Managing the 6-Lane Kanban

Master the workflow of each lane on the Front Desk Board to keep client flow smooth and efficient.

Overview

The Reception Board uses a Kanban system with 6 lanes representing the complete client visit lifecycle. Each lane has specific rules, actions, and best practices to ensure smooth operations. Understanding when and how to move visits between lanes is key to efficient shop management.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Managing the Pending Lane

Purpose: Track scheduled appointments and unconfirmed visits before arrival

What appears here:

• Scheduled appointments for today (confirmed or unconfirmed status)
• Appointments scheduled for other dates (when viewing date range)
• Walk-in visits created by kiosk awaiting front desk verification

Morning workflow:

1. Review pending appointments at shop opening
2. Verify artist assignments for each visit
3. Check for any special notes or preparation requirements
4. Print consent forms or prep documents if needed
5. Watch for arrival time indicators as scheduled times approach

Key actions available:

• Check In: Move to Arrived when client shows up
• Mark No Show: If client doesn't arrive within grace period
• Reassign: Change assigned artist before arrival
• Edit Details: Update notes, phone number, or other info
• Excuse Late: Flag arrival as excused if client notifies in advance

Best practices:

• Check this lane every 15-30 minutes during busy hours
• Call clients running more than 15 minutes late
• Use color indicators: green (early), yellow (on-time), red (late)
• Keep pending lane organized by expected arrival time

Step 2: Managing the Arrived Lane

Purpose: Track clients who have checked in and are waiting for their artist

What appears here:

• Walk-ins checked in via front desk or kiosk
• Appointments that have arrived and been checked in
• Clients waiting in lobby for their assigned artist

Active monitoring:

1. Watch wait time badges - they update every minute
2. Alert artists when their client checks in (automatic notification sent)
3. Monitor for red borders indicating SLA breaches
4. Greet and engage with waiting clients to manage expectations
5. Reassign if artist is delayed or unavailable

Key actions available:

• Start Session: Artist begins work (moves to In Session)
• Seat Client: Assign workspace/station number
• Call Next: Mark client as next in queue for artist
• Reassign: Move to different artist if needed
• Mark No Show: If client leaves before session starts

SLA management:

• Default target: 10 minutes from check-in to session start
• Red border appears when target exceeded
• Consider reassigning if artist has long queue
• Communicate wait time estimates to clients

Best practices:

• Keep lobby stocked with water, magazines, WiFi password visible
• Check in with waiting clients every 5-7 minutes
• If wait exceeds 15 minutes, explain reason and offer options
• Use "Call Next" to signal artist to come get their client
• Reassign walk-ins to available artists if assigned artist is behind

Step 3: Managing the In Session Lane

Purpose: Monitor active tattoo sessions in progress

What appears here:

• All clients currently being worked on by artists
• Active session with elapsed time display
• Station assignments (if your shop uses them)

Monitoring responsibilities:

1. Verify all in-session visits have correct artist and station
2. Track session duration for scheduling purposes
3. Identify unusually long sessions that may affect schedule
4. Note which artists are busy vs available for walk-ins

Key actions available:

• Complete Session: Finish and move to Completed (artist-initiated)
• Add Notes: Update session details without completing
• View Details: Check original appointment details or client info

Front desk role:

• This lane is primarily artist-managed
• Front desk monitors for scheduling impact
• Use this data to estimate artist availability for walk-ins
• Check for payment processing if using automated deposits

Best practices:

• Don't interrupt artists during sessions unless urgent
• Use session durations to predict when artists will be free
• If walk-ins ask about wait times, reference In Session durations
• Track patterns (e.g., Artist A typically takes 90 min for sleeves)

Step 4: Managing the Completed Lane

Purpose: Track finished sessions and ensure proper checkout

What appears here:

• Sessions completed today
• Shows total session duration and completion time
• Links to payment records (if applicable)

End-of-session workflow:

1. Card automatically moves here when artist marks complete
2. Front desk greets client at checkout
3. Verify payment processed (if automated) or collect payment (if manual)
4. Provide aftercare instructions if not already given
5. Thank client and invite them to book next session

Key actions available:

• View Details: Full visit record with session notes
• Export Summary: Generate visit summary for records
• Archive: Remove from board (auto-archives after configurable hours)

Payment verification:

• Check for payment badge (green = paid, yellow = pending, red = failed)
• If payment failed, process manually and update visit
• Record external payments (cash, Venmo, Zelle) if applicable

Best practices:

• Keep completed lane visible throughout day for reference
• Archive visits at end of day to keep board clean (or use auto-archive)
• Review completed visits for any post-session follow-up needed
• Use completed data to analyze daily throughput and artist productivity

Step 5: Managing the No Show Lane

Purpose: Track clients who didn't arrive for scheduled appointments

What appears here:

• Appointments marked as no-show by staff
• Auto-marked visits (if shop uses automatic no-show after X minutes)
• Scheduled time and no-show timestamp recorded

