Glossary of walk-in waitlist terms

Short, plain definitions of walk-in, waitlist, virtual queue, ticket, lane, no-show, seat, 10DLC, STOP and HELP, and the QR poster.

The words people use when they run a walk-in line, join one or text customers about it. Each term says what it means in general and how it works in Walk-In Waitlist.

Walk-in

A customer who comes to the business without an appointment and waits to be served. Barbershops, hair and nail salons, spas, lash and brow studios and tattoo shops often take walk-ins next to their appointments.

Waitlist

The list of walk-in customers waiting to be served, in order. In Walk-In Waitlist, the waitlist is the queue your team sees on every device, and each customer sees their own place in it on their phone.

Virtual queue

A waitlist customers join from their phone instead of standing in line. They see how many people are ahead and a time range, wait wherever they like, and come back when it's almost their turn. Also called a virtual line or a digital waitlist.

Ticket

A customer's number for the visit, like the paper ticket at a deli counter. In Walk-In Waitlist every visit gets a ticket number that starts again each day, so your team can tell apart two customers with the same first name.

Lane

One team member's part of the line. Customers who ask for someone wait in that person's lane and are never called by someone else. Customers who pick Anyone wait in the Anyone lane and go to whoever is free first. A shop can also run one shared line instead.

No-show

A customer who doesn't come back after being called. In Walk-In Waitlist, Notify starts a short countdown; when it ends, your team chooses No-show or waits a little longer. Nothing is removed on its own, and a customer marked as a no-show gets a text with a link to join the line again.

Seat

A person on your team who uses Walk-In Waitlist, you included. The price is per seat each month, and the included texts grow with the number of paid seats. See pricing for the current numbers.

10DLC

Short for 10-digit long code: an ordinary 10-digit phone number used by a business to send texts in the United States, Puerto Rico included. Carriers require each business to register its brand and what it texts about before they deliver those texts, which can take 1 to 3 weeks. Until a shop's number is approved, its customers follow their place in line on the live page.

STOP and HELP

Keywords any customer can reply to a business text. STOP opts them out, and no more texts are sent to that number. HELP sends back who is texting and how to get support. Carriers require both to work on every business number.

QR poster

A printed sign with the shop's QR code. Customers scan it with their phone camera to open the join page. The code never changes, so you print it once; a short web address under it helps people who can't scan.