Waitlist Me’s Pro & Platinum subscriptions offer more opportunities to tailor the customer experience to fit your brand image and messaging by allowing custom HTML to be added to key touchpoints. You can customize several of the views customers see when scheduling a reservation or joining the waitlist as well as the views of the public waitlist they can see while waiting and after they have been served.  

Add Yourself – When using the Add Yourself features on the main web widget and kiosk views, you can include a block of HTML to the page to display rich-formatted text and images. On the main view before customers enter the information you might provide information about rules for scheduling, requirements for entering your business, or anything else that might be helpful to customers when joining your waitlist or making a reservation. You can also add different HTML to the confirmation page that customers view after they add their info and submit their request. Helpful information here might include a link to a restaurant’s menu or a store’s catalog, so people can browse and make selections while they wait. 

You can add plain text, HTML, links, and/or pictures. Make changes by logging in to www.waitlist.me and  going to Account > Settings > Add Yourself. In the Main View section, there’s a link for Edit HTML; use this for the main widget view. Further down on the Add Yourself settings page there’s an option for Confirmation & Approval. There you’ll see another link for Edit HTML; use this for the confirmation page.

Public Waitlist Page – When you add customers to the waitlist or they add themselves remotely, there is an option to send them a confirmation text with a link to the Public Waitlist page. Custom HTML can be added to the bottom of this page for customers to view while they wait. Details about sales, links to menus/catalogs, or instructions for signing up for a rewards program could all be a great way to help customers pass the time while they are waiting. 

Public Waitlist Custom HTML Statuses – Once you’ve notified a customer that you’re ready for them, the table view of the public waitlist will no longer be visible and a graphic showing a ‘Ready!’ sign will appear. After customers are checked off the list, they’ll see a ‘Thank You’ picture. Change one or both of these to your own pictures by going to Account > Settings > Public Waitlist > Colors & Custom HTML > HTML Statuses. You can also customize the status text that appears in the boxes at the top of these views. See more details here.

Tip! Custom HTML allows you to include images that are hosted on your website or another location. If you need a service to host your images, we suggest checking out Cloudinary or Imgbb. 

Full-page Custom HTML Display – For the ultimate options in customization, the Platinum subscription offers the ability to fully re-create the web widget and kiosk views using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. You’ll need a web developer to use these features. You can change all the visual elements of the view while still taking advantage of the structured data elements and key features like the wait estimates. And of course, you can add your personalized branding throughout each screen customers see in the process of joining the waitlist and scheduling reservations. This page has more information on these options. 

Our new Kiosk Mode feature for the iOS app is the latest in a number of features for making it easier for customers to check themselves in when arriving at a business using Waitlist Me.

Our waitlist widget is a popular option for businesses to add to their websites and allow their customers to themselves from home or their phones. And as more and more businesses began using the web widget page for self check in, we realized there were some additional advantages we could provide by making this feature part of the native app.

In addition to faster data syncing of updates in the number of people currently waiting, Kiosk Mode allows the view to be locked more easily and avoid confusion if the URL of the widget page ended up being changed by a customer by mistake. It also allows for a cleaner view in not having to show the URL and browser controls or play around with browser settings to hide these.

With Kiosk Mode, it is as simple as toggling it on in the Waitlist Me advanced settings, and it is ready to go for customers to use. Leaving the view requires a password, so a customer doesn’t get into the wrong place by mistake.

The display and settings can all be modified on the website in the existing add yourself settings, and there is more information on how these work here: http://www.waitlist.me/features/add-yourself

It is easy to customize Waitlist Me to your business needs.  You can streamline the process of adding customers to the waitlist by choosing the level of information you need and by removing unnecessary steps.  Just tap on the gear icon in the app to get to the settings, then go to Customization and Adding Customers. The options include:

Assignments: These are used by businesses that assign resources to customers. For example, a stylist in a salon, a table in a restaurant, or an exam room in a medical center. If you don’t assign resources to customers or you don’t want to see the options when adding customers to the waitlist or reservations, you can hide this option.

Group size: This is helpful when the number of people in a party varies, such as in a restaurant. For a business such as a car detailing facility where group size doesn’t matter, this option can be turned off.

Demographics: In some businesses, it’s important to know if the group includes children, or whether the clients are male or female. The simple demographic tracking lets you choose between adults/children/seniors, while the full demographics also gives options for gender. Choosing the Off option will remove this completely.

Image: Full Demographics, Simple Demographics, and No Demographics

Category colors: Category colors can be used as a simple way to identify and sort different groups in the waitlist. A restaurant might choose to use the color green for groups that request outdoor seating, while a spa may assign colors for different services. This option can be turned off and would no longer show up when adding names to the list.

Notes: The notes field lets you record important information, such as the service the client is requesting. The option can be switched off if the notes field will not be used.

Image: The streamlined look of removing the Group Size, Demographics, Category Colors, and Notes.

History: If it’s important to see some stats on past customer visits, leave the History field turned on.

Wait Time Quotes: For those businesses who do not give an estimated time, the wait time could be switched off. For those who do give a time, there are two options. Normal will be 5 minutes, while Last Time will show the last wait time selected.

Image: Choose to have the spinner default to 5 minutes or to the last wait time quoted.