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Waitwhile for Capacity Management
Waitwhile for Capacity Management

Getting started with tracking occupancy and limiting entrance to your business with Waitwhile

Chris Klemming avatar
Written by Chris Klemming
Updated over a week ago

Waitwhile’s capacity management is useful for many industries where the following is needed for their customer flow:

  • The ability to keep a tally of customers entering and leaving your store.

  • Limit entrance and allow customers to join the line virtually when your store reaches its max capacity.

Does this sound like your business? Read on - Here is how it works!

Turn On Capacity Management for your Location

Go to Settings / Waitlist : Serving. You'll see the toggle to 'EnableCapacity Management'.

Here you can also set what the capacity limit is under the Max serving section. This is the max number of people are in your business that you don't want to exceed.

Once you've enabled Location Capacity management, you will have access to a new section in the side navigation called Capacity Management.

Using Capacity Management in your Guest Flow

At the top of the Capacity Management section, you'll see your current occupancy which represents the number of people currently inside your space. Whenever someone enters your space, you click the "+" button to increment your occupancy. Whenever someone leaves, you click the "-" button to decrement it. Easy as that!

Remember: The Capacity Management counter DOES go towards your total 'check-in' numbers for your monthly subscription.

Your waitlist is automatically turned off when you are under capacity since customers can simply walk on in without having to wait in line. When they visit your online check-in page it will prompt them to walk up to your entrance directly without getting in line first.

Our Location is Full - Now What?

Once enough people have entered your space and hit your capacity limit, your waitlist is automatically turned on. Customers will now need to join your waitlist in order to enter your space.

From here on, you will simply serve them from the Waitlist page once they enter and this will adjust your occupancy number. As before, when someone leaves you decrement it with the "-" button.

Tips & Tricks

  • Don't forget to turn on your "Next-in-line" alert. This will send customers on the waitlist an automated SMS message when it's almost their turn to prompt them to make it towards the entrance. This helps automate the flow of customers and avoids any delays between a customer leaving and you letting the next person enter.

  • If you don't want your Waitlist to be automatically disabled when you are under your capacity limit, you can turn this on under Waitlist Settings > Advanced > Capacity Management.

  • You can automate the counting of customers that enter or leave your space through our integration with RetailNext. Please contact our support team on support@waitwhile.com if you would like to learn more about this.

  • Customize your Online Check-in page with what message you want to display when you are over or under your capacity under Localization Settings > Welcome page.

  • Just a reminder: all of these customers (whether they are added via the 'green plus sign' or via the Waitlist Check-In count towards your monthly subscription totals.


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