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How Can I Automate the Waitlist?

IN BRIEF:
Learn how to use the “Send Waitlist Offer” Autopilot workflow to automatically offer available class openings to students on the Waitlist. This document explains how to prepare classes, customize communications, configure the workflow, and how families will receive and respond to offers.

Interactive Demos for configuring the "Send Waitlist Offer" workflow can be found in the Education Corner, accessible from the Office Portal's "Welcome" screen. Details about this workflow are included in Chapter 14 of the "Autopilot: Enabling and Configuring Workflows" demo.

Overview

The “Send Waitlist Offer” workflow is part of iClassPro’s Autopilot feature set. It allows staff to automatically notify families when a class opening becomes available and offer them the opportunity to enroll their student directly.

  • Applies only to class-based Waitlist enrollments that start on or before the date the workflow is triggered.
  • It does not apply to:
    • Classes with future start dates (including sessions or monthly start dates)
    • Camps (camp Waitlists must still be managed manually)

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Accessing and Configuring the Workflow

Step 1: Prepare Classes for Automation

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To be eligible for automation, classes must have the Waitlist Autopilot setting enabled.

  1. Navigate to the CLASSES page.
  2. Locate the class to be updated.
  3. Click on the pencil/edit icon next to the class.
  4. On the "Details" tab, scroll to the Autopilot Settings area.
  5. Enable Waitlist Autopilot.
  6. (Optional) Enable Allow Waitlist Offers if Requirements Not Met if you want to send offers even when a student does not meet class requirements.

These settings can be updated individually on each class, or staff can use the Classes Quick Edit tool to update them in bulk. Staff can use the "All Autopilot Settings" filters on the CLASSES page to quickly locate classes that have/do not have the "Waitlist Autopilot" option enabled.

Expected Behavior

The following is expected behavior based on these settings:

  • If "Waitlist Autopilot" is disabled, the "Send Waitlist Offer" workflow will not apply to the class and waitlist management will need to be handled manually by staff.
  • If "Waitlist Autopilot" is enabled, the "Send Waitlist Offer" workflow will apply to the class.
    • If the "Allow Waitlist Offers if Requirements Not Met" is disabled, the system will consider the basic class requirements outlined in the "Class Requirements" section of the Class Details tab, along with any "Auto-Approval Prerequisites" criteria, when determining whether the "Waitlist Offer" communication should be sent.
    • If the "Allow Waitlist Offers if Requirements Not Met" is enabled, the system will not consider any class requirement criteria and will send the "Waitlist Offer" communication regardless.

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Step 2: Customize the Communication Template

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Customize the “Waitlist Offer” message before enabling the workflow.

  • Navigate to SETTINGS > SETUP > GENERAL SETTINGS > COMMUNICATION TEMPLATES > AUTOPILOT.
  • Depending on the communication method(s) you will use, edit the “Waitlist Offer” template for:
    • Email
    • SMS
    • Push Notification

Click here for more information about customizing communication templates.

Communications triggered by Autopilot workflows will ALWAYS respect the email and SMS opt-in/opt-out status, including Waitlist offers. See our "Which Autopilot Workflows are Available?" document for more information about these workflows.

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Step 3: Configure the Workflow

  • How do I copy the workflow to my account?
    • Navigate to AUTOPILOT > WORKFLOWS.
    • Click Add New Workflow.
    • Locate the "Send Waitlist Offer" workflow in the list.
    • Click on the workflow to copy it to your account.
  • How is it triggered?
    • This is an Event-driven workflow. However, it can be triggered by two separate events:
      • Class Opening Available - Triggers the workflow to send communication at a specified time after an opening becomes available in a class (as defined by the "Wait For Action").
        • If no waitlist enrollments are found, the system will terminate the workflow.
      • Send Waitlist Offer Immediately - Triggers the workflow to begin immediately when a waitlist offer is manually sent by a staff member.
    • The workflow can also be configured as a Scheduled Event (Schedule-driven).
      • This trigger is optional and is disabled by default.
        • If enabled, the system will check for new class openings and trigger communications on the scheduled weekday(s)/time. The purpose of this secondary check is to catch openings caused by other means, such as staff editing a class to increase the maximum occupancy, or a deleted enrollment. Since increasing max occupancy and deleting enrollments don't technically qualify as "drops", the scheduled event ensures that these openings are considered to be filled by Waitlist enrollments.
          • If no waitlist enrollments are found, the system will terminate the workflow.
      • For instructions on configuring the workflow schedule, see “Configuring a Scheduled Event” in How Do I Copy and Configure Autopilot Workflows? 
  • What does it do?
    • Sends waitlist offer communication to customers when an opening becomes available in a class for which they are waitlisted. The offer will contain a time-sensitive link allowing the customer to accept the enrollment offer, decline the offer but keep the student on the waitlist, or decline the offer and remove the student from the waitlist.
  • Which communication template is used?
    • Waitlist Offer
  • Which criteria can be customized?
    • Trigger
      • Scheduled Event
        • Enable/Disable
        • Days
          • Select the day(s) of the week on which the workflow should be run to look for new openings.
        • Time
          • Select the time of day at which the workflow should be run to look for new openings.
    • Wait for Action
      • Defines how many days/hours/minutes the system should wait after an opening becomes available in the class before triggering communication with the customer.
        • NOTE: This period defaults to thirty (30) minutes. It allows the staff member time to fill the opening before the waitlist automation is invoked.
    • Repeat
      • Run up to "X" times
        • Defines the maximum number of times an offer will be made when repeating the actions if no response is received or the opening is declined before completely stopping the workflow. The workflow will end automatically if a customer accepts the opening, or all waitlisted enrollments have been notified.
          • NOTE: This value defaults to three (3) times.
    • Generate Offer for Next Family on Waitlist
      • Expire Offer after X Hours
        • Defines how long a waitlist offer will be valid before it expires
          • NOTE: This value defaults to four (4) hours.
      • Don't Create an Offer for Same Waitlist Within X Days
        • Defines how often the same family can be notified regarding the same waitlist enrollment.
          • NOTE: This value defaults to seven (7) days.
    • Send Communication by Family
      • Reply To Email
        • Defaults to the Location email address if none is provided.
      • Send Email / Send To All Emails
      • Send SMS / Send To All SMS
      • Send Push Notification

