers need privacy, not a looming line of other customers looking for assistance. That’s where a waitlist comes into play.

If individual service is a must, a waitlist is a boon no matter what products fill your shelves. Add text notification, and you’ve got a system that will bring calm to your store’s shopping and sales experience and create the one-on-one atmosphere you’re looking for. It’s an easy, unobtrusive way to let shoppers know when it’s their turn. And with Waitlist Me, they’re simple to set up and use, whether you need them once in a while for holiday rushes or sales, or 24/7 to keep up with your foot traffic.

Perfect for…lingerie stores, perfumeries, large retailers, big-ticket department stores, and other outlets where customers want to browse but also appreciate one-on-one assistance

Customer service

No matter the price tag, you want your customers to feel like friends, not another credit card number.

Say hello to two Waitlist Me features that’ll make your customers feel welcome and remembered: notes and wait time tracking. When you add shoppers to your waitlist, you can add notes, like what they’re wearing, what they look like, and what they’re shopping for. These details let sales associates greet them personally.

Tracking the times that you estimated you’d be ready to help a customer next to their actual waits helps you give accurate quotes.  It can be more frustrating for customers to not know how long the wait will be or have to wait longer than they were told.  Waitlist Me helps you overdeliver on their expectations.

Perfect for…boutiques, designer stores, luxury retailers, and other shops that rely on personalized service and a good rapport between sales associates and shoppers

People management

When you’ve got a mixed crowd of traditional rose-buyers and “I want something a little different” custom arrangements, balance is essential. Waitlist Me can help you achieve it.

The app allows you to add each shopper to a waitlist and note what sort of product the shopper is looking for. As a staff member specializing in each area becomes free, they can take on customers according to the type of bouquet they’re looking to give. Splitting the workload will maximize your resources—and prevent a bottleneck thanks to that one indecisive customer who just isn’t sure what he wants.

Perfect for…candy stores, flower shops, wine stores, and business whose customer base is often split between people who know exactly what they want and those who need more personal attention

Integrated appointments

Got the heart-shaped boxes stacked and ready to go? Filled your refrigerators with flowers by the dozen? Great! Now it’s time to focus on creating a stand-out shopping experience.

To nix a long line and take advantage of lulls, try taking phone orders in addition to walk-ins. Waitlist Me lets you manage advance orders (think of them as reservations with pick-up times) alongside walk-ins, which you can add to a waitlist when business picks up. The app keeps both neatly organized and accessible. That means you can focus on the people you’re serving, not on finding random bits of paper you scribbled an order on three days ago.

Perfect for…chocolatiers, flower shops, and businesses who offer call-in orders for quick pick-up in addition to walk-ins

We are happy to announce that our iOS and Android apps are now fully localized in Spanish for customers with plans in over 20 countries where Spanish is the local language.  Now it is even easier for businesses and their employees in Spanish-speaking countries to manage their waitlist and reservations with Waitlist Me.

This added localization follows our international launch in December where we started with the translation of all the customer facing parts of the Waitlist Me service in 30 languages, and we will be translating more parts of our websites into Spanish in the upcoming weeks.

We started with Spanish for a number of reasons, and while doing this initial localization of our service into a foreign language we have put into place a framework for flexibly managing updates to the translations and for plugging in additional languages in the future.

You don’t have to act like a drill sergeant to bring a touch more productivity to your 9-to-5 life. Whether you’re a manager, a department director, an executive, or a small business owner, you get more done when you aren’t waiting on things holding you up.

Waitlists aren’t just for restaurants. People waste a lot of time waiting around in business environments, even if they aren’t standing in lines. Here are four ways you can put a waitlist app to work in an office setting:

Run a help desk more efficiently

Forget about dragging equipment to a different floor or wondering if the IT guy has read your email yet. A waitlist keeps everyone in the loop and no one standing in line, laptop in hand. Your tech support can send text alerts to employees when it’s their turn, cutting down on dead time spent twiddling their thumbs.

