How to manage walk in waitlists

Your web portal can publish a public waitlist page that lists the day's scheduled events, the clients who have already checked in, and a QR code for checking in from a phone. You turn the page on from the portal's **Check-In Settings**, then follow arrivals from **Events** > **Waitlists**.

### Overview

- **What it is:** A public page at your portal address followed by /waitlists that shows today's scheduled events beside today's check-ins.
- **Why it matters:** Walk-in clients check themselves in from their own phone, and a lobby screen shows who is waiting without a paper sign-in sheet.
- **Who uses it:** Administrators who edit portals turn the page on. Front desk staff follow arrivals on the staff **Waitlists** screen.
- **Expected outcome:** A page you can display in a lobby or share as a link, reloading itself every 30 seconds.

Clients can do two things on the page: check in against an event that is listed, or check in without one. The page does not number the queue, let anyone reorder it, or message clients as the queue moves.

### Prerequisites

- A web portal saved under **Admin** > **Portals** with a link and domain
- Access to **Admin** > **Portals**, because the waitlist is a portal setting
- Locations saved under **Admin** > **Locations** with **Enable on Portals** checked, if you want clients to filter the page by building
- Permission to view events, which the staff **Waitlists** screen uses to read events and check-ins
- Events scheduled for the current date, because the public page lists today's events only

### How-To Steps

#### Turn on the waitlist page

1. Go to **Admin** > **Portals**.
2. Click the **Edit** icon on the portal you want to change.
3. Click the **Checkin** tab in the portal preview.
4. Check **Enable Waitlist** under **Check-In Settings**.
5. Click **Save** at the top of the screen.

#### Set the location used for walk-ins

1. Select a location in **Check-In Location** under **Check-In Settings**. The portal saves your choice as soon as you select it.
2. Click **Edit Location** below the field if you need to correct that location's address.

#### Hide the estimated wait time

1. Check **Hide Wait Time**, which appears below **Enable Waitlist** once the waitlist is on.
2. Click **Save**.

#### Open and share the page

1. Click **View Waitlists** under **Check-In Settings** to open the public page in a new tab.
2. Copy the address from your browser to display it on a lobby screen or send it to your team.

#### Add the page to your portal navigation

1. Enter a title in **New Nav Title** in the **Sidebar Info** card of the portal editor.
2. Enter the full waitlist address in **New Nav Link**. The **Add Navigation** button appears once both fields hold a full web address.
3. Click **Add Navigation**.
4. Click **Make Public** on the new entry so visitors who are not signed in see it.

#### Follow arrivals from the staff screen

1. Click **Events** in the main navigation.
2. Click the **Waitlists** tab.
3. Click **Choose Location** and select your building to scope both lists.

### What to Expect

The public page is headed **Waitlist** and opens with three cards: **Scheduled Events**, **Current Check-ins**, and **Avg. Wait Time**. **Avg. Wait Time** displays a fixed 15 min figure and is not calculated from your check-in records.

Below the cards, a **Quick Check-in** panel shows a QR code labeled "Scan to Check In" alongside a **Check In Now** button. Both lead to the same portal check-in form. When your portal has more than one location enabled, a **Choose Location** dropdown appears, and picking a location filters both lists and leaves a **Change Location** button in its place.

The **Scheduled Events** list holds up to 20 of today's events, earliest time first, and each row carries a **Check In** button. The **Current Check-ins** list covers check-ins created since midnight, showing the name entered at check-in, the service if one was selected, and how long that person has been waiting. Both lists reload every 30 seconds.

Checking in against an event marks that event as checked in, so it leaves **Scheduled Events** and the person appears under **Current Check-ins**. The same check-in lands on the staff **Waitlists** screen under **Events** > **Waitlists** without a refresh.

### Best Practices

- Display the page on a lobby screen, because it reloads both lists every 30 seconds without anyone touching it.
- Select **Check-In Location** on the portal so a walk-in who arrives without a scheduled event is still recorded against the right building.
- Check **Enable on Portals** on every location you want clients to pick, since the page only offers locations that carry that setting.
- Review your **Check-in Fields**, because the name submitted at check-in is displayed publicly under **Current Check-ins**.
- Work from **Events** > **Waitlists** rather than the public page, since only the staff screen links out to the client, event, and check-in records.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Where do clients find the waitlist page?**

A: At your portal address followed by /waitlists, for example yourportal.ecase.io/waitlists. Click **View Waitlists** under **Check-In Settings** to open it yourself.

**Q: Does the page tell clients their place in line or message them when it is their turn?**

A: No. It lists who is checked in and how long each person has waited. It assigns no queue number and sends no message as the queue moves.

**Q: What does Hide Wait Time hide?**

A: The estimated wait time on the portal check-in page. That estimate is a fixed figure for physical locations rather than a live calculation, and hiding it does not change the **Avg. Wait Time** card on the waitlist page.

**Q: Why did an event disappear from Scheduled Events?**

A: Checking in against an event marks the event as checked in, which drops it from the list. That person now appears under **Current Check-ins**.

**Q: Can staff check a walk-in in from inside eCourtDate?**

A: Not as a queue entry. On **Events** > **Waitlists**, click **Check In** on an event row to open the portal check-in form prefilled with that client's name and location, or open the portal check-in page and enter the details for someone with no scheduled event.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The waitlist address redirects to the portal home page.

**Symptoms:** Opening the link ending in /waitlists lands on the portal welcome page.

**Solution:** **Enable Waitlist** is off for that portal. Go to **Admin** > **Portals**, open the portal, click the **Checkin** tab, check **Enable Waitlist**, and click **Save**.

**Issue:** **Hide Wait Time** and **View Waitlists** are missing from the portal editor.

**Symptoms:** The **Check-In Settings** panel shows **Enable Waitlist** with nothing below it.

**Solution:** Both controls render only while **Enable Waitlist** is checked. Check it and they appear straight away.

**Issue:** The **Scheduled Events** list is empty during business hours.

**Symptoms:** The page shows check-ins but no events.

**Solution:** The list covers the current date only, holds at most 20 events, and drops any event already marked as checked in. Confirm the events are scheduled for today, and that they carry the location selected on the page.

> **Important:** If the page still does not behave as described, open the help menu from the **?** button in the bottom right corner of eCourtDate and select **New support ticket**.

### Related Articles

- [How to manage waitlists](/how-to-manage-waitlists)
- [How to Manage Portal Check-ins](/how-to-manage-portal-check-ins)
- [How to Create Web Portals](/how-to-create-web-portals)
- [How to Create Locations](/how-to-create-locations)