Start with
One location, one booking system and a small set of service-matching rules.
SALONS & BARBERS
A cancellation. The right customers to offer it to.
Match a cancelled appointment to customers waiting for that service, stylist and time. Give your team a shortlist and a message they can use while there’s still time to fill the chair.
See how it worksIllustrative workflow with sample data. We’d confirm the tools and setup for your business.
PAIN POINTS
Tomorrow’s 11am appointment has been cancelled.
Someone asked for a morning appointment last week. Another customer wanted that particular stylist. You know there might be a fit, but finding the right message takes time you don’t have between appointments.
- Checking who wanted which service, stylist and time.
- Contacting people who can’t make the available slot.
- Keeping an old offer alive after the diary has changed again.
THE SOLUTION
How the automation works
Your team records a customer’s service, preferred stylist and available times when they join the waiting list. When a booking is cancelled, the automation matches the opening against those requests and prepares the offer.
- 01 / TRIGGER
A slot opens up
A cancellation frees an appointment in your diary.
- 02 / AUTOMATION
Match the waiting list
Find requests that fit the service, duration, stylist and available time.
- 03 / AUTOMATION
Prepare the offer
Send the team a shortlist with the matching details and suggested wording.
- 04 / YOUR DECISION
You confirm the booking
Contact one customer at a time and recheck the diary before confirming.
WHEN SOMETHING NEEDS ATTENTIONNo suitable match, or the slot has already gone?
Flag an unmatched gap for the team. Close an outdated suggestion when the diary changes.
WHAT YOU GET
A customer to contact. An offer ready to use.
The receptionist can see why each customer fits the opening, without searching old messages or checking every waiting-list entry.
Example output
- Available slot
- Tomorrow · 11:00–12:00 with Jo
- Service
- Cut and finish · 60 minutes
- Matching customers
- Sam and Lee · both requested Jo and weekday mornings
- Offer for Sam
- Hi Sam, an 11am cut-and-finish appointment with Jo has opened up tomorrow. Would you like it?
- Booking status
- Slot open · team to contact Sam
Sam’s requested stylist, service length and available time all fit. The same details are shown for Lee if Sam cannot take the appointment.
INTEGRATIONS & HOSTING
The tools working together
| Tool | Its part in the workflow |
|---|---|
| Square Appointments | Provides booking updates and cancellations. Access to your team’s bookings depends on the subscription and permissions; I check both before the build. |
| Microsoft Lists | Stores the waiting-list request, service, preferred stylist and availability. |
| Outlook | Sends the team the shortlist and suggested wording. The customer offer stays with your team. |
Start with your booking software
I first check whether its built-in waiting list can handle your matching rules. A separate connection is useful when requests live elsewhere or need to be matched differently.
Where it runs
This example uses a small service in Microsoft’s cloud. Bookings stay in Square and waiting-list requests stay in Microsoft 365. Hosting is included in the cost breakdown.
Technical references
A FIRST PROJECT
Test it on real work.
Measure the difference
Track time from cancellation to first offer, the proportion of eligible gaps refilled and time spent searching for a match.
Test the awkward cases
Try a service that is too long, a different stylist and a slot filled elsewhere. Check that only customers who joined the list are considered and repeated updates produce no duplicate suggestions.
Spending too long trying to fill the gaps?
We’ll agree one suitable automation, its monthly price, support and any separate software or usage costs before building. The build is free, with 30 days to try it from go-live. Continue at the agreed price, or cancel before the trial ends.