HelpSet up your lineServing order & fairness
Serving order & fairness
This is how one line decides who's called next. Change a setting and the line re-sorts.
Each line is separate. On the Locations hub, open a line's Line settings and go to the Serving order section, then pick the rule — it saves the moment you pick it, without needing Save changes; on a line with people already waiting, it asks you to confirm first.
Serving rule Served in arrival order — the appointment waits its turn.
Walk-in Appointment Now being called
The serving order
- A new line starts on Keep it fairA serving rule that lets a long-waiting walk-in move ahead, while still serving due bookings first. — the default.
| First come, first served Strict order | Keep it fair Popular Walk-ins + appointments — the default | Appointments first Appointment-led | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who's called next | Strict arrival order — only a true emergency or a priority visitor still goes first | Arrival order — but a long-waiting walk-in can pass a not-yet-due appointment | A due, checked-in appointment beats walk-ins — an emergency still goes first, and an absent appointment can be passed by someone present who's waited past the limit |
| Best for | A single walk-in line | A busy mix of both | Appointment-led venues |
| Walk-ins can move up | — | ✓ | yes — ahead of other walk-ins, never past an appointment |
| Max-wait safety net | — | ✓ | ✓ |
You pick between them in Line settings → Serving order. On a line that already has people waiting, changing it asks you to confirm first, because it can change who is called next.
Why did a visitor's position go backwards? On Keep it fair and Appointments first, a due appointment or a returning priority visitor can legitimately go ahead of someone who joined earlier.
- So a number that moved forward can look like it went backwards to the person watching their tracking page. It isn't an error — it's the rule you picked doing what it says.
The safety net — nobody waits too long
The max-wait limitA max-wait limit — a walk-in who has waited longer than it is bumped ahead of other walk-ins, but never past an emergency or a due booking. quietly moves a walk-in who passes it ahead of other walk-ins — never past an emergency or a checked-in appointment. It is the safety net that keeps nobody waiting forever.
Tune it in Max-wait limit; leave it unset and a sensible 20 minutes applies.
A blank box isn't off — it means 20 minutes Leave Max-wait limit empty and the control reads 20 min (our default) — blank means "use turnda's 20 minutes", and a walk-in past 20 minutes still gets moved up.
- If you want nobody moved, don't empty the box: switch the serving order to First come, first served.
- That is the one setting that genuinely turns the safety net off, and it greys the max-wait field out to say so.
No-shows & grace
When an appointment doesn't arrive by its slot, it's held for your no-show graceHow long a late appointment is held before it is marked a no-show. window, then marked a no-show. A called walk-in is never marked a no-show automatically — see Close a forgotten visitor after, below.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Honour late arrivals | A late appointment keeps its appointment priority instead of dropping to the back — held for up to about 12 hours. Turning it on switches the grace field off, because this setting does the holding instead. |
| Walk-up time (60 seconds unless you change it; 0–600) | How long a visitor usually takes to reach the counter after being called. Until then the lobby TV says “Please come to Counter 2” and the visitor can still leave from their phone; after it the TV says “Now serving” and leaving needs a staff member. 0 means no walking at all. |
| Close a forgotten visitor after (120 minutes unless you change it; 15–720, and it cannot be switched off) | If nobody presses Complete or No-show this long after a visitor was called, turnda closes the visit as “not recorded”, frees the counter and leaves it out of your figures — so a forgotten “now serving” never sits on the wall all day. You can still press Complete on them from the Queue later that day. Set it longer than your longest service. |
| Close leftover visitors after closing (30 minutes unless you change it; 10–360, and it cannot be switched off) | When the line has closed for the day and nobody is still being served, visitors left waiting are closed after this long. A line with no opening hours counts its day as ending at your shop's midnight (in your location's own time zone). |
| Close a visitor left on hold after (240 minutes — four hours — unless you change it; 15–1440, or blank for never) | Somebody you put on hold and nobody came back to is closed off the display once this runs out. Set it a bit longer than the longest you’d ever ask a person to step away, so nobody is dropped while they are still on their way back. |
Set it longer than your longest real service So nobody is auto-closed mid-appointment.