Bonus! Waitlist Me Pro offers analytics that let you check up on different data points, like which employee is spending how much time taking care of which problem. You’ll be able to track your service times—and see if you need to adjust the schedule or size of your team, based on the hours your crew is currently clocking.

Answer “Do you have a minute?” questions

Administrators, HR, designers, unofficial office gurus—there are all sorts of people who field questions from colleagues 24/7. A waitlist gives them an easy way to help out with information requests without derailing projects and meetings.

Bonus! Our public waitlist feature lets staffers check in to see where they are in line, which means no more passive aggressive follow-up emails, check-in calls asking if you’re free in five, or awkward hovering outside your office door. Phew!

Manage office hours with managers, teams, or departments

An open-door policy is great for your office culture but not so hot for productivity. A better choice: consistent office hours. Employees will know when it’s their turn to poke their heads in for advice or project input. Got a line growing outside your office? Waitlist Me can help you wrangle it. Let employees add themselves and then chill at their desks ‘til it’s their turn, without worrying about missing their chance to meet.

Bonus! Waitlist Me works on the web as well as iOS and Android devices. That means it can go wherever you do. Use it in your office on a desktop computer, from a coffeeshop, or wherever else your job takes you.

Oversee on-site employee services and benefits

Everyone loves a perk, whether it’s on on-site yoga studio or food trucks in the parking lot every Wednesday. But sometimes, those perks come with wait times that keep employees at bay. Keep your employees happy—and enjoying the benefits that are part of their compensation package—by employing a waitlist that lets everyone have a go at the good stuff. Waitlist Me lets staffers add themselves to a list from wherever they are, whether they’re at home, on the train, or walking in from the parking deck, making it even easier for them to use the services you offer.

Bonus! With Waitlist Me, a 5-minute wait really is a 5-minute wait. Our app offers wait time estimates based on historical averages, and seeing estimated times next to actuals helps people improve their quote estimates. It’s just one more way we’re helping you and your employees use time wisely.

January 1 has got your clientele taking their self-improvement goals to a whole other level. With the ball drop comes a fresh “new year? New me!” mindset, and a slew of resolutions to go with it. But as we all know from experience, it’s far easier to make a resolution than it to stick with it.

Waitlist Me can help you help your customers do exactly that. No matter what their goals are for this new year, your business can be an integral part in accomplishing them. Here’s how:

Fitness businesses helping people muscle up, lose weight, and train for events

January is prime sign-up season at gyms and fitness studios across the country. While new memberships are essential to keep you in the green, we know you’re invested in helping your customers cross off their workout goals.

Bringing Waitlist Me on board can help you do that. The app can help you create waitlists and reservations for different services, from tanning beds to personal trainers. You can even use it for popular equipment! It’s a no-muss, no-fuss way to manage busier-than-usual gym floors and long lines, which will keep your long-time customers happy and your newbies impressed.

Learn more here

Activity-oriented businesses helping people try new hobbies

The pre-Christmas gift-buying bonanza isn’t the only bright spot on your winter calendar. The moment people unwrap their bounty—whether they’re the proud owners of a new rifle, a monogrammed bowling shirt, or a top-of-the-line sewing machine—they have the potential to become a boon for your business.

After all, they’re going to need more supplies, from bullets to balls to bobbins, to fuel their hobby—and a little assistance getting started (or getting better). Waitlist Me can help you wrangle your staff and your resources to deal with the influx of new customers.

Salons giving customers head-to-toe makeovers

Some resolution-makers plan out their transformations weeks in advance. They come loaded with inspiration pictures and “do this, not that” feedback. Other style-changers are more spontaneous. They walk in with a vague idea of what they want and let you do your thing.

Whether you run a hair salon, a nail studio, a cosmetics store, or another business entirely, Waitlist Me helps you manage both types of clients. You can use the app on the web, on iOS, or on Android to facilitate both reservations and walk-ins with ease.

