Updated 2026-08-13 · 2 min read
The waiting list is one of those things almost every clinic has written down somewhere and almost none uses, for a very simple reason: when a slot frees up, nobody has ten minutes to call four people.
How people get on the list
When someone asks for a slot that isn't available, instead of leaving it at «we'll let you know», they're added with the treatment they want, the professional or whether it doesn't matter, and the times that suit them. That last part is what makes the offer useful: offering a Tuesday at eleven to someone who can only do afternoons is wasting the slot.
What happens when a session falls through
As soon as the slot is free, it's offered by WhatsApp to whoever fits, in order. If they say yes, the session is booked without anyone calling. If they don't reply within a while, it moves on to the next person.
What matters is that nobody gets two offers for the same slot: it's offered to one, you wait, and only then move on to the next. Offering the same slot to three people at once is worse than not offering it.
Who goes first
Whoever wrote with a complaint that couldn't wait goes first. That isn't a clinical assessment —the assistant doesn't assess anything— but a flag your team sets or that's taken from the patient having asked for an urgent slot.
What to keep an eye on
A waiting list nobody cleans up fills with people who have already sorted themselves out elsewhere. It's reviewed once a month: whoever hasn't replied to any offer for weeks comes off.
Kept tidy, it's the cheapest way there is to fill a treatment table that would otherwise stay empty.
Questions clinics ask
How long does it wait before moving on to the next person? You set it. At clinics with a tight calendar, between twenty minutes and an hour works well; for a cancellation tomorrow, more margin.
Are offers sent in the middle of the night? No. Offers respect set hours, like every other message.
Can I see who's waiting? Yes, in the dashboard, with what each person asked for and how long they've been waiting.