Configure and manage your waitlist operation

1. Role model

Understanding access levels

Dashboard adapts its sidebar, menus, and available tabs to the signed-in user's role. A user can hold multiple roles at once — for example, being an org manager for one organization while also acting as a location manager for a location in a different organization. The sidebar updates automatically when role assignments change.

2. Public

Landing page, sign in, and account creation

Before signing in, any visitor can explore the product on the LRS Waitlist NEXT landing page. The landing page offers two primary paths: create a new account or sign in to an existing one. A Schedule Demo option lets prospects request a guided walkthrough before committing.

The Schedule Demo form collects email, phone, and an optional message. An LRS representative follows up directly to arrange the session.

Account creation establishes the account owner and the top-level account structure. Complete this once — all other users are added later through Dashboard.

1. Click Start Free Trial on the landing page.
2. Fill in Account Name, First Name, Last Name, Timezone, Street Address, City, State, Zip Code, Phone, Email, Password, and Confirm Password.
3. Accept the Terms and Conditions and click Create account.
4. Check your inbox for the activation email and click the link inside it. The account cannot be signed into until this step is complete.

Once activated, all users — owners, admins, managers, and staff — sign in from the Dashboard sign-in screen using their registered email and password.

1. Open the Dashboard sign-in page.
2. Enter your registered email address and password.
3. Click Sign in to your account.

3. Staff

Staff access — the Waitlist app, not Dashboard

Users assigned as Staff without a manager role cannot access Dashboard setup screens. Dashboard detects the missing permission when they sign in and shows the screen below instead of the configuration interface.

Staff use the live Waitlist app for their daily work: adding guests, sending notifications, managing entries, and completing visits. Everything a staff user needs is covered in the Waitlist guide, not here. The Go to the Waitlist button on the redirect screen takes them directly there.

4. Location Manager

Analytics, location setup, and team management

Location managers are the primary daily users of Dashboard. They can view performance analytics for their assigned locations and configure every aspect of how those locations run — from operating hours and transmitters to staff pager profiles and user access.

Dashboard home

The Dashboard home is visible to all manager roles and scopes its data to the locations accessible to the signed-in user. Unlike scheduled report emails, the home page reflects real-time data and updates as entries are added, completed, and removed throughout the day. The date range selector at the top filters all panels simultaneously.

Locations page — simple mode

In simple mode, clicking Locations in the sidebar opens the workspace — a card-based view where each location shows three readiness panels: Guestlist, Plan, and Health. The Manage button on a card opens the location's Manage page. The Open app button generates a one-time sign-in link and opens the live Waitlist app in a new tab.

The Manage page collects everything the location needs to operate into collapsible sections: Profile, Plan, Billing, Users, Transmitters, and Guestlist. Each section shows a readiness badge — green when ready, yellow when setup is incomplete. Expand a section to configure it without leaving the page. The Transmitters and Guestlist sections are always expanded inline because they are needed most often during daily setup.

Locations page — advanced mode

In advanced mode the sidebar exposes the complete organization hierarchy. Clicking Locations opens a table showing Status, Store ID, Name, Current Waitlist (with Manage and View buttons), Billing, Renewing state, and an Edit link. Advanced mode is more efficient when overseeing many locations at once — billing dates and renewal state are visible per row without opening each location individually.

Stop Renewing ends the service plan at the end of the current billing cycle. The location remains active until the cycle ends and continues to accept entries. The warning in the confirmation modal notes that SMS usage for the current cycle may result in an immediate charge if the free allowance has been exceeded.

Location tabs

Clicking Edit in the advanced mode locations table opens the full location configuration with eight tabs. These tabs are only available in advanced mode — in simple mode the Manage button opens the Manage page described above.

Profile tab

The Profile tab holds the location's identity and operational settings. The Name field is the public-facing name; the Alias field stores a shorter internal reference useful when the full name is too long for reports or integrations. The Store ID links the location to external systems or POS identifiers. The Location Template dropdown sets the industry preset that shapes default messaging and terminology across the interface.

