INTRODUCTION
Feature Summary: Display a court waitlist on the member portal.
Use Cases: System users can enable a waitlist to help keep courts busy when members cancel bookings. The waitlist tool is fully customizable and can run automatically, which means club managers don't need to manage lists or contact members waiting for a court. When required, system users can access the waitlist on the admin dashboard and make manual adjustments. CourtReserve auto-sends notifications to players as courts become available.
SETUP REQUIREMENTS
Log in to the admin dashboard.
Go to the side menu and click SETTINGS. A new page displays.
Go to the COURT & BALL MACHINE SETTINGS heading.
Click the Court Waitlisting icon.
CourtReserve limits the size of a waitlist. Each waitlist slot can hold a maximum of 25 player names. Each player is limited to 100 active waitlist spots.
Configuring waitlist settings
The Court Waitlist Setup page displays.
By default, the waitlist tool is enabled and visible on the admin dashboard but not on the member portal.
Customizing the waitlist process
System users can override these waitlist settings at the custom scheduler level. For example, a system user could create one set of waitlist rules for pickleball courts and a different set of waitlist rules for hard courts. Optionally, it is possible to disable waitlist reservations for a period of time or certain schedulers/courts.
Waitlist Types
Any on Waitlist + Viewing Scheduler - Any person can book an open spot if they are a) on the waitlist, or b) viewing the scheduler on the member portal. Open spots are not reserved. CourtReserve sends players on the waitlist an email notification about availability when a spot opens, but waitlisted members are not guaranteed a spot. It's first come, first serve for open spots.
Any on Waitlist + Viewing Scheduler is the default setting. Other options are under development.
One-by-One Waitlist (Coming soon!) An open spot is offered to waitlisted players in the order they joined. When a spot opens up, CourtReserve sends the first person on the waitlist an email notification. That person has X minutes to book their reservation. If the spot is not booked by that person, CourtReserve sends an email notification to the next person on the waitlist with the same time restriction. Emails are sent out until the spot is booked or everyone on the list has been contacted by CourtReserve.
All Waitlist at Same Time (Coming soon!) - When a spot opens up, CourtReserve sends an email notification to all waitlisted players at the same time. Booking the sport is first come, first serve. If nobody books the open spot after X minutes, CourtReserve opens the spot to general reservations on the member portal.
Granting member access to the waitlist
Check the Allow Players on Member Portal / APP to Register for Waitlist box to enable this feature and display more settings options.
Allow Players on Member Portal / APP to Register for Waitlist - If this box is checked, members/players can add their names to a waitlist on the member portal. If not checked, players cannot waitlist themselves. Instead, system users must add players to a waitlist. If this box is not checked, CourtReserve hides all the other opinions.
Allow Player to Waitlist when Desired Court Type is Available - If checked, players can add themselves to a specific court waitlist even if the desired court type is available. This will open the waitlist once a single court has been booked under a specific court type.
Show # of Players Currently Waiting - If checked, the member portal displays the number of people on the waitlist. If not checked, CourtReserve hides this number on the member portal.
Enforce booking rules/restrictions when Waitlisting - If checked, apply the restrictions and rules set at the membership level when joining the waitlist. If unchecked, the system will not check member's booking restrictions until the reservation is being finalized.
Prevent Waitlist X hours out - Enter a time to close the waitlist period. CourtReserve closes the waitlist X hours before a court time opens. This time limit applies only to the member portal. Admins can waitlist players any time before the court slot becomes available.
Eligible courts
Use the checkboxes to enable the waitlist tool for specific courts. If a box is not checked, CourtReserve does not allow players to join a waitlist for that court.
FEATURE USAGE - USERS' PERSPECTIVE
CourtReserve displays the Join Waitlist button for each interval if one or more courts are booked.
The player clicks the button to add their name to the list (if the system user enabled this feature).
The player fills in the fields and clicks Save.
Select one or more court types (if available).
Confirm the name in the Reserve For field.
Click the Reservation Type field and select an option.
Set the Duration Type: specific time or flexible. (see below)
Confirm the time and duration.
After the player saves the form, CourtReserve adds the name to the list.
Duration type
A player chooses Specific time to waitlist for a fixed time period. To increase their chances of getting court time during busy periods, players can choose Flexible and enter a different start and end time.
Reviewing and withdrawing
To review waitlist information, a player clicks the waitlist button. The popup window confirms the waitlist time and court. To remove a name from the waitlist, the player clicks the WITHDRAW button.
Players can also view court waitlist information in the My Reservations section of the member portal (Reservations > My Reservations > Waitlist tab).
Receiving a notification
When a court time becomes available because of a cancellation, CourtReserve sends out an email notification to people on the waitlist. The message contains a link to book the open slot. If a waitlisted player books that spot, the other names on the waitlist remain unchanged.
How CourtReserve sends out notifications is a feature that system users can customize once new developments have been tested and implemented. Currently, CourtReserve sends an email to everyone on the waitlist at the same time.
FEATURE USAGE - ADMINS' PERSPECTIVE
On the admin scheduler, system users can:
create a reservation for a player from the waitlist
add a player to the waitlist
view waitlist activity on the audit log
Viewing or hiding the waitlist
The Court Waitlisting tool is automatically visible on the left side of the scheduler.
To hide the waitlist column, click the Filter button in the top right corner of the page and then check the Hide Waitlist box. Click the green Filter button to save.
Reviewing the waitlist
Click the number of people waiting link.
A new window displays the Waitlisted table. It shows the names of players in the order they were added to the list. On this table, system users can delete a waitlisted name or create a reservation (see below).
Creating a reservation
In the Waitlisted table, go to a player's row and click the Create Reservation button. A form displays with some fields pre-filled, such as:
Reservation type from the waitlist
Time
Player’s name
Court Type and the available court (if any)
System users can change court times, and add players, resources, or guests. If a court is not available at the listed time, CourtReserve shows the court as Conflicted.
System users can create a reservation for a player on a conflicted court, but it is not recommended. The result is two sets of players booked at the same time on the same court.
Adding a player to the waitlist
To add a player to the waitlist, click the Waitlisting Player heading.
A Waitlist form for displays. Fill in the fields.
Audit log
System users can track waitlist activity on the Audit Log (AUDITS > AUDIT LOG). Optionally, export the data (Excel sheet or PDF). The Audit Log shows all important events:
When players are added.
When a court becomes available.
When a notification is sent.
CourtReserve removes a waitlisted player from the audit log when they make a reservation.
VIDEO TRAINING & RELATED WEBINARS
Court Waitlist Setup Video.