Compare the operating models
In this fictional example, Lee has a 10:30 appointment. Bo receives walk-in token Q8 without a promised start. Showing Bo as another 10:30 appointment would invent a commitment and obscure the reception team’s queue.
| Business requirement | Scheduled appointment | Walk-in queue entry |
|---|---|---|
| Customer sees | Confirmed time and service | Token/position, with any estimate separate |
| Reception action | Match arrival to booking | Create and call queue entry |
| Operational record | Appointment start/end | Arrival, queue state and actual call |
Work through the chosen model
Keep the appointment list and queue linked by service/provider context, but preserve their separate promises. Record booked arrivals without inventing walk-in bookings; record actual service starts for both. The supplied reception policy must say how appointments and walk-ins interleave.
- Identify booked arrival or walk-in
- Check in or issue queue token
- Call under supplied desk policy
Queues absorb unscheduled demand but estimates can vary. Appointments support planning but require a clear late-arrival policy.
Lee remains the 10:30 booking; Bo remains Q8. A later actual start of 10:42 is recorded on Bo’s queue service record, not retrospectively advertised as his promised booking time.
When the other model fits
Every visitor now gets an exact scheduled slot before arrival. Is a walk-in queue needed?
Show the worked answer
Not for that offer. A waiting display may still exist, but it should use scheduled arrival/service records.