The Timezone setting affects how operation hours and timestamps display throughout Dashboard and in reports — set it correctly before the location goes live. The Website field stores the location's public URL; the Informational page field holds a secondary URL highlighted to guests — for example, a menu or event page. The Delay Tolerance field controls how long beyond the quoted wait time a guest's position is held: if set to 10 minutes, a guest quoted 15 minutes has until the 25-minute mark before their slot is considered expired. The Lock settings protect the live Waitlist screen from unintended changes — when enabled, the screen locks after the configured idle minutes and requires the user's lock password to resume.

Service Plan tab

The Service Plan tab shows the active plan's cycle dates and provides three shortcuts in the left column: Invoices (billing history), Billing (link or change the billing account), and Stop Renewal. The center panel shows a Current Plan / New Plan comparison with all line items and the monthly total. The base plan is always active at $14.99/month and includes LRS Coaster/Pager broadcasts and 100 SMS messages. The Plan Editor below the summary lets managers toggle optional add-ons: API Access ($19.99/month) and, where available, Advanced Reporting ($9.99/month) and Custom Report Designer ($49.99/month). The SMS Messages item lets you configure an alert threshold so Dashboard notifies you before overage charges apply. Changes saved here take effect at the start of the next renewal cycle.

Hours of Operation tab

Each day has independent settings. Expand a day to set the Operation Hours during which the location is considered open, the Remote Check-in time window, and a Target Wait Time used by Programmed Notifications. The Enable Remote Check-in toggle on the right side of the expanded day must be on for self check-in to accept visitors — turning off the toggle disables remote check-in for that day even if hours are configured. The Services section lets managers add named service periods (Lunch, Dinner, etc.), each with its own Service Hours and Target Wait Time. Multiple services can be added per day with the + button. Days with the day toggle set to off are treated as Closed and remote check-in is disabled regardless of the Enable toggle.

Transmitters tab

The Transmitters tab manages the LRS pager transmitters registered at the location. A transmitter must be registered here before it can be assigned to a guestlist area. The list shows each device's serial number, system ID, station ID, and POCSAG channel.

Adding a transmitter

1. Click Add Transmitter.
2. Enter the Serial Number — it always starts with T747X- or T7471-.
3. Enter the System Id, Station Id, and Pocsag values. All four are printed on the label attached to the transmitter hardware.
4. Click Save. The transmitter appears in the list immediately.

Editing a transmitter

1. Click Edit on the transmitter row.
2. Update the fields that need correcting. The POCSAG channel is the most common field to change after a hardware reconfiguration.
3. Click Save. Changes take effect immediately — no area reassignment is needed unless the transmitter identity changed.

Testing a transmitter

Run a test after adding or editing a transmitter to confirm the device is broadcasting correctly before going live.

1. Click Test on the transmitter row.
2. Enter an active pager number assigned to the location.
3. Click Send. A real signal is broadcast immediately to that pager.
4. Confirm the pager vibrates, lights up, or sounds. If it does not, recheck the POCSAG channel, system ID, and station ID against the hardware label.

Removing a transmitter

1. If the transmitter is currently assigned to a guestlist area, open that area's Settings tab and remove the assignment first.
2. Return to the Transmitters tab and click Remove on the transmitter row.
3. Confirm the action. Removal is permanent and cannot be undone.

SMS Usage tab

The SMS Usage tab shows message volume for a configurable date range. Set the Start and End dates and click Apply Filter to load results. Three stat cards summarize the period: Messages shows the total sent and daily average; Plan shows the alert threshold configuration (80%, 90%, 95% options), the current plan cycle dates, and the cost per message; Bonus Messages shows remaining free messages out of the total bonus pool. The log below the cards lists every sent message with its date/time, type, list name, recipients, and a preview of the message body — useful for verifying that automated notifications are firing as expected.

Staff tab

The Staff tab manages pager profiles for team members — these are separate from Dashboard user accounts. A pager profile stores the physical device number and type, the preferred contact method, and group assignments. Groups are used by the Notification Tasks form field to route workflow notifications to the right role (e.g., sending a task alert to all Bar Tenders or to Management only).

Adding a staff profile

1. Click Add Staff.
2. Enter First Name and Last Name.
3. Enter the Phone number if the team member receives SMS notifications.
4. Enter the Pager Number and select the Pager Type that matches the physical device they carry. The pager number and type must match exactly — a mismatch causes notifications to fail silently.
5. Select the Preferred Contact method (pager, phone, or both).
6. Check the Groups the team member belongs to. Groups route Notification Tasks messages to the correct role.
7. Click Save. The profile appears in the staff list immediately.