Learn more here

Banks, accountants, and financial advisors showing clients how to manage their money better

Politics, religion, and money—the three topics to avoid over the holiday dinner table—were not created equal. People go out and vote. They walk through church doors on Sunday mornings. But scheduling an appointment to hash out finances? For those customers who need your help most, getting them in your office can be a bigger challenge than actually achieving their goals.

Waitlist Me can help you make this year the year you guide your clients to achieving their budgeting, saving, and investing goals—starting with getting their bums in your seats. The app makes waitlists and reservations a breeze for everyone, whether you’re a business owner or a customer. Clients can make appointments (or jump on your waitlist) from wherever they are and see exactly how long they need to wait, thanks to our smart ETA feature.

Before you skip out the door for a little winter vacation, try to take 10 minutes to ponder the actions you can take in the new year to make your business more efficient, more beloved by customers, and more profitable. Whether you’ve got a long list of must-dos or are scratching your head, we’ve got one for you to consider: Download the Waitlist Me app.

Have nary a clue as to how one app can revolutionize your business in 2018? Here’s exactly how Waitlist Me will help make your business goals more achievable this year.

Resolution #1: Simplify your waitlist system

Forget grease pens and messy paper planners. Waitlist Me’s signature waitlist feature nixes hostess stand clutter. Now, your front-of-house staff can see your business’ waitlist in a single glance and add customers to it with a swipe.

Resolution #2: Neatly integrate a waitlist with your reservations or appointments

The premium-level Reservation feature offers seamless waitlist integration. In one app, you can track appointments as well as walk-ins and offer accurate wait time estimates to both types of customers. It’s the best of both worlds for restaurants, offices, service providers.

Resolution #3: Impress customers with great service

With Waitlist Me, even a rookie host can quote accurate wait times and set the right expectations. The app shows real-time waits next to quoted times to make it easy to improve and know when things are running ahead or slow.  You can’t always control the wait time, but you can improve the wait experience by serving customers on time, when you say you will.

Resolution #4: Take the frustration out of long wait times

Our Text and Call Notifications combined with our Public Waitlist are designed to take headaches out waits for everyone. Customers are free to roam around the area, not worried about losing their place in line, and your staff can do their jobs without hungry diners asking when it’ll be their turn.

Resolution #5: Get it right the first time

Every level of Waitlist Me, from free to premium to pro, offers a Notes feature. Have a family that needs one high chair, two coloring pages, a gluten-free menu, and a wheelchair-accessible table? Make a note so that the party’s needs are front-and-center, no matter who seats them.

Resolution #6: Streamline your management

The Waitlist Me app was created to make your business easier to run, no matter how large or small. Multi-Device Sync lets you manage one account on extra computers, smartphones, or tablets—perfect for on-the-go businesses or large facilities—while Multi-Place Management lets regional and company-wide managers connect multiple locations to one (or more) Waitlist Me accounts.

Resolution #7: Become more customer-friendly

The premium-level Add Yourself widget and kiosk features and the pro-level business hours settings are easy-to-use tools that allow customers to join your waitlist or create a reservation without sitting on hold or waiting until you’re open. They’re available 24/7 from wherever your customer has internet access.

Resolution #8: Monitor your business’ productivity

Waitlist Me Pro allows you to track your resources. Whether you rely on table turnover, staff, special equipment, or something else entirely, our pro-level Resource Management feature tracks it for you, making it easy to see who and what is performing well and where you can make positive changes.

Resolution #9: Get more customer feedback

Comment cards not doing it for you? Our pro-level service incorporates Text Message Ratings and Customizable Survey features into the user experience. With a single text message reply or the click of a link, customers can quickly let you know what went right and what went wrong during their last visit.

Resolution #10: Make smarter business decisions

Don’t leave your biggest decisions up to guesswork. Waitlist Me Premium and Pro are loaded with our Reports feature. The in-app statistics track average wait times, business activity, demographics, customer loyalty, group size, and more. Plus, you can automate how you access the information via weekly email summaries or downloadable reports, making data one less thing you need to think about.