We all know the saying that “time is money” and this can’t be more true when it comes to businesses that need to assist consumers with a particular service. How many times have consumers walked into a store, seen the “line” of people waiting, stopped in their tracks, turned around and left?

Every customer who visits a store wants to be serviced as quickly and efficiently as possible. Waiting for an extended period of time for assistance is not only frustrating, but it can also discourage customers from returning in the future. The perceived waiting time vs the actual waiting time is what makes a consumer decide whether they want to shop or not.

Queue management systems can help your business minimize frustration among your customers while improving efficiency by making sure they are always greeted by the next available employee.

What is a Queue management system

A queue management system is a tool that is used to assist with service delivery to customers in the most efficient order thereby reducing waiting times. These systems can include hardware and software systems to assist with service, manage consumer flow, and gather the necessary information for an improved customer experience. These systems can be implemented using a self-service kiosk, ticket system, digital signage, and electronic display systems.

Queue management system may include the following:
Online Appointment Booking
Virtual Queuing via smartphone
Customer and staff notifications
Real-time monitoring of operations
Customer Feedback Surveys

Benefits of Implementing a Queue management system

-May reduce customers' wait times by streamlining the planning of time allocations to staff and ensuring the business is allocating the most efficient staff execution plan. This will also give a good understanding on staff performance and workload enabling the business to make better staff decisions in the future.
-Allows businesses to optimize their customer flow by preventing long lines and bottlenecks that may appear.
-May improve overall customer experience by eliminating the need to stand in a line to wait for service. Customers can use this time to do their shopping or other errands as they will receive a notification when it’s their turn.
-Provides insightful feedback on how you can improve your business processes which could have a positive impact on your overall business turnover

By implementing a queuing management system you will be able to practically manage the customers interactions with your business from the first point of contact. It will help you manage customers expectations and make their time spent with you as smooth as possible, eliminating as much frustration as possible.