Editing a staff profile

1. Click Edit on the staff row.
2. Update the fields as needed. Keep group assignments current as team roles change — Notification Tasks uses groups to route messages.
3. Click Save.

Removing a staff profile

Users tab

The Users tab at location level manages who can sign in to Dashboard and access this location. It is independent of the Staff tab — a user can have a Dashboard login without a pager profile, and vice versa. The Role dropdown sets whether the user is a Staff member (no Dashboard configuration access) or a Location Manager (full access to this location's tabs).

Adding a user to a location

1. Click Add User.
2. Enter First Name, Last Name, and Email. An invitation is sent to that email address.
3. Set a Lock Password. This is used when the Waitlist screen lock is enabled at this location.
4. Select the Role: Staff (no Dashboard configuration access) or Location Manager (full access to this location's tabs).
5. Enable Create Staff to also create a pager profile for this user in one step — useful when the new team member will carry a pager.
6. Toggle Basic, SMS, and Advanced report subscriptions as needed.
7. Click Save. The user appears in the list and can sign in immediately.

Editing a location user

1. Click Edit on the user row.
2. Update the Role, Lock Password, or report subscriptions as needed.
3. Click Save. Changes take effect on the user's next page load.

Removing a user from a location

5. Waitlist configuration

Guestlists, areas, and form setup

Waitlist configuration covers everything that determines how the live Waitlist app behaves for a specific location: which waitlist and area are active, how kiosk and self check-in modes are launched, how areas are configured, and what the entry form looks like for each audience. The Form Designer is covered separately in the next section.

Guestlist tab — assigning a waitlist

The Guestlist tab inside a location lists all waitlists assigned to it. A location must have at least one active waitlist with at least one active area before the Waitlist app will open. The area chips on each row name the areas assigned to that waitlist.

Clicking Add Guestlist starts the assignment flow. The first screen shows all waitlists already configured at the organization level. Selecting one previews the areas that will be available.

If no existing waitlist fits, click the click here link below the list to continue without selecting one. Fill in a Name and Description to create a new waitlist directly from this flow. The new waitlist is also added to the organization's Waitlists menu for reuse at other locations.

With a name filled in, the areas table shows what will be assigned. The Preview button on each area row opens the form preview to verify field order and required fields before confirming.

Guestlist workspace

After a guestlist is assigned, the workspace is the central setup hub for that location. It shows which waitlist and area are active, lets managers set the Kiosk Area and Self Check-in Area, configure transmitter assignments per area, and edit the entry form — all from a single page. The Kiosk Area determines where kiosk-mode entries land; the Self Check-in Area is where remote check-in visitors queue.

The View button next to the Kiosk Area dropdown launches kiosk mode on the current device using the assigned area. This button generates a one-time session token required by kiosk mode — opening a direct URL without this token will not initialize kiosk mode correctly.

In advanced mode, clicking Edit on a guestlist row in the Guestlist tab opens the guestlist detail, where the Kiosk Area and Self Check-in Area dropdowns are configured and each area's transmitter assignment and form can be accessed via the Customize button.

Waitlist areas

Each area inside a waitlist is an independent queue with its own transmitters, auto-clear timer, target wait time, messaging, notifications, and form. Click Add Area inside the guestlist detail to create a new one. Auto Clear removes entries from the area after a configurable idle time; Target Wait Time is the baseline used by Programmed Notifications and performance reporting.

After creation, click Customize on the area row to open the full area configuration. Areas accessed from within a location have six tabs; areas accessed from the org level have four (Programmed Notifications and API Settings require the location context to function).

Settings tab

The Settings tab groups four configuration blocks: the Base Config (Active toggle, name, description), LRS Transmitters, Auto Clear Waitlist (removes entries after a configurable number of idle hours), and Target Wait Time (the baseline for Programmed Notifications and reporting). A fifth block — Generate Remote Check-in Link — shows the Enable Remote Check-in toggle and, once enabled, the self check-in URL and QR code. The section notes that an active SMS plan is required for remote check-in to work.

