Skip to main content

How to Manage Waitlists

Events and CalendarsUpdated 7 min read

The Waitlists screen gives your front desk one place to watch the day's scheduled events and the check-ins arriving against them.

Overview​

  • What it is: A read-only day-of view under Events that pairs an Events list with a Check-ins list, three counters at the top, and filters for date, status, location, and search text.
  • Why it matters: Staff working a lobby need to know which events are still expected and which clients have already checked in, without opening each record.
  • Who uses it: Front-desk and clerk staff who monitor arrivals, plus administrators who preset the screen for their teams.
  • Expected outcomes: A live picture of arrivals at one location, with one click from any row to the event, the client, the check-in, or the portal check-in form.

The screen does not create waitlist records, reorder a queue, or send notifications. Clients join the public waitlist through your web portal, and check-ins are created there.

Prerequisites​

  • A signed-in eCourtDate account with the Waitlists tab visible in your navigation
  • At least one location saved in your agency, so the location picker has something to choose
  • A web portal on the ecase.io domain if you want the Open Portal, Portal, and Check In buttons, which only appear when one exists
  • Events scheduled for the date you are viewing

How-To Steps​

Open the screen​

  1. Click Events in the main navigation.
  2. Click the Waitlists tab.

Scope the screen to a location​

  1. Click Choose Location.
  2. Select a location name from the dropdown. Both lists reload for that location.
  3. Click the Close button that names your location (for example, Close Main Courthouse) to drop the location filter.

Filter the events list​

  1. Set Event Date to the day you want to review. The screen uses the current date until you change it.
  2. Select a value in Status to narrow the list to one event status, or leave it on All.
  3. Enter text in Search to match events.
  4. Click Search to apply your filters.

Sort each list​

  1. Click the sort dropdown in the Events card header. It is labeled with the current sort field, such as Event Date.
  2. Select a field under Sort by.
  3. Select an option under Order. The wording follows the field you picked, such as Ascending (oldest first) for a date or Descending (Z to A) for text.
  4. Repeat both steps in the Check-ins card header, which carries its own sort dropdown.

Act on a row​

  1. Click Event on an event row to open that event record in a new tab.
  2. Click Portal to open the event's public portal page in a new tab.
  3. Click Check In to open the portal check-in form in a new tab, prefilled with the client name and location from the event.
  4. Click View Client on an event row to open the linked client record in a new tab.
  5. Click View Check-in on a check-in row to open that check-in record in a new tab.
  6. Click Load more below the Events list to pull the next page of events.
  7. Click Open Portal at the top of the screen to open your portal's public waitlist page.

Preset the screen for your agency​

  1. Go to Admin > Settings.
  2. Select Check-ins and Waitlists in the settings navigation.
  3. Set Default Waitlist Location, Default Waitlist Event Status, Default Waitlist Event Sort, Default Waitlist Event Sort Direction, Default Waitlist Check-in Sort, and Default Waitlist Check-in Sort Direction under Waitlist Screen Defaults.
  4. Click Save.

What to Expect​

The three cards at the top read EVENTS, CHECK-INS, and AVG. WAIT TIME. EVENTS counts the events matching your current filters. CHECK-INS counts the check-ins created during the current day. AVG. WAIT TIME displays a fixed 15 min figure and does not recalculate from your check-in records.

The Event Date, Status, and Search filters apply to the Events list only. Your chosen location applies to both lists. The Check-ins list always covers the current day and holds up to 100 records.

New check-ins arrive on the screen without a refresh. When a check-in comes in for an event you are watching, the check-in appears in the Check-ins list and that event drops out of the Events list. Each check-in row shows how long ago it was created, the name submitted, and a status badge such as Waiting, Ready, In Progress, or Checked Out.

Your filters are written into the page address, so the browser URL reproduces the exact view you are looking at. A URL with its own filters overrides the agency defaults from Settings.

Best Practices​

  • Set Waitlist Screen Defaults in Admin > Settings > Check-ins and Waitlists so your team opens the screen already scoped to the right location and status.
  • Choose a location before you start if your agency runs more than one, so the counters and both lists describe the same building.
  • Copy the browser URL once your filters are set and share it with the rest of the front desk instead of asking everyone to reset filters.
  • Use Check In rather than typing a client into the portal form, since it carries the name and location over from the event.
  • Leave the screen open at the desk during arrival hours, because check-ins post to it live.

Frequently Asked Questions​

Does the Event Date filter change the Check-ins list?

No. Event Date filters the Events list and the EVENTS count. The Check-ins list and the CHECK-INS count always cover the current day.

Why are the Portal and Check In buttons missing from an event row?

Those two buttons render only when your agency has a web portal on the ecase.io domain and the event has its own portal URL. Without both, that row's button group shows Event on its own.

Where do I turn on the public waitlist clients see?

On the portal, not on this screen. Go to Admin > Portals, open the portal, select the Checkin tab, and check Enable Waitlist. Hide Wait Time and a View Waitlists link appear once it is on.

How many records do the two lists show?

The Check-ins list returns up to 100 records for the current day. The Events list loads a page at a time, so click Load more to keep going.

Can I hide events that finished hours ago from the portal waitlist?

Yes. Set Waitlist Cutoff in Admin > Settings > Check-ins and Waitlists. It takes a number of hours and hides events scheduled further in the past than that. Leave it blank to show the full day.

Troubleshooting​

The events list is empty.

Symptoms: The Events card reads "No events found" even though events exist.

Solution: The screen filters to the current date until you change Event Date. Set a different date, set Status back to All, clear Search, and click Search. If a location button reading Close plus a location name is showing, click it to include every location.

An event vanishes from the list while you are watching it.

Symptoms: A row you expected disappears without anyone refreshing the page.

Solution: That is the intended behavior. A check-in arriving for that event moves it out of the Events list and into the Check-ins list. Look for the client there, or click the refresh icon in the Events card header.

The Check In button will not respond.

Symptoms: The button is greyed out on an event row.

Solution: Check In stays disabled while the lists are loading. Wait for the events and check-ins to finish loading, then click again. If the button is missing rather than greyed out, that event has no portal URL saved, so open the event record and add one.