If it goes wrong Changed the serving order but nothing happened? When people are already waiting, the change asks first — "Change the serving rule?" — press Apply now to confirm, or Start tomorrow to keep today's order and start the new rule tomorrow (Cancel changes nothing). No-show grace greyed out? Honour late arrivals is on — it overrides the grace window.
Serving rules
26 settings Control type Setting What it does Default Affects
Serving orderServing order · Choice Keep it fair (a long-waiting walk-in can move up), First come first served (strict order, safety net off), or Appointments first (due appointments always go first). Changing it on a live line asks you to confirm. Keep it fair Line
Max-wait limit (min)Serving order · Number The safety net — a walk-in past this is bumped ahead of other walk-ins, never past an emergency or due appointment. Leave it blank and 20 minutes still applies: blank means “use turnda’s default”, not “off”, and the control says so — it reads “20 min (our default)”. (Until 19 Sep 2026 it read “Off”, which was simply untrue.) The only way to switch the safety net off is the First come, first served rule. Range 1–1440. 20 Line
Wait target (min)Serving order · Number The longest wait you aim for on this line. Analytics shows how many visitors waited longer than this. Blank = no target. It never changes who is called next. Range 1–600. No target Line
Close a visitor left on hold after (min)Serving order · Number Somebody put on hold and never picked back up is closed off the display once this runs out — four hours unless you change it. Set it longer than the longest you’d ever ask a person to step away, so nobody is dropped while still on their way back. Blank means never. Range 15–1440. (This ran on every line with no control anywhere until 19 Sep 2026: visitors vanished and the owner had no way to see why.) 240 LineStaff
Measure the wait asServing order · Choice Multi-stop lines only. Per stop = the safety net sees only the wait at this stop; Whole visit = it adds up the waiting across every stop so far. Time being served, and time while the line was closed, never count either way. Hidden on a one-stop line, where the two are identical. Per stop Line
No-show grace (min)Appointments · Number How long a late appointment is held before it is marked a no-show. Range 1–1440. 10 LineStaff
Honour late arrivalsServing order · Toggle On: a late appointment keeps its priority (up to 12h) and the grace field is disabled. Off: it re-joins as a walk-in. Off Line
Close a forgotten visitor after (min)Serving order · Number If nobody presses Complete or No-show this long after a visitor was called, turnda closes the visit as “not recorded”, frees the counter and leaves it out of your figures. Measured from the last call, so Call again gives a fresh clock. It cannot be switched off. Range 15–720. 120 LineStaffLobby TV
Walk-up timeServing order · Number How long a visitor usually takes to reach the counter after being called. Until then the lobby TV says “Please come to Counter 2” and the visitor can still leave from their phone; after it the TV says “Now serving” and leaving needs a staff member. 0 means no walking at all. Range 0–600. 60 LineLobby TVTracking page
Close leftover visitors after closingServing order · Number When the line has closed for the day and nobody is still being served, visitors left waiting are closed after this long and told on their phone. Always-open lines use their own idle rule. It cannot be switched off. Range 10–360. 30 LineStaff
ServicesServices · Choice Optional: ask each visitor what they came for. Use it only if your visitors come for different things that take different times. Off LineJoin pageBookings
Show appointments this early (min)Appointments · Number How far before its time an appointment appears in the live line. 0 = only when due. Range 0–1440. 120 LineBookings
Send “you’re almost up” at positionMessages & timing · Number When the heads-up goes out. 1 = only the next person; 3 = the top three. Range 1–10. 1 Tracking page
Appointment reminder lead (hrs)Messages & timing · Number How long before a booked time the single reminder is sent. Range 1–168 (up to a week). 24 BookingsTracking page
Appointment slot lengthAppointments · Choice The grid people self-book on — 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 min. Existing appointments keep their times. 30 min Bookings
Appointments per time slotAppointments · Number How many people can book the same slot. Range 1–99. 1 Bookings
Self-booking opensAppointments · Number The earliest time of day the online appointment grid offers a slot. Match your opening time. Range 12:00 AM–11:00 PM. 9:00 AM Bookings