Default Messages tab

Default Messages define what guests receive at each stage of the waitlist flow. The Confirmation message fires when staff creates an entry and can embed the estimated wait time automatically. The Notification message is what guests receive when paged or texted. The Check-in message fires when staff marks a guest as arrived, and the Cancel message fires when an entry is removed.

Programmed Notifications tab

Programmed Notifications remove the burden of manually following up with guests. Each trigger in the list fires at a configured offset relative to the quoted wait time — for example, 4 minutes before, at the exact quoted time, or 5 minutes after. Entries must have a quoted wait time set for any trigger to fire. This tab is only available when the area is accessed from within a location.

Notification Options tab

Notification Options set the pager hardware type used by this area (LRS Guest, Alpha Guest, or Both) and the default alert sound pattern broadcast when a guest is notified. The custom messages toggle controls whether staff can write their own notification text or are limited to predefined messages.

API Settings tab

The API Settings tab exposes the four UUIDs that external integrations use to address this specific area: organization, location, guestlist, and area. The API Key & Secret button reveals the credentials tied to the location's API key — needed when configuring a third-party integration. This tab is only available when the area is accessed from within a location.

6. Form Designer

Designing the guestlist entry form

The Form Designer controls which fields appear in each context of the live Waitlist app: the live list column view, the staff add/edit form, the kiosk entry form, the remote self check-in form, and the visitor status screen. Every field is configured independently, so a phone number field can be required on the staff form and hidden from kiosk visitors at the same time.

The Form Designer is accessible from two places: directly from the Guestlist workspace via the Form Designer shortcut, or from the Guestlist Form tab inside the area's Customize view. Both open the same interface.

The field palette on the left contains all available fields. The right panel shows which fields are currently active. Drag a field from the palette to the right panel to activate it. Drag within the right panel to change the order — this order is what staff sees in the live entry form.

Below the Form Designer, the API Identifiers block lists the same UUIDs found in the API Settings tab. This is a shortcut for developers who are setting up the form and need the IDs at the same time.

System fields

System fields cover the core data every waitlist entry needs. They are built into the system and cannot be renamed or removed from the palette, though most can be toggled off.

The Notified field tracks whether a guest has been paged. Its Title and Hint labels are the only two properties that can be customized on this field.

Every field has a Visibility section that controls where it appears across the five contexts. Visibility is configured independently per context, which means a field can be required for staff on the add/edit form, visible in the live list column, and completely hidden from kiosk visitors — all at once.

The Pager/Phone field collects the guest's contact for SMS or pager delivery. The Options section adds Active and Required flags that work independently from the Visibility switches.

The Guests field captures party size. Demographic Tracking adds an additional collection step that records age range and gender breakdowns alongside the count — useful for aggregate reporting.

The Quoted field stores the estimated wait time staff enter when adding the entry. The Show Elapsed Time and Show Remaining Time toggles control the progress bar visible to staff on the live waitlist below the Quoted value.

The Tags field lets staff label entries with predefined chips. Tags must be defined in the field configuration here; they appear as tappable chips in the live Waitlist app.

The Notes field provides a free-text annotation area. Title, Hint, and Placeholder are all customizable to prompt staff for the specific information most useful for the operation.

Action Buttons create timed workflow buttons directly on a waitlist entry. Each button sends a message to the guest and starts a countdown. When staff tap the Complete button, the sequence closes. This is useful for multi-step service flows like drink and meal delivery.

Adding a new Action Button requires a title, background color, text color, a target time in minutes, and the message sent to the guest when the button is tapped.

The Started At field is a read-only timestamp set when the entry is created. Below it in the palette sits the complete list of custom fields — all optional and all requiring an explicit drag to the active panel.

Custom fields

Custom fields extend the form with specialized input types for workflows, data capture, and staff coordination. All custom fields are optional and can be combined freely.

The Notification Sequence field creates a timed chain. Staff tap the button once to start it; messages fire automatically at the configured intervals without any further action. This is different from Programmed Notifications — the sequence is triggered manually per entry, whereas Programmed Notifications fire from the quoted wait time.

The preview modal for a Notification Sequence shows each step exactly as it will appear in the live Waitlist app, including the scheduled timestamps and individual Notify buttons that allow manual early firing if needed.

