Cademy’s waitlist feature allows customers to join a waitlist when a course date has no spaces left or when no upcoming course dates are available. Course providers can manage waitlist entries manually and can choose whether Cademy automatically emails waitlisted customers when spaces become available.
Introduction to waitlists
Customers can join a waitlist for:
A specific course date that has no spaces left.
A course without choosing a particular date when no upcoming dates are available.
Course providers can view and manage both types of waitlist entries from the course dashboard.
Automatic waitlist emails are optional. They are disabled by default and must be enabled separately for each course.
How to enable waitlists
Before customers can join a waitlist, the waitlist must be enabled for the course.
Follow these steps to enable the waitlist.
Log in to the Admin dashboard.
Go to Courses.
Open the relevant course.
Click Edit Course.
Open the Settings tab.
Open Booking Options.
Under Allow Waitlist, select Allow Waitlist.
Click Save.
To prevent customers from joining the waitlist, select Do Not Allow.
When customers can join a waitlist
Customers can join a waitlist when:
A specific course date has no spaces left.
No upcoming course dates are displayed.
A customer waiting for one particular course date is added to that date’s waitlist.
A customer who joins without choosing a date is added to the course-level waitlist.
Where to find customers who joined the waitlist
Follow these steps to view the waitlist for a course.
Go to the course dashboard.
Open the Waitlist tab.
The Waitlist tab contains the contacts who have joined the course waitlist.
The Last Notified column shows when each waitlist entry was last sent an automatic notification. If no notification has been sent, it displays Not notified yet.
Adding customers to the waitlist
Course providers can add customers to the waitlist manually.
Follow these steps to add a customer.
Go to the course dashboard.
Open the Waitlist tab.
Click Add To Waitlist.
Select or enter the customer details.
Complete the process shown on the screen.
Managing waitlist entries
Convert a waitlist entry to a booking
Course providers can manually convert a waitlist entry into a booking.
Follow these steps to convert a waitlist entry.
Go to the course dashboard.
Open the Waitlist tab.
Find the relevant customer.
Click the three dots to open the options menu.
Click Convert to Booking.
Select the course name and course date.
Choose whether the booking is paid or to be paid.
Complete the booking.
The customer’s contact details are selected automatically.
Remove a customer from the waitlist
Follow these steps to remove a waitlist entry manually.
Go to the course dashboard.
Open the Waitlist tab.
Find the relevant customer.
Click the three dots to open the options menu.
Click Remove.
Email waitlist contacts manually
Course providers can still email selected waitlist contacts manually to tell them that spaces or course dates are available.
Follow these steps to send a manual email.
Go to the course dashboard.
Open the Waitlist tab.
Select one or more customers.
Click the Email button.
Compose and send the email.
How to enable automatic waitlist emails
Automatic waitlist emails are optional and disabled by default.
They must be enabled separately for each course. The Automatic Waitlist Emails setting appears beside the existing Allow Waitlist setting and is shown when waitlisting is enabled.
Follow these steps to enable automatic waitlist emails.
Log in to the Admin dashboard.
Go to Courses.
Open the relevant course.
Click Edit Course.
Open the Settings tab.
Open Booking Options.
Under Allow Waitlist, select Allow Waitlist.
Under Automatic Waitlist Emails, select Email Waitlisted Contacts When Spaces Become Available.
Click Save.
To stop automatic notifications for the course, select Do Not Send Automatic Waitlist Emails.
Turning off automatic emails does not disable the waitlist. Course providers can continue to manage and contact waitlist customers manually.
How automatic waitlist notifications work
Cademy checks eligible waitlists once per hour.
Notifications are not sent immediately when availability changes. The hourly check gives admins time to make changes before an email is sent. For example, an admin may need to move an existing Registration, adjust the course capacity, fill the space manually or convert a waitlist entry into a booking.
When the hourly check runs, Cademy checks the current availability.
No notification is sent if:
The available space has already been filled.
The waitlisted customer has already booked.
