Monitoring Wait Times and SLA

Track client wait times and service level agreement (SLA) compliance to maintain exceptional shop operations.

Overview

Wait time is the duration from when a client checks in to when their session starts. Service Level Agreement (SLA) compliance measures what percentage of visits meet your shop's wait time target. The Reception Board displays real-time wait times and calculates SLA metrics automatically, helping you identify bottlenecks and maintain high-quality client experiences.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Understanding Wait Time Calculation

What is wait time?

• Start point: When client checks in (enters Arrived lane)
• End point: When artist starts session (moves to In Session lane)
• Display: Shows as minutes on visit card (e.g., "Waiting 8 min")

Wait time components:

• Check-in time (recorded when client arrives)
• Session start time (recorded when artist begins work)
• Elapsed minutes = Difference between these timestamps

Example:

• Client checks in at 2:00 PM
• Artist starts at 2:12 PM
• Wait time = 12 minutes

Step 2: Locating Wait Time Indicators

On visit cards in Arrived lane:

• ⏱️ Wait time badge: Shows minutes elapsed (updates every minute)
• 🟢 Green: Within SLA target (under 10 min default)
• 🟡 Yellow: Approaching SLA limit (8-10 min)
• 🔴 Red: Exceeds SLA target (over 10 min)

On metrics panel (top right of Reception Board):

• Average Wait Time: Mean wait time across all completed visits today
• SLA Compliance: Percentage meeting your target
• Current Waiting: Count of clients in Arrived lane

Step 3: Setting Your SLA Target

Default SLA target: 10 minutes from check-in to session start

To change SLA target:

1. Go to Settings > Visit Settings
2. Find "SLA Target Minutes" field
3. Enter your desired target (recommended: 10-15 minutes)
4. Click "Save"
5. New target applies immediately to Reception Board

Recommended targets by shop type:

• High-volume walk-in shops: 15 minutes
• Appointment-focused shops: 10 minutes
• Premium/boutique shops: 5 minutes
• Mixed model shops: 10-12 minutes

Step 4: Monitoring Real-Time Wait Times

During active operations:

1. Keep Reception Board visible on front desk screen
2. Check Arrived lane every 5-10 minutes
3. Watch for red badges indicating SLA breaches
4. Note which artists have longest wait times
5. Take corrective action when needed

Proactive monitoring checklist:

• Are any wait times over 10 minutes? → Alert artist or reassign
• Is one artist's queue much longer than others? → Rebalance
• Are walk-ins waiting longer than appointments? → Adjust priorities
• Is average wait time trending up during the day? → Slow down check-ins

Step 5: Reading the Metrics Panel

Metrics panel displays:

Total Visits: Count of all visits today (all lanes)

• Includes completed, in-progress, pending, and no-shows
• Updates in real-time as clients check in

Average Wait Time: Mean wait time in minutes

• Only includes completed and in-progress visits
• Excludes pending, no-shows, and cancelled
• Target: Keep below your SLA target

Late Arrivals: Count of clients who checked in late

• "Late" defined by grace period setting (default: 5 minutes past expected)
• Excludes excused late arrivals
• High late arrival rate may indicate scheduling issues

SLA Compliance: Percentage meeting target

• Formula: (Visits meeting target / Total completed) × 100
• Target: 85% or higher
• Updates as each visit completes

Example metrics:

Total Visits: 24
Average Wait Time: 8 min
Late Arrivals: 3
SLA Compliance: 87.5%

Step 6: Improving SLA Compliance

When SLA compliance drops below 85%:

Immediate actions:

1. Reassign walk-ins: Move clients from busy artists to available ones
2. Alert artists: Notify artists with long queues to pick up pace
3. Adjust check-in rate: Space out new walk-in check-ins
4. Communicate with clients: Set realistic wait time expectations

Long-term improvements:

1. Adjust scheduling: Leave buffer time between appointments
2. Hire more artists: If consistently at capacity
3. Implement appointment-priority: Ensure appointments start on-time
4. Train artists: On time management and client flow

SLA Compliance Calculation

How SLA is Calculated

Formula:

SLA Compliance % = (Visits meeting target / Total completed visits) × 100

Example calculation:

• Total completed visits today: 20
• Visits meeting 10-minute target: 17
• Visits exceeding target: 3
• SLA Compliance = (17 / 20) × 100 = 85%

What counts:

• ✅ Included: Completed visits with both check-in and start times
• ✅ Included: In-progress visits (counted if wait was within target)
• ❌ Excluded: Pending visits (not yet checked in)
• ❌ Excluded: No-shows and cancelled (never started)
• ❌ Excluded: Walk-ins without expected time (no arrival baseline)

SLA Compliance Benchmarks

Industry Standards

• Tattoo industry average: 75-85% SLA compliance
• Top-performing shops: 90%+ SLA compliance
• Walk-in focused shops: 70-80% acceptable (more variability)
• Appointment-only shops: 85-95% target (more control)

