Most clinics start with appointments. Patients call or message on LINE, the front desk writes each booking into the schedule, and on the day everyone arrives on time. Real life is messier. The 10:00 patient arrives at 9:30, the 10:30 patient is late, someone with a toothache walks in without booking, and the waiting room starts asking “who’s next?”.

Dental clinics, aesthetic clinics, general practices, physiotherapy clinics, pet clinics and small hospitals all see this.

This article explains a clinic queue that works in practice: start with the appointment, then give the patient a queue ticket on arrival, with a calling screen, LINE alerts and the PDPA points a clinic needs to watch.

Why a clinic needs both booking and a queue

Booking answers “when will the patient come?”. A queue answers “who’s here now, and who goes next?”. A clinic needs both.

With booking alone, the front desk doesn’t know which patients have arrived. Staff ask around the waiting room, or every patient reports to the counter, which crowds it.

With a queue alone, booked patients take a ticket like walk-ins, and may end up behind someone who walked in earlier, even with a booking made days ahead.

The best way is to make the two work together: book first, then a queue ticket on arrival.

How “book first, queue ticket on arrival” works

  1. 1The patient books onlineService, doctor or staff, day and time
  2. 2One tap on arrivalTap I'm here on the booking page, or scan the QR at the door
  3. 3Into the line at the booked timeWalk-ins fill the gaps between appointments
  4. 4Calling and alertsThe number shows in the waiting room, and LINE alerts go out

1. The patient books online

The patient picks the service, the doctor or staff member, the day and the time on a booking page that opens in LINE, and gets a confirmation and a reminder before the day. The booking side is covered in the online booking guide.

2. One tap on arrival

The booking page, opened from the link in the confirmation, has an “I’m here” button. It works in a window before the booked time, 30 minutes unless the clinic sets another. On arrival, the patient taps it, or scans the QR on the door, and gets a queue number straight away.

For a patient who doesn’t use a phone, the front desk taps “Arrived” on the booking.

3. Into the line at the booked time

Booked patients keep the place of the booked time. Walk-ins take a ticket from the door QR, or the front desk adds one, and fill the gaps between appointments. Everyone is in one line, and staff work from one list.

4. Calling and alerts

The doctor or nurse taps “Call next”. The number appears on the waiting-room display with a chime. A patient waiting in the car gets a LINE alert when the turn is near, and again on being called.

The booking message in LINE. View your booking opens the page with the I'm here button.

Privacy on the calling display (PDPA)

Many clinics still call patients by name, or show names on a screen, so everyone in the waiting room learns who is seeing the doctor and for what. Under Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), health information is sensitive data, so clinics need to take extra care.

The safer way:

  • The calling display shows queue numbers only, such as A013. No names, no treatments.
  • Patients see the details on the phone, through a private ticket link nobody else can open.
  • The front desk sees only what it needs. A separate “front desk” role shows the queue, not notes or other patient details.
  • Queue details you no longer need are deleted after a short time, keeping only the statistics.

This isn’t legal advice. Clinics should check their own privacy policy with a specialist.

[Screenshot: the calling display in a clinic waiting room, showing queue numbers only]

Does a clinic need a queue kiosk?

Large hospitals often use queue kiosks, because they see hundreds of patients a day and many are elderly. For clinics and small hospitals, an easier way is:

  • A QR on the door instead of a kiosk.
  • Any screen or tablet in the waiting room instead of a dedicated calling display.
  • The front desk adds tickets for patients who don’t use a phone.

If most of your patients are older people who don’t use smartphones, a kiosk that prints paper tickets is still useful. The detailed comparison is in you don’t need a queue ticket machine.

Separate lines per service

A clinic with several services can run separate lines with a letter prefix, for example:

  • A general check-up
  • B dental
  • C aesthetic treatments

Each service can be appointment only, queue only, or both. Aesthetic treatments might take appointments only, while general check-ups take both appointments and walk-ins. With Tellfox, a branch on Business or Pro can have up to 10 lines, and a branch on Starter has one.

A wait patients can see

Patients aren’t unhappy because of the wait itself, but because nobody says how long it will be. A ticket page that shows how many are ahead and the estimated wait lets each patient plan: sit and wait, run an errand, or come back later.

When the wait is long, a walk-in should be able to book a later time instead, right from the ticket page, rather than just leaving. The clinic keeps the patient, and the patient doesn’t wait for nothing.

A ticket page that shows how many are ahead, so patients can plan.

Pet clinics and waiting in the car

Pet clinics have their own problem: several animals in one waiting room get scared, bark or fight. A queue on the phone with LINE alerts lets pet owners wait in the car or outside, and come in when the turn is near. The waiting room gets much calmer.

Patients who come back after the visit

When the queue is linked to your patient list and stamp cards, a walk-in can become a regular patient: saved in your list, given a stamp card or a package, and invited back for a follow-up.

Tellfox is booking, customers, stamp cards and the queue for a clinic, and your medical records stay in your clinical system. For the wider picture, see clinic program and Tellfox for clinics.

The Tellfox queue for clinics

The Tellfox online queue is an add-on to booking in LINE:

  • Patients book online, then tap “I’m here” on the booking page to join at the booked time.
  • Walk-ins scan the QR on the door and get a number on a live page that opens in LINE or any browser.
  • The front desk taps “Arrived” or adds a ticket for patients without a phone.
  • The calling display runs on any screen or tablet you already have and shows numbers only.
  • At most two LINE alerts per ticket.
  • A “front desk” role that sees only the queue.
  • Walk-ins who join through LINE are saved as your patients.

The queue is an add-on per branch on the Starter, Business and Pro plans, which you add yourself in your account. See the queue prices, and read how booking and the queue fit together in book first, then get a queue ticket on arrival.

Frequently asked questions

How is a clinic queue different from booking?

Booking says when a patient will come. A queue says who’s at the clinic now and who goes next. A clinic with both booked patients and walk-ins should use them together.

Do walk-ins go ahead of booked patients?

No. Booked patients tap “I’m here” on the booking page and join at the booked time, and walk-ins fill the gaps between appointments.

Should a clinic’s calling screen show patients’ names?

No. Show queue numbers instead, for patients’ privacy and in line with PDPA. Each patient sees the details on the phone.

Does a small hospital need a queue kiosk?

Not always. A QR on the door, a screen in the waiting room and a front desk that adds tickets for people without a phone work well for clinics and small hospitals. A kiosk suits places where most patients don’t use smartphones.

Try it first

A clinic queue starts with good booking. Send a photo of your clinic’s price list or service list to Tellfox in LINE and see your booking page in seconds. Try it in LINE