Self-booking closesAppointments · Number The latest time of day the online appointment grid offers a slot — your last slot. Must be after opening; midnight is allowed for a late-closing place. Range 1:00 AM–Midnight. 5:00 PM Bookings
Appointment horizon (days)Appointments · Number How far ahead visitors can self-book. Range 1–365. 365 Bookings
Times a visitor may move their appointmentAppointments · Number How many times someone can change their own appointment from their appointment link. Lower it if the same people reschedule repeatedly — your staff can always move an appointment at the desk, and that never counts against this. Range 1–20. 5 Bookings
Online appointments one connection may make in an hourAppointments · Number How many appointments can be booked online in one hour from the same internet connection, such as your waiting-room wifi. The 7th is refused. Range 1–200. 6 Bookings
Check-in opens (min before)Appointments · Number Blank = check in any time on the day. 60 = a 3 pm appointment can check in from 2 pm. Range 5–1440. Blank BookingsJoin page
Minimum notice (min)Appointments · Number The soonest a visitor may book from now, so nobody grabs a slot ten minutes before it starts. 120 = they must book at least two hours ahead. Blank = no minimum, they can book the next free slot. It only limits what VISITORS can book — your staff can still add an appointment at the desk for any time. Range 1–43200 (up to 30 days). Blank Bookings
Open hoursOpen hours · Choice Always open (the line never closes on a schedule) or a weekly pattern with holiday closures. Outside its hours the line is closed — nobody can join — and it re-opens on its own, so there is nothing to switch back on in the morning. Always open LineJoin page
Visitor updates on this lineMessages & timing · Toggle One switch for WhatsApp and text messages — whichever your business uses. Off: nobody on this line is offered WhatsApp or text updates, for example a quick counter where people wait two minutes. They still get the free tracking link and the lobby TV, and email if email is on. On Join pageTracking page
Use email on this lineMessages & timing · Toggle Whether this line sends email. Off also stops the line asking for an email address. Same switch as the one on the Email page. With both channels off, visitors still get the free tracking link and the lobby TV. On Join pageTracking page
Capacity & privacy
19 settings Control type Setting What it does Default Affects
Capacity capCapacity & limits · Number Max in the line before new joins pause. Blank = no cap. No cap LineJoin page
Count the cap byCapacity & limits · Choice Tickets (one per party) or People (headcount — for occupancy/fire limits). Tickets Line
Largest party sizeCapacity & limits · Number The biggest group the join page and kiosk accept. Range 1–100. 100 Join page
Shown on the lobby TVVisitor page & privacy · Choice Numbers only (hides names on the TV) · Initials + numbers · Names + numbers. Private by default. Numbers only Lobby TV
Ticket number letterVisitor page & privacy · Text Optional letter before each number, e.g. A012. Blank = plain numbers. Blank Lobby TVTracking page
Let visitors pick who they wantVisitor page & privacy · Toggle Asks “Who would you like?” on the join page so a regular can request a particular person. It only appears when the line actually has staff assigned to it, so turning it on changes nothing until it does. Off keeps the join page simple where nobody has a preference. On Join page
Ask visitors for an email codeVisitor page & privacy · Toggle Before joining, a visitor types a six-digit code we email them, so nobody can take a place with a made-up address. The email box becomes required. Anyone who can’t get a code is sent to the counter. Off Join page
Let visitors confirm with an appointment codeVisitor page & privacy · Toggle Someone with an appointment for today types its code on the join page and is checked in as that appointment, not as a second walk-in. With only this on, people without an appointment are sent to the counter. Off Join page
Ticket number digitsVisitor page & privacy · Number Pads every ticket number out to at least this many digits, so 7 shows as 0007 at 4. It is padding, not a limit — a busy day that passes 9999 simply prints 10000 and nothing is refused or reused. 1 keeps plain numbers. Range 1–5. 1 Lobby TVTracking pageJoin page
First ticket number each dayVisitor page & privacy · Number The number the day’s first visitor gets; it starts again from here every morning. Set 1001 so a new business doesn’t look like it is on visitor 4. If someone from yesterday is still waiting, the first number of the new day is lifted above theirs so nobody is handed a number twice. Range 1–99999. 1 Lobby TVTracking pageJoin page
