You’ve got a problem most business owners would kill to experience: Too much interest from customers and not enough staff or supplies to serve everyone! Sure, it’s great that there’s so much activity. But if you are turning away customers, that’s bad for your bottom line. It could delay your plans to increase in size or scope.
Under such circumstances, it’s worth considering if your company could benefit from a waitlist. Read on to get a better idea about what kind of business could benefit from a waitlist.
What Businesses Benefit from a Waitlist?
A major waitlist benefit is that you can respond to the growing interest in your company and its brand without having to refuse service due to limited supplies. And if your staff is small, you can still do business at your own pace, thanks to customers being happy about the opportunity to sign up for the waitlist.
Whether you are a startup company or an established organization that’s been in business for many years, the last thing you would want is to turn away customers.
Usually, a business that is new on the scene may have a limited number of employees. For example, you just launched a small company that does fencing work for residential locations. There are only so many fences you can put up in a single day with your current crew.
While you can expand service by taking on temporary workers, it can be tough to predict just how much extra help you’ll be needing in a week or next month.
Imagine how much it would annoy customers if your receptionist asked them to call back in a week when you’re less busy. Maybe your company is limited by how many folks it can serve at once. Restaurants sometimes have to turn people away.
If there are only 24 tables and you have 35 groups of people wanting to sit down for a meal, 9 of them will go without eating if you don’t clear out the current batch of diners before closing time. Offering a waitlist means you can please more hungry people.
In the meantime, keep in mind how valuable it will be to offer a cancellation waitlist. Could your business benefit from a waitlist like this?
Doctors’ offices use cancellation waitlists all the time. You know the drill. A patient wants to come in sometime this week. But all of the appointments are filled. The staff can offer to put that patient on a special list. When someone cancels an appointment, the office contacts the next patient on the list. It’s a great way to use resources more wisely.
A new company or an established company that is about to launch a new product line or an innovative slate of services can profit by establishing a waitlist.
The list gives you a chance to communicate with the waiting customers. This helps you get a better idea of what they are looking for and what motivates them to shop. With this valuable information, it’s easier to set yourself apart from the competition. It also is a great way to fine-tune your offerings to attract more customers with what they truly want.
Types of Businesses That Benefit from a Waitlist
In a nutshell, any business with problems meeting customers’ demand for goods or services is a good candidate for an online waitlist. Here are examples of companies that did well after setting up waitlists:
* Consignment Stores: Kelly Hensley owns the Leftovers consignment store in San Francisco. “She works with over 5,000 consignors and currently has a waitlist for consignment, which she attributes in part to her prime location at the epicenter of Russian Hill, Nob Hill, and other upscale San Francisco neighborhoods,” according to a report from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
* Hairdressers: Not wanting to refuse service to anyone in need of help with their tresses, a hairdresser can use a waitlist to avoid disappointing customers. Metro explains that “Some will rush to book an appointment purely for the purpose of tidying a messy mop – professional hairdresser Michael Van Clarke already has a waitlist of over 3,500 clients.”
* Learning Facility: You have students waiting to be admitted to your classes, but all seats are filled. What a relief for your instructors! But you don’t want to deny anyone the opportunity to learn. So, you set up a waitlist. Invite people to sign up for so they can enter a class if someone decides to drop out at the last minute.
* Restaurants: Growing more popular shouldn’t put a damper on your business aspirations. “Hollywood’s hidden tasting-menu restaurant Phenakite is one of the toughest reservations anywhere, with more than 20,000 people on the waitlist,” as noted by Variety.
This list is just meant to provide examples of major types of businesses that will do well with a waitlist. It is by no means complete.
If you are wondering about whether a waitlist is right for you, there are plenty of examples of lists at Waitlistr that you can check out today.
A Waitlist Could Be Crucial for Your Success
These days, no company can afford to turn away customers. You run the risk of giving up market share to local competitors and eroding your brand in the process.
If your company is seeing more foot traffic or online visits and the phone has been flying the hook with inquiries for service timeframes or requests to make appointments, the chances are good that you meet the criteria for benefiting from a waitlist. Businesses that find themselves in such a position should know that Waitlistr provides an easy and efficient way to quickly set up a waitlist online to help organize customers and better meet demand.