Smart Waitlists: Fill cancellations automatically.

A last-minute cancellation should not mean an empty chair. Idle offers freed-up slots to clients on standby and books whoever confirms first, so gaps refill themselves while you keep working.

Book a free demo →Start free trial

At a glance

Idle's waitlist fills empty and cancelled slots from clients on standby, so last-minute gaps refill themselves instead of costing you the revenue. You can also switch on approval mode, where clients request a slot and you confirm each one, so you decide exactly who gets in and when.

A salon manager reviewing the day's standby clients on a tablet at reception

Empty chairs that refill themselves.

A standby waitlist that automatically offers cancelled slots to the clients waiting for them, so empty chairs refill without you lifting a finger. Whoever confirms first takes the slot, and the offer closes for everyone else.

Standby clients on file

Clients who wanted a full or earlier slot join the waitlist for that service and time window in one tap.

Auto-offered the moment it opens

Cancel an appointment and the freed-up slot is offered to matching standby clients straight away.

A salon owner approving booking requests on a tablet at a marble reception

Stay in control with approval mode.

Prefer to vet every booking? Switch on approval mode and clients request a slot online, then you approve each one before it is confirmed. Nothing lands on your calendar without your say-so, so you keep full control of your schedule.

Review before it confirms

Every waitlist request waits for your approval, so no slot books until you have said yes.

Approve or pass in a tap

Accept the requests that fit your day and pass on the rest, all from one screen.

A cancelled slot is lost revenue you never get back.

Last-minute cancellations

A client drops out an hour before, the chair sits empty, and the day's revenue walks out the door with them.

Chasing standby by hand

You message waiting clients one by one to fill the gap, and by the time someone replies the slot is gone.

No control over who gets in

First-come scrambles in your DMs mean the wrong client lands the slot, with no order and no oversight.

A client checking out at a calm salon front desk

It works with your booking link and calendar.

The waitlist plugs straight into the booking link and calendar you already use, so refills land automatically and stay in sync with everything else. Clients join from your link, and freed-up slots drop back onto the same live calendar your whole team works from.

Join from your booking link

When a preferred time is full, clients join the waitlist from your existing link, no extra setup.

Refills sync in real time

A confirmed refill drops onto your live calendar instantly, so the whole team sees it the moment it happens.

Everything in your smart waitlist

Automatic refills, approval when you want it, and built into the booking link and calendar you already run.

In your plan

Standby waitlist per service
Automatic slot refill on cancellation
First to confirm wins the slot
Approval and request mode
Clients join from your booking link
Refills sync to your live calendar

Make it yours

This is how Idle works: there is no rigid template. You tell us what you need, and we scope it, build it, and set it up for you, so beyond your plan we can tailor almost anything, including:

Custom waitlist priority rules: VIPs first, by service
Anything else you can describe

The business impact

What changes	The old way	The Idle way
Cancellations	An empty chair and lost revenue for the day	Auto-offered to clients on standby
Filling gaps	Chasing waiting clients one by one by hand	Filled automatically, first to confirm wins
Control	First-come chaos with no oversight	Approve each request before it confirms
Revenue	Freed-up slots quietly lost	Refilled from your standby waitlist

Smart waitlist FAQ

How does the waitlist refill a cancelled slot?

The moment an appointment is cancelled or a gap opens, Idle offers the freed-up slot to the clients waiting on standby for that service and time. Whoever confirms first takes the slot and the offer closes for everyone else, so the gap fills itself without you chasing anyone.

Can I approve each waitlist request before it books?

Yes. Switch on approval mode and clients request a slot from your booking link, then nothing lands on your calendar until you approve it. You review each request and accept or pass on it in a tap, so you keep full control of who gets in and when.

Does the waitlist use my booking link?

Yes. Clients join the waitlist straight from your existing Idle booking link when their preferred time is full, and refills drop back onto the same live calendar your whole team works from, so everything stays in sync.

Who gets offered a freed-up slot first?

By default the slot goes to matching standby clients and the first to confirm wins. If you want a specific order, we can set custom priority rules for you, such as offering VIPs first or prioritising by service, so the right client is reached first.