SMS updates
An SMS queue management system for every phone
No smartphone, no data, no WhatsApp? A text gets through anyway, so every customer can step away from the counter and still know when it's their turn.
No app to download · Live in 10 minutes · Free tier
One visit, by text
Queue event
Created
Attempted
Delivery result
Failure recorded
SMS
Fallback
A customer with a basic phone gives their number at the counter, then waits in the café next door. The "nearly ready" text brings them back in time.
Sample texts from one customer's visit
The basics
What is an SMS queue management system?
An SMS queue management system keeps customers updated on their place in line by text message. They give a mobile number when they join, and the system texts them when they're in, when their turn is close, and when you're ready for them. Texts don't need an app or a data connection, so they reach basic phones as well as smartphones. Wait Wherever is a queue management system with SMS notifications built in, alongside WhatsApp.
Staff don't type them
Texts go out on their own as staff run the queue. No inbox to watch.
In your words
Edit what each text says, for example to name the right door or desk.
No marketing texts
Customers agree to queue messages when they join. No promotions or broadcasts.
Who gets left out
Some customers can't follow a queue online
Most people can track their place on a status page or in WhatsApp. The ones who can't do the only safe thing: they stand by the counter so they don't miss their turn. An SMS queue system lets them wait somewhere else too.
Where a text gets through
Four customers a text still reaches
- A basic phone with no browser. They give their name and number at the counter, and staff add them to the same queue, in the order they arrived.
- No data left on their plan. Texts travel over the phone network, not the internet, so the updates still arrive.
- No WhatsApp. They get the same updates by text, with nothing to install.
- Would rather not tap links. They don't have to. Each text says where they stand and what to do next.
How it works
How SMS queue management works
From a mobile number to a customer at your counter.
They join with a mobile number
By scanning your QR code, opening your queue link, or giving it to staff at the counter.
A text confirms their place
It names your business and the queue, with a link to their place in line.
A text when their turn is close
The "nearly ready" text gives them time to get back from the car or a shop down the street.
A call when you're ready
Staff call them from the dashboard, and the "ready" text tells them to come to the counter now.
Continue exploring
Where SMS fits in the queue
Texts are one part of the queue. These pages cover the rest.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What your customers receive, and how the texts fit your queue.
What does a queue text message say?
Each text names your business and the queue, says where the customer stands, and tells them what to do next. The "nearly ready" text, for example, asks them to make their way back. There are four: joined, nearly ready, ready, and cancelled. You can also send an optional text after the visit asking how it went.
Do the texts need mobile data or an internet connection?
No. Texts travel over the phone network, so they arrive on a basic phone or on a smartphone with data switched off. The link to the customer's status page needs a connection to open, but the text itself tells them what they need to know.
Can one queue send WhatsApp to some customers and SMS to others?
Yes. Customers who use WhatsApp get their updates there, and everyone else gets the same updates by text. If you'd rather keep it simple, set the queue to SMS for everyone. The channel is a setting on each queue.
What if a customer's phone is off or has no signal?
The text waits on the network and usually arrives once the phone is back on. If they miss their call, staff can serve whoever is next and put them back in line when they arrive.
Get started
Every customer in the line, one text away
Set up a queue in about ten minutes and the texts are ready to go. No hardware to buy, no app for customers to install, and a free tier to start on.