Custom Notes is a second free-text annotation field, independent of the system Notes field. Use it when two distinct note types are needed on the same entry form — for example, one for kitchen notes and one for front-of-house notes.

The Single Select Dropdown restricts the entry to one option from a predefined list. Each option can trigger a specific notification or take no action, making it suitable for routing entries by preference or service type.

The Multi Select Checkbox allows multiple simultaneous selections from the predefined list. Use it for capturing preferences where more than one answer applies.

Custom Value patterns

The Custom Value field is a single configurable field that supports six data input patterns. The pattern is selected when configuring the field and determines the input type, validation rules, and how the value is formatted for display.

The Phone # sub-pattern within Text enforces (xxx) xxx-xxxx display formatting. This captures a secondary contact number for data purposes only — it does not replace the Pager/Phone notification field.

The Integer pattern accepts whole numbers only. Use it for table numbers, reservation IDs, or any discrete numeric capture.

The Floating Point pattern accepts decimal numbers. Suitable for measurements or any fractional numeric capture.

The Currency pattern formats the input as a dollar value. Use it for deposits or estimated tabs.

The Date pattern opens a calendar picker. Format options include US Standard (MM/DD/YYYY), European, and System Locale. An optional time component can be enabled alongside the date.

Custom Tags and Notification Tasks

Custom Tags is a free-form tagging field independent of the system Tags field. Predefined options are configured here and appear as default chips; staff can also type new tags in the live app.

Notification Tasks creates a multi-step staff workflow. Each task has a name, a delay before its notification fires, and a completion message. When all tasks complete, the Auto Close Booking option can automatically mark the entry as finished without staff tapping Complete manually.

When multiple custom fields are active they stack in the right panel in the order they were added. Drag to reorder — the stack order is exactly what staff sees in the live entry form.

Previewing the form

Before saving the form configuration, use the Preview button at the bottom-right of the Form Designer to render all active fields exactly as staff will see them when adding a new entry. Check field order, required markers, and placeholder text before the location goes live.

7. Org Manager

Managing organizations, billing, and waitlists

Organization managers oversee the organizations assigned to them. They configure the organization profile, handle billing accounts, monitor financial health, manage API access, manage org-level users, and build the waitlist structure that location managers later assign to their locations. Creating new organizations requires account admin or owner access — org managers can manage existing ones but cannot add new ones.

Organizations

The Organizations section in the sidebar provides access to Add Organization (visible to admins and owners only) and Manage Organizations. Org managers see only the organizations they have been assigned to.

The Manage Organizations list shows all organizations in the account. Toggling Active off deactivates the organization without deleting it. Remove is only enabled when the organization is inactive.

The Organization Account tab stores the profile and logo. The shortcut bar at the top of the edit view navigates directly to Billing Accounts, Locations, Waitlists, and the Add User flow without losing the organization context.

Billing accounts

A billing account stores a payment method, invoice recipient emails, and the list of locations whose service plan charges are billed to it. Each location must be assigned to exactly one billing account. The left panel lists all billing accounts; the right panel shows the selected account's payment method, invoice recipients, and the location checkboxes.

Creating a billing account

1. Click Add Billing Account.
2. Enter a Name and Description to identify the account.
3. Enter up to three Invoice Email addresses that will receive billing statements.
4. Click Save. The account appears in the left panel.
5. Select the new account in the left panel to open its detail.
6. Click Open Customer Portal to add a payment method. The portal opens in a new tab where you enter card details.
7. Return to Dashboard and check the location checkboxes to assign locations to this account.

Removing a billing account

1. Select the billing account in the left panel.
2. Uncheck all location assignments in the detail panel. A billing account with active location assignments cannot be removed.
3. Click Remove and confirm.

Financial tab

The Financial tab provides a billing health overview for the organization. Three stat pills summarize the picture: Projected (next cycle) shows the total expected charge for the next renewal, Needs attention counts locations with missing billing, expired plans, or payment issues, and Next charge shows the earliest upcoming renewal date. The per-location table lists each location with its next renewal date, projected amount, and a status badge — and includes Plan and Billing (or Issue) action buttons that link directly to the Service Plan tab or Billing Accounts for any location that needs fixing.

