Waitlist: a step-by-step guide

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If your schedule has already reached capacity, the waitlist feature allows families to express their interest in your activity, helping you gauge demand. You can use this information to decide whether to create a new schedule, increase the capacity, or manually register customers from the waitlist.

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Note, that our Waitlist feature is currently in beta while we work on an improved version. We know it’s not perfect yet, so your feedback is invaluable. Feel free to share your thoughts with us!

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In this article, we’ll walk you through enabling the waitlist for your activity and managing it effectively.

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How to enable the waitlist for an activity

1. Create a form for your waitlist. Use tools like Google Forms, Typeform, or any service you’re comfortable with. Include fields such as:
   • Participant name.
   • Contact information.
   • Schedule preference (if applicable): If your activity has multiple schedules, add a question asking families to select their preferred schedule. This saves time and reduces the need for multiple forms.
   • Any additional details you need to manage the waitlist. You can select different question types like paragraph answers or checkboxes based on the information you need.
   • Tip: Once you’ve added all necessary questions, review the form to ensure everything is correct.
2. Submit the form details to Village. Send an email to us with:
   • The URL to your waitlist form.
   • The activity name (e.g., "Waitlist for Soccer Camp").
   • The specific schedule, if your activity has multiple schedules.
3. Village enables the waitlist. Once we receive your email, our team will activate the waitlist for the specified schedule. Families can then join the waitlist after the program reaches its maximum capacity.

🎥 Let’s take a look at how this will work for both you and your customers on this demo.

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Managing your waitlist

As families join the waitlist through your form, their responses will be collected directly on the platform you chose (e.g., Google Forms or Typeform). Here’s how you can handle your waitlist:

• Create a new schedule. If demand is high, consider opening an additional schedule or creating a new activity. Notify families on the waitlist about the new schedule. You can also make the new activity private and share the link exclusively with waitlisted families.
• Increase schedule capacity. Expand the capacity of the existing schedule if possible, then notify waitlisted families about the updated availability.
• Manually register customers. If you’d like, you can manually register families as spots open up. Add a question to your form asking for their permission to be registered manually. Once confirmed, create an order on their behalf.

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New to forms?

Check out this Google Forms guide to get started. These are the basic steps to take:

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Create a Google Form

1. Go to forms.google.com.
2. Click the "+" button to create a new blank form.
3. Assign a title to your form (e.g., "Waitlist for Soccer Camp").
4. Click the "+" button to add a new question - there are many question types to take advantage of!

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Find the URL to share the form

5. When the form is ready, in the top right, click “Send” and at the top of the window, click “Link”. To copy the link that appears, click “Copy” or press Ctrl + c (Windows) or ⌘ + c (Mac) on your keyboard.

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Get email notifications as you receive a response

Turn response notifications on or off

1. Open your form
2. At the top of the form, click "Responses".
3. Click "More (⋮) ".
4. Click "Get email notifications for new responses".

Tip: To get more notifications options and send customized follow up emails to respondents, download the Form notifications add-on.

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By following these steps, you'll have a waitlist ready for your activity, making it easier to manage demand.