Fair drop-ins and booked advice, without the clipboard
Clients book an appointment online or join today's drop-in queue from a QR code. Volunteers see who's next, and nobody waits without knowing roughly how long.
Sound familiar?
Queues out of the door
People arrive early to be seen first, then wait for hours without knowing if they'll be seen at all.
Volunteers juggling lists
Paper sign-in sheets, a separate appointment diary and a spreadsheet that's always out of date.
Sensitive situations
Clients shouldn't have to say why they're visiting in front of a queue.
Up and running in 3 steps
Add your advisers and volunteers
Set who sees clients and when. Front-desk volunteers can run the queue without seeing appointments in detail.
Set up drop-in and appointment sessions
For example a morning drop-in queue and afternoon bookable appointments.
Share the link and QR code
On your website, your door and your referral partners' leaflets.
Everything you need, nothing you don't
Honest wait times
Clients see their place and an approximate wait, updated as people are seen.
Ask for as little as possible
Name only, or no details at all for walk-ins. A reason for visiting is never required.
Drop-ins and appointments share time
Keep a share of each adviser's time for walk-ins so drop-ins aren't squeezed out.
Roles for volunteers
Front desk can add walk-ins and call people forward. Advisers see their own list.
Simple numbers for funders
Seen, missed and walk-in counts for each day, without exporting personal details.
Works on any phone
No app to install, works on slow connections, and clients can leave the queue themselves.
Start with these services
Every setting can be changed later. All of these work on the free plan.
- Drop-in advice20 minutes · free · walk-in queue, weekday mornings
- Advice appointment45 minutes · free · bookable, afternoons
- Follow-up call15 minutes · free · bookable
A typical day
- 9:30
The doors open. Clients scan the QR code by the entrance and wait somewhere warm instead of in a line.
- 10:15
The drop-in is full for today. New arrivals are told straight away and offered the next bookable appointment.
- 14:00
Booked clients check in from their private link. The adviser's list shows who has arrived.
- 17:00
The end-of-day summary shows how many were seen and missed, ready for your monthly report.
Questions
Is Calnify suitable for case records?
No. Use it for times and queues. Keep case notes in your case management system.
Can clients book without an email address?
Yes. You choose which details are required, and walk-ins can join with no details at all.
How long do you keep client details?
You set a retention period. After it, names and contact details are deleted automatically.
Do you charge charities?
There's a free plan for one location with up to two staff, which covers most small drop-ins.
Further reading
Running a fair drop-in: queues for food banks, advice sessions and community centres
How to make drop-in sessions fairer and more dignified, without adding work for volunteers.
GuidesBooking data and UK GDPR: what small organisations should collect (and what to leave out)
A practical, plain-English look at data minimisation and retention for appointment and queue systems. Not legal advice.
GuidesWhat is a virtual queue? A plain-English guide for small organisations
How virtual queues work, when they beat a physical line, and how to run one with a QR code and no app.
Get your booking page live today
Free for one location. No card needed. Your visitors never need an app.