API Keys

API keys are generated per organization and give external systems controlled access to the locations linked to the key. The table shows each key's Active toggle, Key ID (with a copy button), Secret (masked by default with reveal and copy buttons), and a Manage button. Clicking Manage opens a modal where you assign the specific locations this key can access.

1. Click Generate API Key to create a new key and secret pair.
2. Copy the Key ID and Secret from the table using the copy buttons.
3. Click Manage on the key row to assign specific locations to the key.
4. Toggle Active off to disable a key temporarily without deleting it.

Organization users

The Users tab inside an organization shows every user with access to it. The Organization Manager toggle on each row grants or revokes org-manager access to this specific organization. Toggling it off does not affect the user's access to other organizations or their location roles.

Adding a user to an organization

1. Click Add User.
2. Enter First Name, Last Name, and Email.
3. Set a Lock Password — used when the Waitlist screen lock is enabled at locations in this organization.
4. Toggle Basic, SMS, and Advanced report subscriptions to control which scheduled summary emails the user receives for locations in this organization.
5. Click Save. The user appears in the list immediately.

Editing an organization user

1. Click Edit on the user row.
2. Update the lock password or report subscriptions as needed.
3. Click Save.

Removing a user from an organization

Waitlists

Waitlists are created at the organization level and assigned to specific locations from within each location's Guestlist tab. A single waitlist can be shared across multiple locations. The recommended workflow is to create the waitlist structure here — including all areas — before setting up individual locations.

Creating a waitlist

1. Click Add Waitlist.
2. Enter a Name and Description.
3. Leave Active off if you want to finish configuring areas before making the waitlist available to locations.
4. Click Save. The waitlist appears in the list.
5. Click on the waitlist row to open its detail and add areas.

Removing a waitlist

Waitlist areas (org level)

Areas added at the org level create the base configuration that all locations using this waitlist inherit. Location managers can override individual settings from within their location's guestlist area tabs. At the org level, areas have four tabs: Settings, Default Messages, Notification Options, and Waitlist Form. The Programmed Notifications and API Settings tabs are only available when the area is accessed from within a location — they require the location context to function.

The Settings tab at the org level configures the area's Active state, name, description, Auto Clear timeout, and Target Wait Time. These values become the default for every location that uses this area. Individual locations can override them locally without affecting the org-level baseline.

Default Messages at the org level define the Confirmation, Notification, Check-in, and Cancel message templates that locations inherit. Location managers can customize the text for their specific location from within the location's guestlist area Default Messages tab without altering the org-level baseline.

Notification Options at the org level set the default pager hardware type (LRS Guest, Alpha Guest, or Both) and the default alert sound pattern. These defaults propagate to every location using this area and can be overridden per location.

The Waitlist Form tab at the org level opens the same Form Designer interface available at the location level. Fields added and configured here define the baseline form for all locations. Location managers can adjust field visibility and ordering for their specific location without changing the org-level form.

8. Admin / Account Owner

Account-level user management and auditing

Account admins and owners have access to System in the sidebar, which contains global user management and the auditing log. These features are not visible to org managers or location managers.

System › Users

The Users page lists every user in the account in one place. The Select Organization and Select Location dropdowns filter the list by access scope — useful in large accounts. The Role column shows each user's highest role: Account Admin, Organization Manager, or Account Owner. Account admins can reset passwords directly from the list without opening the edit form. The Account Owner's Remove action is permanently disabled.

Clicking Edit on a user opens a single form with two areas. The top User Profile section edits the user's name, email, and lock password. Below it, the Account Admin toggle and per-organization sections let admins control every permission in one place: org-manager access per organization, and location roles with report subscriptions — all without switching context.

System › Auditing

The Auditing tab logs every configuration change made across Dashboard, the Waitlist app, and the API — showing who made it, when, and what changed. Use the keyword search, application filter, and date range to narrow the list. Click Refresh to pull in changes since the page last loaded.

The Transactions tab shows the billing history for the account. Each entry shows which location was charged, the date, the amount, and the outcome — Success, Renewed, or Failed. Where available, a link to the invoice is included for follow-up.

9. Troubleshooting

Fix common Dashboard problems