Do You Charge To Put Clients On Your Wait List?

[CityGarden]

There is no fee here. In my area, I have a hard enough time getting people in off the Waiting List if they've been waiting for longer than one month or so.

I have an imaginary Waiting List and a real Waiting List. The real Waiting List has people I feel WOULD be a good fit (with stars by their names) and people who MIGHT be a good fit (no star by their name).

I use a pre-interview questionnaire of 10 questions before adding them.

Would you be willing to PM me your pre-interview questionnaire? Also do you call them prior to the tour/interview? Most contact me via email on my website contact us form it does include their phone number but I typically respond via email.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Would you be willing to PM me your pre-interview questionnaire? Also do you call them prior to the tour/interview? Most contact me via email on my website contact us form it does include their phone number but I typically respond via email.

Sure thing!
No, I do not call them. If they call me to inquire then I always ask for their e-mail address to send all of the information to them. I always have inquiries e-mail addresses so once we schedule the Meet and Greet I add the following...
"This time is reserved especially for your family. Please provide no less than 3 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule. Barring extenuating circumstances, missed or late arrivals will not be rescheduled. Thank you!"

[ilgirltrist11]

I don't charge a fee. My wait list has gone down considerably. I just called everybody that I've had on my wait list back in April and half didn't need childcare anymore and the other half never called back. Now I have about 4 people on my list.

[Blackcat31]

I do not charge families on my waitlist but I DO interview them before allowing them to be on the waitlist.

Then I e-mail everyone on the list monthly.
They must reply back within 3 business days or their name is removed from the list.

If a family takes the time to interview/tour with me and replies to my monthly e-mails, they WANT to be on the list so it works great for me.

I had a family unexpectedly leave a couple weeks ago.
Same day I was notified (a Friday)was their last day in care.

I enrolled a child from my waitlist.
Child started the following Monday

So one out, one in....all done within a very short period of time and NO business was conducted over the weekend because the family on the list had already done everything except pay their first two weeks and show up.

Easy peasy.

[trix23]

You do an in-person meet and greet for wait list people?

[Blackcat31]

You do an in-person meet and greet for wait list people?

Absolutely! I want to take care of as much PRE-enrollment stuff I can before enrolling.

Saves time and makes filling vacancies efficient.

It also reiterates a potential families desire to be enrolled here verses anywhere that has space available.

Like I said, potential families aren't willing to go through all those steps (interview/tour etc) unless they are serious about enrollment here.

[hwichlaz]

I'm not arguing, just genuinely asking because it seemed off topic.

In my area, and even what I've noticed, is that parents just go hopping around, putting themselves on wait lists to get the first opening. They aren't looking for the right fit, just putting their name on any list they can find.

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What's your process for screening people to put on the waitlist? Questionnaire? Phone interview?

They do this here too, because there is a child care shortage....at crisis level. So it's necessary.

[trix23]

Maybe. But it wastes my time.