The course or course date is not eligible for automatic notifications.
Customers waiting for a specific course date
When a place becomes available on a course date, Cademy can automatically email the next eligible customer waiting for that date.
Customers are notified in the order they joined the waitlist.
The notification includes a link to the public booking page so the customer can book the available place.
A customer is not emailed about the same course date more than once within 24 hours.
Customers on the course-level waitlist
Customers who joined the course-level waitlist without choosing a particular date can be emailed when course dates have spaces available.
This includes when a course provider adds a new course date.
The notification includes the course dates that are currently available and links to the public booking page.
If several course dates are available, Cademy sends one combined email. The customer does not receive a separate email for every available date.
A customer on the course-level waitlist:
Is not emailed more than once every three days.
Is not emailed again when the set of available dates has not changed.
Customers on both waitlists
A customer may be waiting for a specific course date while also appearing on the course-level waitlist.
The customer receives no more than one automatic waitlist notification during the same hourly check.
The notification for the specific course date takes priority.
Clear first-come, first-served wording
A waitlist notification does not reserve a place.
Every automatic notification tells the customer that the available place remains open to everyone and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
The customer must complete checkout to secure the place. Another customer may book the final available space first.
One-click waitlist removal
Every automatic waitlist notification includes a link that allows the customer to remove themselves from the waitlist.
The customer does not need to log in to use the removal link.
When automatic notifications are not sent
Automatic waitlist notifications are not sent for:
Private course dates.
Unpublished courses.
Courses without a public booking page.
Course dates starting within the next 12 hours.
A notification is also not sent if the space has already been filled or the waitlisted customer has booked before the next hourly check.
See when someone was last notified
Course providers can see when each waitlist entry was last sent an automatic notification.
Follow these steps to check the notification history from the waitlist.
Go to the course dashboard.
Open the Waitlist tab.
Find the relevant waitlist entry.
Check the Last Notified column.
If the customer has not received an automatic notification, the column displays Not notified yet.
View sent waitlist emails on a contact record
Sent waitlist notification emails appear on the customer’s contact record.
Follow these steps to view a sent email.
Go to the Contacts page.
Search for and open the relevant contact.
Find the email under All Activity or the Sent Messages tab.
Open the email to view its content and status.
The opened message can also be sent again by clicking Resend.
What happens when a waitlisted customer books
The waitlist is automatically updated when a waitlisted customer:
Books and pays for the course.
Has their booking marked as Paid by an admin.
This removes the customer from the waitlist after they have secured a place.
Plan availability
Automatic waitlist notifications are available on all Cademy plans.
Frequently asked questions
Does enabling the waitlist automatically enable automatic emails?
No.
Selecting Allow Waitlist allows customers to join the waitlist. It does not automatically enable email notifications.
To enable automatic emails, the course provider must also select Email Waitlisted Contacts When Spaces Become Available under Automatic Waitlist Emails.
Where do I turn on automatic waitlist emails?
Go to: Courses > open the course > Edit Course > Settings > Booking Options
Under Allow Waitlist, select Allow Waitlist.
Under Automatic Waitlist Emails, select Email Waitlisted Contacts When Spaces Become Available, then click Save.
Are automatic waitlist emails enabled by default?
No.
Automatic waitlist emails are disabled by default and must be enabled separately for each course.
Can I enable automatic emails for one course without enabling them for every course?
Yes.
Automatic waitlist emails are configured separately for each course.
Will customers be emailed immediately when a place becomes available?
No.
Cademy checks eligible waitlists once per hour. An email is only sent if the place is still available when the hourly check runs.
Why did nobody receive an email after I added a space?
Check the following:
Email Waitlisted Contacts When Spaces Become Available is enabled for the course.
The next hourly check has run.
The space was still available when the hourly check ran.
The next eligible waitlisted customer had not already booked.
The course is published.
The course has a public booking page.
The course date is not private.
The course date starts more than 12 hours from the time of the check.
