What makes a waitlist text work?
A waitlist text has one job: get the customer back to you at the right moment without a phone call. The best ones are short enough to arrive as a single message, name the business so the customer knows who is texting, say exactly what to do next, and give the customer a way to answer. Everything below follows those four rules, and every template fits in one SMS segment of 160 characters so it arrives whole and in order.
The templates use the variables MakeTheQueue fills in automatically. The two core variables use single braces: {firstName} and {queueName}. Some events also support double-brace variables: {{businessName}}, {{vwrLink}} (the link to the customer's live status page), {{gracePeriod}} (minutes the customer has to respond to a ready message), and {{bookingDateTime}} for appointments. Only those exist; anything else stays as literal text. The template guide lists which variables each event accepts.
When does each message send?
| Event | When it sends | Templates |
|---|---|---|
| Initial message | Right after the customer joins | 1, 2 |
| Getting close | When their position passes a threshold you set | 3, 4 |
| Ready | When staff calls them | 5, 6, 7 |
| Queue transfer | When staff moves them to a different queue | 8 |
| Follow-up | A set number of hours after they are served | 9, 10 |
| Scheduled | When a customer books an appointment | 11 |
| Reminder | A set number of hours before the appointment | 12 |
Initial message: confirm they are on the list
1. Restaurant
Hi {firstName}, you are on the list at {{businessName}}. Watch your place in line here: {{vwrLink}} We will text when your table is ready.
2. Barbershop or salon
{firstName}, you are checked in for {queueName} at {{businessName}}. Feel free to step out. Live wait: {{vwrLink}}
The link matters more than the wording. A customer who can see their own position stops asking staff for it.
Getting close: bring them back before you need them
Set the threshold to fire two or three places out, so the customer has time to walk back from wherever they went.
3. Two places out
{firstName}, you are almost up at {{businessName}}. Please head back now so we can seat you as soon as your table opens.
4. Service business
Heads up {firstName}: you are next but one for {queueName}. Make your way back to {{businessName}} in the next few minutes.
Ready: the message that decides your no-show rate
Say what to do, where to go, and how long they have. A grace period the customer knows about is a grace period they meet.
5. Restaurant, table ready
{firstName}, your table at {{businessName}} is ready. Please come to the host stand in the next {{gracePeriod}} minutes. Reply 1 to confirm or 9 to cancel.
6. Barbershop, chair ready
{firstName}, your chair is open at {{businessName}}. Come on in. Need a few more minutes? Reply MORE and we will hold your spot.
7. Counter or clinic
{firstName}, it is your turn for {queueName} at {{businessName}}. Please come to the front desk within {{gracePeriod}} minutes.
The reply commands (1 to confirm, 9 to cancel, MORE for more time) only work if you switch them on under reply options, and the more-time command repositions the customer by the number of places you choose. Turn them on. Every cancel you receive is a table or chair you fill sooner, and it is the whole reason to replace coaster pagers with texts: a pager cannot tell you the guest went home.
Queue transfer: explain the move
8.
{firstName}, we have moved you to {queueName} at {{businessName}} so you are seen sooner. Your new place in line: {{vwrLink}}
Follow-up: the message most businesses forget
The follow-up sends a few hours after the visit. Keep it to one ask.
9. Review request
Thanks for visiting {{businessName}} today, {firstName}. If we earned it, a quick review helps a small business more than you know.
10. Rebook nudge
Thanks for coming in, {firstName}. When you are ready for your next visit, you can join the line or book ahead from the same link you used today.
Appointments: confirmation and reminder
11. Scheduled (sends when the booking is made)
{firstName}, you are booked at {{businessName}} for {{bookingDateTime}}. Reply 9 if you need to cancel. See you then.
12. Reminder (sends a set number of hours before)
Reminder from {{businessName}}: your appointment is {{bookingDateTime}}. Reply 1 to confirm or 9 to cancel.
Rules that keep texts short and clear
- Stay under 160 characters. Longer messages split into parts that can arrive out of order. Move the long version to email.
- Always name the business. Customers get texts from numbers they do not recognize all day.
{{businessName}}earns the open. - One instruction per message. Come back, confirm, or cancel. Not all three.
- Write the way your staff talk. A barbershop can say 'come on in.' A clinic probably cannot.
- Check the variables after saving. A single-brace variable written with double braces shows up as literal text in the customer's message.
Setting these up
Templates live in one place in the dashboard, one card per event, and apply to every queue. Turn on the SMS channel for the queue first (the SMS setup guide walks through it), paste the wording you want, set the getting-close threshold and the grace period, and switch on the reply commands you want to honor under two-way messaging. Texts are included on the paid plans; the free plan sends the same events by email, with the same templates.