A notes app called 'waiting list'
An artist's books have been closed for four months. Whenever someone messages, she says she'll add them to her waiting list, and types a name into a note on her phone. Sometimes she saves the DM instead. Sometimes the front desk adds people to a separate list in the studio's notebook. When she reopens books, she posts on Instagram, and the people on her list find out the same way as everyone else, if they find out at all.
Meanwhile, another artist at the same studio has space and does similar work, and nobody offered any of those people to her.
Lists kept by people, not by the studio
| Where the list lives | What goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Artist's notes app | No contact details, lost if the phone is |
| Saved Instagram DMs | Hard to search, disappears in a busy inbox |
| Studio notebook | Separate from the artists' lists |
| Screenshots | No idea, size or date attached |
Nobody knows who is on which list, how long they have been waiting or what they want, so the list cannot be used for anything except a vague feeling of demand.
Clients drift away while waiting
People on a list who hear nothing for months assume they were forgotten, and many go elsewhere. The studio cannot offer waiting clients to artists with space. When books reopen, loyal waiting-list clients compete with everyone else and feel let down. And the studio has no idea how much demand each artist has, which matters when deciding whether to take on another artist or guest spots.
How we build a studio waiting list
- A waiting list form on your website and linked from each artist's Instagram collects name, contact, idea, placement, size, style, preferred artist and whether another artist would be acceptable.
- Everyone gets a confirmation saying what happens next, in your words, so they know they are on the list.
- The list is visible to the studio and each artist, filterable by artist, style and date joined.
- When an artist opens books, their waiting list is invited first, with a window before the public opening if the artist wants.
- When another artist has space, people who said they would accept a similar artist are offered that option.
- People who have been waiting a long time get an occasional update, and anyone can remove themselves with a link.
What order people are invited in, and whether the waiting list gets priority, is the artist's and studio's choice. The system simply applies it.
A waiting list that turns into bookings
People on the list know they are on it and hear when something changes. Artists open books to a list of people who already want their work. Artists with space can fill it from the studio list rather than from nothing. The owner can see demand per artist and style, which helps with decisions about guest artists and apprentices.
The front desk gets a proper answer to give. When someone rings or walks in asking about an artist whose books are closed, they are added to the list in under a minute, with their idea recorded, instead of being told to keep an eye on Instagram. For a walk-in who is keen but flexible, the desk can see straight away whether another artist with a similar style has space this month.
When an artist leaves the studio or changes style, the list does not vanish with their phone. The studio can contact the people waiting for them and offer an alternative, which keeps goodwill that would otherwise be lost.
Is your waiting list really a list?
- Waiting lists live in artists' phones or DMs.
- People on the list find out about books opening from Instagram.
- Artists with space never see other artists' waiting clients.
- Nobody knows how many people are waiting.
- People ask whether they are still on the list.