How to set up the walk-in queue and online check-in

Booked appointments are only half the job — the other half is the people who walk in right now. Without a system, that line turns into sticky notes, guessed wait times and the occasional “but I was here first.” This guide shows you how to set up the walk-in queue and online check-in in Opraly so the line is fair, visible, and shares one calendar with your bookings.

Before you start

Make sure your services and staff and working hours are already in Opraly — the queue uses them to estimate waits and assign the next free provider. Decide where customers will check in from: a phone, a counter tablet, or both.

Step 1: Turn on the walk-in queue

Enable the walk-in queue for the location. Now anyone who arrives can join the line for a service, and your team works the list in order. Walk-ins and booked appointments share one calendar, so nobody promises the same chair, table or car twice.

Step 2: Enable online check-in

Switch on online check-in and share the link or QR code. Customers can join the queue from their phone before they arrive, see a realistic wait, and time their trip — instead of standing around. At the counter, the same link doubles as a self-check-in for anyone who walks up.

Step 3: Configure wait estimates

The queue quotes a wait based on your service durations, staff on shift and who is already in line. To keep estimates honest:

• Keep service durations realistic — short estimates breed angry customers.
• Make sure on-shift staff match reality (see working hours).
• Add a small buffer if your real-world turnaround runs long.

Step 4: Work the queue

Your team sees who is here now versus who is booked later in one view. When a provider frees up, the queue surfaces the next person in order. As each customer is taken, mark them in progress and then done — the order stays fair and visible, and the visit flows straight into payment, tips, and reporting.

Tip: Put a QR code for online check-in at your door or counter. Customers join the line on their own phones, which cuts crowding and the “how long’s the wait?” question at the desk.

Step 5: Keep people informed

Turn on 2-way messaging so the queue can tell customers when they are up — and so they can reply to ask a question or step away briefly. A “you’re next” message turns dead waiting time into something customers tolerate happily. It is the same messaging system behind appointment reminders.

One primitive, three counters

The walk-in queue is a single feature that fits very different businesses:

• Salon walk-ins — guests check in, see a wait, and your team works the list while booked appointments stay on the same calendar. See /industries/beauty.
• Restaurant host stand — guests join the host waitlist, get quoted a wait, and a message goes out when the table is ready; the visit can carry a tab to payment. See /industries/restaurants.
• Taxi stand — riders check in to the stand and dispatch assigns the next available driver, keeping the rank fair. See /industries/rides.

For the bigger picture on why one queue powers all three, read The walk-in queue: one idea, three businesses.

Quick reference

Common pitfalls

• Unrealistic durations. The estimate is only as good as your service times — keep them honest.
• Forgetting to mark customers done. A stale queue throws off both order and wait times.
• No messaging. A line without “you’re next” alerts feels worse than it is; turn messaging on.

Track it

Open reporting and analytics to see average wait times and utilization across the day. If waits spike at the same hour every week, that is your cue to add a shift — or open more online slots before the rush.

Walk-ins and bookings, one calendar

The reason the queue works is that it is not a separate system bolted on — it shares the same calendar as your online bookings. That matters in practice:

• A walk-in never gets handed a slot you have already promised to a booked customer.
• When a booked appointment cancels, the freed time can absorb the next person in the queue.
• Your team sees one timeline — who is booked, who is waiting, who is in the chair — rather than juggling a paper list against the screen.

This is what stops the classic clash of “I had an appointment” versus “but I’ve been waiting.” Both live in the same place, in the right order.

Capacity tips for busy periods

A queue is only as calm as the capacity behind it. When you know a rush is coming:

• Roster more staff for that window (see working hours) so estimates stay short.
• Open online check-in early so people join before they arrive and spread the load.
• Use 2-way messaging to let waiting customers step out and come back, which thins the crowd at your counter.
• Review last week’s wait-time report to predict this week’s pinch points.

The walk-in queue turns your busiest, most chaotic moments into something orderly and fair, without making walk-in customers feel second-class to booked ones. Set it up once and it works whether you run a chair, a table, or a car.

Start free and bring order to your busiest hours.