NOTE: Due to the interactive nature of the "Send Waitlist Offer" workflow, the system will apply the "Available SMS Hours" specified under SETTINGS>SETUP>GENERAL SETTINGS>SMS to ALL forms of communication (email/SMS/Push notification) that are triggered by the workflow.

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How Families Receive and Respond

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When a spot becomes available, families are notified via the selected communication methods.

  • Notifications may be sent by:
    • Email
    • SMS
    • Push Notification
  • Offers also appear:
    • On login to the Customer Portal
    • In the Mobile/Branded App

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Responding to Offers

To interact with Waitlist offers via the Mobile/Branded app, customers must have the most recent version of the app installed on their device.

Families can choose from the following options:

  • Yes, Enroll Me
    • Adds enrollment to shopping cart
    • Once checked out, creates an ACTIVE type enrollment and drops original the Waitlist enrollment
  • Decline
    • Declines the current offer, but keeps the student on the Waitlist for future offers
  • Remove From This Waitlist
    • Declines the current offer and deletes the Waitlist enrollment entirely
    • NOTE: This option will only be displayed if "Allow waitlist enrollment cancellation" is enabled under SETTINGS>CUSTOMER PORTAL>OTHER SETTINGS>CLASS REGISTRATION.
  • Cancel
    • Closes the offer without action; the offer remains available until expiration

View when following link from email/SMS/Push notification:

automated_waitlist_05.png

View from MY ACCOUNT>[Student]>ENROLLMENTS view:

automated_waitlist_06.png

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Important Notes

Additional Automation Logic

  • Only one instance of the workflow can run per class at a time
  • Students are prioritized by assigned priority group, then Waitlist enrollment date
  • Students from suspended families or those lacking contact information are skipped
  • Students in Punch Pass/Single Day only classes are not eligible
  • Families must have the Mobile/Branded App installed to receive Push notifications.

Waitlist offers and “Available SMS Hours”

The system will apply the "Available SMS Hours" specified under SETTINGS>SETUP>GENERAL SETTINGS>SMS to ALL forms of communication (email/SMS/Push notification) that are triggered by the workflow.

  • Example:
    • Offer sent at 4:00 PM
    • Set to expire in 6 hours
    • Communication window ends at 5:00 PM
    • Actual expiration = 9:00 AM next day

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FAQs & Troubleshooting

  • Can this workflow be tested before going live?
    • Yes, it is possible by creating a test class and a dummy enrollment to verify timing and message delivery.
      • NOTE: During testing, only the test class should have the Waitlist Autopilot option(s) enabled.
  • What occurs if no families respond?
    • If there are no responses from families, the workflow concludes after the configured number of retries or when the last offers expire.
  • Is it possible to send only emails, SMS, or push notifications?
    • Yes, the delivery channels can be individually selected when configuring the workflow.
  • Why did a family not receive the offer?
    • Verify whether the family has opted out of communications, lack sufficient contact details, or do not have the app installed (for push notifications only).
    • Ensure that the student meets the class requirements (if Allow Waitlist Offers if Requirements Not Met is disabled in the class “Autopilot Settings”).
  • Why are families not seeing the option to Remove From This Waitlist when responding to a waitlist offer?
    • This option will only be displayed if "Allow waitlist enrollment cancellation" is enabled under SETTINGS>CUSTOMER PORTAL>OTHER SETTINGS>CLASS REGISTRATION.

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Need more assistance?

Customer support is available at 1-877-554-6776 Mon - Fri, 9 am to 9 pm (CT) and Sat, 9 am to 6 pm (CT).