Top Tips for Booking Locums on Airlocum
These are the proven strategies that Airlocum's most successful practices use to fill dental locum shifts quickly and reliably — whether they need a dental nurse for tomorrow morning or a last-minute hygienist cover the same day. Following these tips can take your fill rate to over 91%, often with confirmation in under 15 minutes.
⚡ Quick summary ✔ Send one request to 30+ locums for urgent shifts ✔ Never split the same shift across multiple separate requests ✔ Use filters to target — but don't over-filter on short-notice bookings ✔ Trust the automated rebooking system: it resends after 2 hours if no one accepts ✔ Build a Favourites list of 15–30 locums for repeat bookings |
The Tips
Tip 1 Send one request to 30+ locums The more locums who receive your request, the faster your shift will fill. Airlocum works like Uber for dental staffing — you send one request, and the first available professional to accept secures the job. The booking then closes automatically. Practices who send to 30 or more locums simultaneously achieve a 91% fill rate, typically within 15 minutes. All locums on Airlocum are GDC-verified and pre-vetted. Broad reach does not mean lower quality. 📊 92% fill rate when 30+ locums are contacted |
Tip 2 Send one request — never split the same shift Avoid sending multiple separate booking requests for the same shift. Send one request to a large pool. The booking closes automatically the moment the first locum accepts — only one professional is ever confirmed |
⚠️ What if you already sent two requests? Contact Airlocum via live chat immediately. The team can cancel one booking with no penalties and ensure the locum is notified promptly. Ask to speak to a person for fastest resolution. |
Tip 3 Stay in control with the deselect tool You do not have to send your request to every locum in the results. Before confirming, click the green checkmark on any profile to deselect individual locums you prefer not to contact — for example, someone you've worked with before whose approach didn't suit your practice. This lets you maximise reach while keeping full control over who receives your request. |
Tip 4 Use filters wisely — but don't over-filter urgent shifts Airlocum's search filters (price, distance, skills) help you target the right locums for planned or specialist shifts. However, applying too many filters on a short-notice booking can shrink your pool dramatically and reduce your chances of a fast fill. For planned shifts: apply skills, distance, and price filters freely to get the right fit. For same-day or urgent dental locum cover: minimise filters and send to the widest possible pool. Speed should be the priority. Use the Favourites filter if you have a curated list of 15–30 trusted locums — this keeps quality high without sacrificing reach. |
Tip 5 Trust the automated rebooking system If no locum accepts your initial request, Airlocum automatically resends it after 2 hours — using exactly the same filters you applied. You do not need to do anything. The rebooking system has a 94% success rate and ensures your shift gets covered even if your first-choice locums are unavailable. While waiting, contact support if you're concerned — they can check availability directly 📊 94% of rebookings successfully find coverage |
💡 Bonus tip: Build a Favourites list Add locums you've worked with successfully to your Favourites list. Aim for 15–30 locums. Use the 'My favourites first' filter when booking to re-engage trusted professionals directly. When you use this filter, Airlocum's automated rebooking system will also stay within your approved list — giving you speed and quality control at the same time. See: How to Build and Use Your Favourites List → |
How Airlocum Works (for Context)
Airlocum is a UK dental locum staffing platform that connects dental practices directly with verified temporary dental professionals — including dental nurses, dentists, hygienists, therapists, and receptionists — without going through a traditional agency. When you send a booking request, it goes simultaneously to all selected locums. The first professional to accept secures the job. There are no phone calls, no back-and-forth, and no agency markup. The average service fee is around £29 per day, compared with £30–80 with traditional dental staffing agencies.