Last ticket number before it starts againVisitor page & privacy · Number Optional. With an end set, numbers run from the day’s first number up to this one and then start again from the beginning, skipping any number a visitor is still holding, so nobody ever holds the same number at the same moment. Blank = no end: numbers keep counting up. It must be above the line’s first ticket number. Range 2–99999. Off Lobby TVTracking pageJoin page
Show estimated wait on tracking linksVisitor page & privacy · Toggle Show an approximate wait time on each visitor’s tracking link. The lobby TV shows a wait only if you add a wait panel to its display. Off Tracking pageJoin page
Show no-show numbers on the TVLobby TV · Toggle A strip lists no-show numbers so the desk can call them back. On Lobby TV
Ask visitors to rate their visitFeedback & ratings · Toggle A completed visitor is invited to leave a 1–5★ rating on their tracking page. Off Tracking page
Ask for a written commentFeedback & ratings · Toggle Adds an optional comment box under the stars, so a visitor can say why. Only appears once you're asking for a rating. Off Tracking page
Notify the team on a low ratingFeedback & ratings · Number Notifies you when a visit is rated at or below this. Set it to 2 and a 1★ or 2★ arrives in your bell while the customer may still be in the shop. Blank = no alert. Range 1–4. Off Staff
Names shown as “up next”Lobby TV · Number How many upcoming visitors the display names. Range 1–20. 10 Lobby TV
Chime on callLobby TV · Toggle The lobby TV plays a short chime when a new visitor is called. Off Lobby TV
Pause new joinsCapacity & limits · Toggle People already waiting are unaffected; the join page shows “check back shortly”. Off Join page
Queue rules (staff latitude)
6 settings Control type Setting What it does Default Affects
Let staff serve out of orderStaff controls · Toggle Allow calling a specific person instead of the next in line. Off = strict order. Off Staff
Let staff grab & call a visitor from another counter or lineStaff controls · Toggle Allow taking over a visitor being served/held at a different counter. On Staff
Staff can change a visitor's journeyStaff controls · Toggle On: any staff member at the location can add, take out, put back and reorder the steps a multi-stop visitor has still to do, and change which counter a future step uses. Off: only managers and the owner can. Steps already done, and the one the visitor is at now, can never be changed either way. It is read from the line the visitor is in at the moment. On StaffTracking page
Staff can call this stop from their My stops screenStaff controls · Toggle On: a member of staff who serves several stops can call visitors for this one from their own My stops screen. Owners and managers always can. Off: a member of staff who already ticked this stop sees its card greyed with “Your owner turned this off for staff”; nothing else changes for them. Off for every business until you turn it on, so staff work as they do today. Off Staff
Send re-queued visitors to the backStaff controls · Toggle When a no-show/completed visitor is put back, send them to the back (on) vs keep their spot (off). On LineStaff
Sign a server out of their counter after (min)Staff controls · Number Frees a counter automatically if someone forgets to sign out. Range 1–1440. 15 Staff
Flags & banner
3 settings Control type Setting What it does Default Affects
Virtual countersStaff controls · Text Named places a visitor waits that are not a counter, such as “Waiting for blood results”. You make a list for each line and name each one yourself, up to 60 characters; the visitor reads the name on their tracking page. Staff park a visitor at one from the Queue and bring them back with “Call to my counter” or “Back in line at their place”. A virtual counter someone is still waiting at cannot be removed. Anyone still waiting at the line's closing time is closed for the day. — StaffTracking page
FlagsStaff controls · Text Reusable coloured labels staff put on a visitor — awareness only, never shown to the visitor, never change order. — Staff
Running-late bannerVisitor page & privacy · Text A free message shown on the TV and every tracking link — no WhatsApp or email sent. Blank Lobby TVTracking page
Owner & Manager can change all of these. Every row names the Line settings tab the control is on — open Locations → your line → Line settings and pick that tab. Defaults and ranges are checked against the running product on every build.
Related: Hold, no-show & putting people back