HeyPeers Help Center | Meeting Waitlist: How it Works

Meeting Waitlist: How it Works

The meeting waitlist gives members a fair way to request a seat when a meeting is full. Members can add themselves to the waitlist until 10 minutes before the meeting, at which point the waitlist closes and Standby begins. If a seat becomes available, the system automatically offers it to the next person in line, giving them a chance to accept the seat and complete registration. The waitlist operates entirely in the background until the Standby window begins.

How the Waitlist Works

The meeting waitlist is fully automated. When a meeting reaches capacity, members can add themselves to the waitlist until 10 minutes before the meeting starts, at which point the waitlist closes and Standby begins. Once a member is on the waitlist, the system manages all seat offering automatically.

Here’s how the process works:

Seats are offered in waitlist order
If a registered member cancels or a seat becomes available, the system offers that seat to the next person on the waitlist. No manual action is required from Peer Supporters.

Members receive an invitation to claim the seat
The invited member is notified and must accept or reject the seat before the offer expires. Accepting the seat requires completing registration steps, including payment if applicable.

Each offer has an expiration time
The system calculates a deadline for each seat offer based on the time remaining before the meeting. If the member does not respond before the deadline, the offer expires.

If the member rejects or the offer expires, the seat moves to the next person
The system immediately offers the seat to the next waitlisted member. If no one else is waiting, meeting registration reopens to fill the seat.

The waitlist continues operating until 10 minutes before the meeting
Automatic seat offering continues right up to the 10‑minute mark. At that point, the waitlist closes and the Standby Room opens for waitlisted members.

Waitlist Statuses

Each member on the waitlist has a status that reflects where they are in the seat‑offering process. Peer Supporters can view these statuses in the waitlist roster.

Waiting
The member is on the waitlist and waiting for a seat to become available. No seat has been offered yet.

Offered
A seat has been offered to the member.

The member has been notified by email and/or text message.
The offer has an expiration time.
The member has not yet accepted or rejected the seat.

Expired
The member did not respond before the offer expired.

The seat has automatically moved to the next person in line.
If no one else is waiting, meeting registration reopens.

Rejected
The member declined the seat.

The seat is immediately offered to the next person in line.
If no one else is waiting, meeting registration reopens.

Seat Offer Expiration Rules

Each time the system offers a seat to a waitlisted member, it generates an expiration time. This is the deadline for the member to accept or reject the seat. The expiration time varies based on how soon the meeting is starting, ensuring members have a fair chance to respond while keeping the waitlist moving.

How the expiration time is calculated
The system uses the following rules to determine how long a seat offer remains open:

33% of the remaining time before the meeting starts + 10 minutes
Maximum hold time: 1 day
Minimum hold time: 10 minutes

What happens when the expiration time passes
If the member does not respond before the deadline:

The offer expires
The seat is automatically offered to the next person on the waitlist
If no one else is waiting, meeting registration reopens to fill the seat

These rules help ensure that seats are offered promptly and fairly, especially as the meeting start time approaches.

Enabling the Waitlist

Peer Supporters can choose to enable the waitlist when creating a new meeting or when editing an existing one. When the waitlist is turned on, members can add themselves to the waitlist whenever the meeting reaches capacity, up until 10 minutes before the meeting starts.

How to enable the waitlist
Whether creating a new meeting or editing an existing meeting, locate the Enable Waiting List option. Click the field to add a checkmark. Continue completing the form, then select Save to save your changes and activate the waitlist.

Waitlist Enabled
When the meeting's maximum registration count is reached, members will see a Join Waitlist button.

Waitlist Not Enabled
When the meeting's maximum registration count is reached, members will see Meeting Full.

Accessing the Waitlist Roster

Peer Supporters can view the waitlist at any time to see who is waiting for a seat and what each member’s status is.

From the My Meetings page, click the Registered count for your meeting.

The registration roster will be displayed. Click on the Waiting List tab to view the waitlist roster.

What you’ll see in the roster

All members currently on the waitlist will be listed. Additionally, you will see each member's place (position) in the waitlist and their waitlist status.

Managing the Waitlist Roster

Peer Supporters can take a small number of administrative actions on the waitlist roster. These actions are intended for situations where a correction is needed or when supporting a member who cannot complete the process on their own.

Click on the 3-dot menu icon at the end of the waitlist record. This opens a drop-down menu with options.

Removing someone from the waitlist
Peer Supporters can remove a member from the waitlist if the member no longer wishes to attend or if the entry was added in error. Select Remove from the drop-down menu to clear the member from the roster.

Registering a waitlisted member
Peer Supporters can manually register a waitlisted member when appropriate, such as when resolving a support issue or correcting a mistake. Manual registration moves the member directly into the meeting’s attendee list. To do so, select Register on the drop-down menu.

Important: When manually registering a member from the waitlist, the payment step is bypassed, and the Peer Supporter will not receive payment for that registration.

When the Waitlist Stops Offering Seats

The waitlist continues offering seats automatically until 10 minutes before the meeting starts. At that point, the waitlist closes and no new members can join.

Once the waitlist closes, members who are on the waitlist can enter the Standby Room, where they may still have an opportunity to join the meeting if seats become available during the Standby window.

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