Common Wait Time Issues

Issue 1: One Artist Has Long Wait Times

Symptoms:

• Specific artist's clients consistently wait 15+ minutes
• Other artists have short or no wait times
• SLA compliance drops when that artist works

Root causes:

• Artist is slow/meticulous
• Artist books appointments too close together
• Artist is most popular (high demand)
• Artist takes extra consultation time

Solutions:

1. Reassign walk-ins: Don't add walk-ins to busy artist's queue
2. Adjust scheduling: Give that artist longer appointment slots
3. Coach on time management: Help artist improve efficiency
4. Increase staff: Hire junior artist to assist with prep/cleanup

Issue 2: Morning vs Afternoon Wait Time Discrepancy

Symptoms:

• Mornings have short wait times, afternoons have long waits
• SLA compliance is good early, degrades later in day
• Artists seem more rushed in afternoon

Root causes:

• Appointments run longer than scheduled
• Cumulative delays compound throughout day
• More walk-ins in afternoon
• Artist fatigue

Solutions:

1. Build in buffer time: Schedule 15-min breaks every 3 hours
2. Limit afternoon walk-ins: Reserve afternoon for appointments
3. Review morning SLA: Ensure realistic appointment durations
4. Stagger artist start times: Have some artists start mid-morning

Issue 3: All Wait Times Consistently High

Symptoms:

• Average wait time always above target
• SLA compliance consistently below 70%
• All artists affected

Root causes:

• Understaffed (not enough artists for demand)
• Overscheduled (too many appointments per day)
• Unrealistic SLA target
• Front desk checks in clients too early

Solutions:

1. Hire more artists: Increase capacity
2. Reduce daily bookings: Leave more space in schedule
3. Adjust SLA target: Raise to 15 minutes if 10 is unrealistic
4. Change check-in process: Ask clients to wait until artist is ready

Wait Time Management Strategies

Strategy 1: Dynamic Artist Assignment

How it works:

• When walk-in checks in, assign to artist with shortest queue
• Monitor In Session lane to predict when artists will be free
• Reassign if assigned artist gets delayed

Implementation:

1. Use "Next Available" when adding walk-ins
2. Check In Session durations to estimate availability
3. Reassign proactively if wait exceeds 10 minutes

Results:

• More even distribution of clients across artists
• Reduced max wait time
• Improved SLA compliance

Strategy 2: Appointment-Priority Model

How it works:

• Appointments always start on-time
• Walk-ins fill gaps between appointments
• Walk-ins may wait longer, but appointments meet SLA

Implementation:

1. Check appointment expected times in Pending lane
2. Don't add walk-ins if appointment arriving soon
3. Alert artist 5 min before appointment arrival
4. Start appointments on-time even if walk-in waiting

Results:

• High SLA compliance for appointments (90%+)
• Lower SLA for walk-ins (70-80%)
• Overall better client experience for scheduled clients

Strategy 3: Wait Time Communication

How it works:

• Inform clients of estimated wait when checking in
• Update clients if wait time changes
• Offer options (wait, reschedule, different artist)

Implementation:

1. Check artist queue length before check-in
2. Tell client: "Artist is finishing a session, about 15 min wait"
3. Give options: "You can wait, or I can schedule you for tomorrow"
4. Update client if artist runs late: "5 more minutes, thanks for waiting"

Results:

• Clients less frustrated by waits
• Fewer walk-outs mid-wait
• Better reviews even with longer waits

Tips

• Check metrics panel hourly: Review SLA and average wait time every hour to catch trends
• Set realistic targets: Don't make SLA target too aggressive (10-15 min is reasonable)
• Use wait time for reassignment decisions: Reassign if one artist's clients wait 2x longer than others
• Track patterns by day/time: Note if Saturdays always have longer waits (consider hiring)
• Train artists on efficiency: Help artists work faster without sacrificing quality
• Communicate proactively: Tell clients about waits before they ask
• Reward good SLA performance: Recognize artists who consistently meet targets

Common Issues

• Issue: SLA compliance shows 0% but clients aren't waiting long

Solution: SLA calculation requires completed visits with both check-in and start times. If no visits have completed yet today, SLA will show 0% or N/A. Wait until first few sessions complete for accurate metric.

• Issue: Wait time badge shows negative number

Solution: This indicates a data issue. Check-in time or session start time may be incorrectly recorded. View visit details and verify timestamps. Contact support if issue persists.

• Issue: Average wait time much higher than visual observation

Solution: Average includes all completed visits for the entire day. Check if earlier in the day had long waits that are bringing up the average. Review individual visit details to identify outliers.

• Issue: Client says they waited longer than badge shows

Solution: Wait time badge only tracks check-in to session start. Client may be including time before check-in (parking, finding shop) or consultation time. Explain what the metric measures.

• Issue: SLA target setting doesn't affect board colors

Solution: Refresh the Reception Board page after changing SLA target. Browser may be caching old target value. Clear cache if issue persists.

Updated on: 19/01/2026