For a specific course date, Cademy emails the next eligible person in the order they joined. It does not email everyone on that date’s waitlist at the same time.
Why did nobody receive an email after I added a new date?
Customers are notified about a new date through the course-level waitlist.
Check the following:
Email Waitlisted Contacts When Spaces Become Available is enabled.
Customers have joined the course-level waitlist without choosing a particular date.
The next hourly check has run.
The new date still has space.
The course is published.
The course has a public booking page.
The new date is not private.
The new date starts more than 12 hours from the time of the check.
Customers waiting only for a different specific course date are not notified about the new date through that date-specific waitlist.
Who receives the first notification when a space becomes available?
For a specific course date, the next eligible customer is selected based on the order in which customers joined that date’s waitlist.
Will everyone on a specific date’s waitlist be emailed at once?
No.
When a space becomes available, Cademy emails the next eligible customer in join order.
Will customers receive a separate email for every available course date?
No.
Customers on the course-level waitlist receive one combined email showing the course dates that are currently available.
Will customers be emailed for private dates?
No.
Automatic waitlist notifications are not sent for private course dates.
Will customers be emailed for unpublished courses?
No.
The course must be published for automatic waitlist notifications to be sent.
Will customers be emailed if the course does not have a public booking page?
No.
Automatic notifications are not sent for courses without a public booking page.
Will customers be emailed if the course starts soon?
Not if the course date starts within the next 12 hours.
What happens if the place is filled before the hourly check?
No email is sent.
Cademy checks the current availability when the hourly check runs.
What happens if the waitlisted customer books before the hourly check?
No waitlist notification is sent to that customer.
Does the email reserve a place?
No.
A waitlist notification tells the customer that a place is available, but it does not hold or reserve the place.
Can someone else book the place first?
Yes.
The place remains available to everyone and is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The first customer to complete their booking secures the place.
Does every automatic email explain that the place is first-come, first-served?
Yes.
Every automatic waitlist notification explains that the place is open to everyone and is not reserved for the recipient.
Does the notification include a booking link?
Yes.
The notification includes a link to the public booking page so the customer can book an available place.
Can customers remove themselves from the waitlist without logging in?
Yes.
Every automatic notification includes a removal link that works without the customer signing in.
Can the same customer receive repeated notifications for one course date?
A customer is not emailed about the same specific course date more than once within 24 hours.
How often can a course-level waitlist customer receive an email?
A course-level waitlist customer is not emailed more than once every three days.
They are also not emailed again if the set of available course dates has not changed.
What happens if a customer is on both the specific date waitlist and the course-level waitlist?
The customer receives no more than one waitlist notification during the same hourly check.
The notification for the specific course date takes priority.
Can course providers see when a waitlist entry was last notified?
Yes.
Open the Waitlist tab and check the Last Notified column.
If no notification has been sent, it displays Not notified yet.
Can course providers see the sent waitlist email on the customer or contact record?
Yes.
Go to the Contacts page, search for and open the contact, then check All Activity or the Sent Messages tab.
Open the email to view its content and status.
Can a sent waitlist email be resent?
Yes.
Open the waitlist email from the contact’s All Activity or Sent Messages tab, then click Resend.
Can course providers still email waitlist contacts manually?
Yes.
Open the Waitlist tab, select one or more customers and click the Email button.
Manual emails remain available whether automatic notifications are enabled or disabled.
Can course providers still convert a waitlist entry into a booking manually?
Yes.
Open the Waitlist tab, open the three-dot options menu for the customer and click Convert to Booking.
Can course providers remove a customer from the waitlist manually?
Yes.
Open the three-dot options menu for the waitlist entry and click Remove.
Will the waitlist update when a waitlisted customer books and pays?
Yes.
The waitlist is automatically updated when a waitlisted customer books and pays or when an admin marks the booking as Paid.
Are automatic waitlist notifications available on every plan?
Yes.
Automatic waitlist notifications are available on all Cademy plans.