When to mark no-show:

1. Client hasn't arrived 15+ minutes past scheduled time (or shop's grace period)
2. Client hasn't responded to calls/texts
3. No excuse or advance notice provided
4. Grace period has expired

Key actions available:

• Convert to Rescheduled: If client calls to apologize and reschedule
• View History: Check client's past appointment patterns
• Send Follow-up: Trigger automated "We missed you" message
• Add Notes: Record reason or context

Follow-up process:

1. Send automated SMS/email: "We missed you today at [time]"
2. Include link to reschedule
3. Track no-show rate per client and overall
4. Consider deposit requirements for repeat no-show clients

Best practices:

• Use "Excuse Late" before marking no-show if client communicates
• Document no-show patterns for shop policies (e.g., 3-strike rule)
• Review no-show rate weekly to identify trends
• Adjust grace periods based on client type (new vs regular)

Step 6: Managing the Cancelled Lane

Purpose: Track cancelled appointments for record-keeping and analysis

What appears here:

• Client-initiated cancellations (advance notice)
• Shop-initiated cancellations (artist sick, emergency closure)
• Rescheduled appointments (original cancelled, new one created)

Cancellation workflow:

1. Client or staff initiates cancellation
2. Record cancellation reason (dropdown or free text)
3. Note if rescheduled or not
4. Card moves to Cancelled lane
5. Automated notification sent to client confirming cancellation

Key actions available:

• View Details: Full cancellation record with reason
• Reschedule: Create new appointment from cancelled one
• Archive: Remove from today's view

Tracking cancellation data:

• Monitor cancellation rate per artist and overall
• Identify patterns (e.g., high cancellations on Mondays)
• Track advance notice (>24 hours vs <24 hours)
• Assess impact on shop revenue and artist utilization

Best practices:

• Require 24-48 hour notice for cancellations (enforce with deposits)
• Waive cancellation fees for emergencies or first-time cancellations
• Archive cancelled visits daily to keep board clean
• Use cancellation data to adjust scheduling practices

Lane Transition Rules

Valid Transitions

Invalid Transitions (Blocked)

• Pending → In Session: Must check in first
• Pending → Completed: Must go through Arrived and In Session
• Arrived → Completed: Must start session first
• Completed → Arrived: Can't reverse completion (create new visit instead)
• No Show → In Session: Can't restart a no-show (create new visit instead)

Transition Confirmations

Some transitions require confirmation or reason:

• Mark No Show: Requires reason/notes
• Reassign during session: Requires handoff notes
• Cancel after check-in: Requires cancellation reason

Drag-and-Drop Workflow

How to Use Drag-and-Drop

1. Click and hold any visit card
2. Drag to target lane
3. Drop in lane to trigger transition
4. Confirm if required (popup appears)
5. Card animates to new position

Drag-and-Drop Best Practices

• Use for quick transitions: Faster than clicking action buttons
• Avoid invalid moves: System prevents invalid drops
• Watch for confirmation prompts: Don't drag if you need to add notes
• Use keyboard shortcuts: Hold Shift while dragging to force reassign dialog

When NOT to Use Drag-and-Drop

• When you need to add detailed notes (use action button + form)
• When reassigning (use Reassign action for artist selection)
• When system requires additional data (payment, reason, etc.)

Tips

• Review all lanes at start/end of shift: Ensure no visits stuck in wrong status
• Use lane counts for capacity planning: Too many in Arrived = need more artists
• Set auto-archive rules: Automatically clean Completed/Cancelled lanes nightly
• Train staff on transition rules: Everyone should know valid moves
• Use lane colors as visual cues: Red borders = action needed
• Monitor In Session for scheduling: Predict when artists will be free
• Keep Arrived lane as empty as possible: Long waits = poor experience

Common Issues

• Issue: Card won't move to another lane

Solution: Check transition rules table. Some moves require specific conditions (e.g., can't go from Pending to In Session without checking in first). Use appropriate action button instead of drag-and-drop.

• Issue: Too many visits stuck in Arrived lane

Solution: This indicates wait time bottleneck. Options: (1) Reassign walk-ins to available artists, (2) Ask artists to start next client, (3) Communicate longer wait times to clients, (4) Consider hiring more artists or adjusting scheduling.

• Issue: Completed lane is cluttered with old visits

Solution: Archive completed visits manually (click archive icon) or enable auto-archive in settings (Settings > Reception Board > Auto-archive after 24 hours).

• Issue: Client appears in wrong lane

Solution: Check visit details to confirm current status. If status is correct but lane is wrong, refresh the page. If still incorrect, manually move using action buttons or drag-and-drop to correct lane.

• Issue: No Show lane has visits that should be Arrived

Solution: Auto-no-show may be triggered too aggressively. Adjust grace period in settings (Settings > Visit Settings > Late Threshold). Convert mismarked visits back by creating new visit for the client.

Updated on: 19/01/2026