Booking
Automated Grooming Waitlist
Fill cancellations by matching openings to clients waiting for an appointment. Each waitlist entry keeps the dog’s service and booking preferences, and Minouflow can text a matching client with a link to confirm.
The dogs coming in
Bella, Goldendoodle, 65 lbs
Tank, Beagle, 24 lbs
Automated waitlist
Automated waitlist
Check the waitlist when a cancellation or reschedule makes time available. With automatic waitlist messages enabled, Minouflow selects a qualifying entry and sends the client an offer.
Matching considers the requested appointment length, the client’s availability and their groomer and location preferences. You choose how long the system waits before offering an opening.
Client availability
Save the days and time ranges a client can attend, with different availability for different weekdays. An entry can also be limited to specific dates.
The full appointment must fit within the saved time range. A client available on Mondays from 9am to noon can be offered a 90-minute appointment at 10:30am, but not at 11:30am.
Groomer and location preferences
Keep the groomer and location the client asked for on their waitlist entry. Leave either open when they are happy with any available groomer or location.
A request for a particular groomer is matched to that groomer. The dog’s allowed-groomer list also applies, and an entry assigned to one location is matched to openings at that location.
Services and appointment lengths
Start your 30-day free trialSave the requested service and selected options with the waitlist entry. Minouflow uses the dog’s breed, weight and saved service length when calculating how much time the appointment needs.
Automatic offers also account for the assigned groomer’s time adjustments and the selected options’ additional time. The service and options carry into the held appointment.
Capacity checks
Check that an opening has room for the appointment before sending an automatic offer. Minouflow checks configured resource limits, including the resources required by the service and selected options.
For block scheduling, it checks the groomer’s remaining capacity in that block. An appointment that uses more than one spot needs enough capacity for all of those spots.
Preferred entries
Mark an entry as Preferred when you want it considered before other matching entries. Within the same priority level, automatic offers consider older entries first.
Priority applies among entries that qualify for the opening. The client’s requested days, groomer and location still matter.
Offer timing
Choose whether an automatic offer goes out without a delay or waits 5, 10 or 15 minutes after an opening is created. This gives your team time to correct an accidental cancellation before a client receives an offer.
After the delay, Minouflow checks the current calendar again. An appointment that has already been rebooked is no longer available to offer.
Appointment holds
Send a qualifying client a link to confirm the offered appointment from their phone. When a claim link is created, the appointment is held on the calendar while the client completes the confirmation.
Set a separate hold length for waitlist offers or use the same length as your other booking links. A waitlist hold expires no later than the appointment’s start time.
Waitlist management
Review matching openings from the calendar and edit an entry when a client’s plans change. Update their availability or change the requested service, options, groomer or location.
Staff can book an opening directly or text a booking link for the client to confirm. When sending a link manually, you can customize the hold and choose whether it requires a card or deposit.
End dates
Set the last date a client wants an appointment. Once that date passes, the entry stops receiving offers and is removed from the active waitlist.
Leave the end date empty when the client wants to remain on the list until they book. Confirming a waitlist offer removes the corresponding entry automatically.
Joining through online booking
Let clients join the waitlist when they cannot find a suitable appointment on your booking page. Their selected service, options and groomer are saved with the request, along with the location they chose.
Clients can request the first available appointment or select particular dates. They can receive a message confirming that their dog has been added to the list.
Minnow AI by text
Let Minnow add clients and dogs already on file to the waitlist during a text conversation. It can save the requested service, preferred groomer and availability.
Choose whether the assistant offers the waitlist when no suitable appointment is available or adds clients only when they ask. The entry is available to your team alongside the rest of the waitlist.
Frequently asked questions
Can I manage the waitlist without automatic texts?
Yes. Turn automatic waitlist messages off and continue reviewing matches yourself. Your team can book an appointment directly or send a booking link to a selected client.
What happens if a client does not confirm?
The unconfirmed hold expires and the appointment time is released. The waitlist entry remains because the client has not taken an appointment. Your team can offer the released opening to another client.
Will the same client receive an offer after every calendar change?
Automatic offers have a 24-hour cooldown for each waitlist entry. Staff can still choose to send an offer manually when appropriate.
Can the waitlist fill a last-minute opening?
It can match openings later the same day. When an opening starts in less than 30 minutes, the automatic message asks the client to contact the salon instead of creating a confirmation link.
How far ahead does the waitlist look?
You can set the waitlist’s search window from 7 to 90 days. Each entry’s selected dates and end date further limit which appointments can be offered.
More of Minouflow
- AI Receptionist for Dog Groomers
- Smart Grooming Scheduling
- Online Booking for Dog Groomers
- Recurring Grooming Appointments
- Grooming Payments & Point of Sale
- Client & Pet Management for Groomers
- Automated Reminders & Client Messaging
- Grooming Staff Management
- Grooming Software for Multiple Locations
- Every feature on one page
See it before you pay for it.
Start your 30-day free trial and click around a sample salon. Setup, data migration and support are included on both plans when you subscribe.