# Walk-in Queue & Waitlist Glossary | NextUp Walk-in

Source: https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary

> Plain definitions of walk-in queue and waitlist terms: walk-out, quoted wait, turn time, no-show, kiosk mode and more, with examples.

# Walk-in queue and waitlist glossary

Plain definitions of the words walk-in businesses use: walk-out, quoted wait, turn time, no-show and more, each with a real example and how NextUp Walk-in handles it.

## A

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### [Actual wait](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/actual-wait)

Actual wait is the real time a customer spends between joining the line and being called, measured after the fact rather than predicted.

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### [Appointment vs walk-in](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/appointment-vs-walk-in)

An appointment reserves a specific time in advance, while a walk-in arrives without booking and is served in line order when a team member is free.

## B

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### [Booth rent](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/booth-rent)

Booth rent is a fixed amount an independent stylist, barber or artist pays a shop owner to use a chair or station, instead of splitting each service with the owner.

## C

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### [Call-up](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/call-up)

A call-up is the moment a business tells the next waiting customer that it is their turn, by voice, a screen, a message or all three.

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### [Check-in](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/check-in)

Check-in is the step where a customer tells the business they are here and gets a place in line, on paper, at a tablet, or by scanning a code with their phone.

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### [Cleaning log](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/cleaning-log)

A cleaning log is a dated record that shows when each cleaning task in a shop was done, kept so an owner can show inspectors that routines are followed.

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### [Client record](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/client-record)

A client record is the file a business keeps on one customer, with their contact details, visit history, preferences and notes, so every team member starts with the same facts.

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### [Customer feedback and reviews](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/customer-feedback-and-reviews)

Customer feedback is what people tell a business about a visit, privately through a rating or comment, and reviews are the public version posted on sites like Google.

## D

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### [Deposit and no-show fee](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/deposit-and-no-show-fee)

A deposit is money taken when a booking is made to hold the time, and a no-show fee is a charge if the customer does not come and has not cancelled.

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### [Door tablet](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/door-tablet)

A door tablet is a tablet mounted at a shop entrance that lets arriving customers add themselves to the waitlist without staff help.

## F

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### [Family ticket](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/family-ticket)

A family ticket is a single check-in that adds several people to the line at once, such as a parent and kids, so one person does the joining for the group.

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### [First-come, first-served](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/first-come-first-served)

First-come, first-served is a rule that serves customers strictly in the order they arrived, also known as first in, first out (FIFO).

## H

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### [Hybrid scheduling](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/hybrid-scheduling)

Hybrid scheduling is running booked appointments and walk-in service from the same team and the same hours, so neither blocks the other.

## K

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### [Kiosk mode](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/kiosk-mode)

Kiosk mode locks a device to a single screen so the public can use one function, such as checking in, without reaching anything else on the device.

## L

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### [Late arrival grace period](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/late-arrival-grace-period)

A late arrival grace period is the short window a business waits for a called or booked customer before treating them as a no-show and moving on.

## N

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### [No-show](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/no-show)

A no-show is a customer who was booked, or who was called from the line, and never arrives, leaving the time unused without a cancellation.

## P

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### [Peak hour](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/peak-hour)

A peak hour is a period when the number of arriving customers is highest compared with the rest of the day, producing the longest lines and waits.

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### [Priority queue](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/priority-queue)

A priority queue is a line where some customers are served ahead of others who arrived earlier because of an agreed rule, such as urgency, membership or a short service.

## Q

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### [QR code check-in](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/qr-code-check-in)

QR code check-in lets a customer scan a printed code with their phone camera to join a waitlist, with no app to install and no paper to sign.

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### [Queue management system](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/queue-management-system)

A queue management system is software, sometimes with screens and kiosks, that organizes customers waiting for service, shows their place and estimates their wait.

## S

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### [Service-based wait estimate](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/service-based-wait-estimate)

A service-based wait estimate predicts the wait by adding up how long each waiting customer chosen services will take, rather than using one average for everyone.

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### [Still coming? prompt](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/still-coming-prompt)

A Still coming? prompt is a check sent to a waiting customer to confirm they are still on their way, so people who left do not clog the line.

## T

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### [Throughput](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/throughput)

Throughput is the number of customers a business finishes serving in a given period, such as haircuts completed per hour or cars washed per day.

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### [Turn system (rotation)](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/turn-system)

A turn system is a rule for deciding which team member takes the next walk-in, usually a rotation so each person gets an equal share of the customers who come in.

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### [Turn time (service time)](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/turn-time)

Turn time is how long one customer occupies a chair or station from start to finish, and it drives how many people a business can serve and how long others wait.

## V

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### [Virtual queue](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/virtual-queue)

A virtual queue is a line that exists in software rather than in physical space, so customers hold a place and can wait anywhere until it is their turn.

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### [Virtual waitlist](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/virtual-waitlist)

A virtual waitlist is a digital list of customers waiting for service, where each person joins from their phone and is notified of their turn.

## W

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### [Wait time estimate](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/wait-time-estimate)

A wait time estimate is the prediction of how long a customer will wait before being served, shown when they join and updated as the line moves.

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### [Waiting room display (TV)](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/waiting-room-display)

A waiting room display is a screen in the lobby that shows who is being called and who is next, so customers know their turn without staff announcing it.

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### [Waiver (consent form)](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/waiver)

A waiver is a signed form in which a customer acknowledges risks or gives consent before a service, commonly used in tattoo, piercing, spa and pet care.

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### [Walk-in queue](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/walk-in-queue)

A walk-in queue is the ordered line of customers who arrived without an appointment and are waiting to be served by the next available team member.

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### [Walk-out](https://nextupwalkin.com/glossary/walk-out)

A walk-out is a customer who arrives or joins the line and then leaves before being served, usually because the wait looked or felt too long.

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