Introduction to Queuing System Tech
Without solutions such as a queuing system, waiting in line is something we've accepted as an annoying aspect of our everyday lives. Whether you are shopping, heading to a doctor's office, or getting your license plate renewed, you can expect significant wait times just about everywhere you go. Standing in physical lines is agitating and tiring, but we tell ourselves it is just the cost of doing business.
The average person living in a city will spend five years of their lifetime waiting in line, a genuinely depressing length of time. This doesn’t have to be the case.
Technology is completely reshaping how we live our lives. It is changing how we talk to each other, how we entertain ourselves, how we work. Just about every aspect of our lives is dramatically impacted by technology. So, in this world of digitalization and innovation, why is it that so many people have to waste their valuable time waiting in lines? Crowded lines are antiquated systems of acquiring a product or service. Businesses now have opportunities to render long in-person waits redundant.
With the implementation of a virtual queuing system, businesses can drastically change how their customer flow process works. Virtual queueing systems are technology solutions that allow customers to enter a line and see wait times without being present in a physical location. Customers can also communicate with staffers using the virtual queueing system. Businesses can now offer their high-quality service to customers without the consistent arduous lineups.
The benefits of eliminating an in-person agonizing wait time with queue management software are significant for businesses. Customer satisfaction increases, your business flows more efficiently, and you can create a better overall atmosphere. These are only some of the many reasons it is high time to do away with long crowded lines.
One of the queue management systems that businesses across industries are implementing is QLess.
QLess is an entirely digital electronic queuing system used in healthcare, government, retail, and academic environments worldwide. QLess’ efficient systems have helped businesses create a higher-functioning workplace without the infuriating customer experience of a long line. There is no better way to show your customers you are invested in providing quality customer service than implementing QLess into your business.
QLess might seem like a dramatic change for some businesses, but there are many reasons why this queuing system is something worth exploring. Let’s look at six different ways QLess virtual lines can improve operations for your company.
1. Improve the Customer Experience
A business's success or failure is dependent on its ability to acquire customers and keep them happy. Even if a business has an excellent product, if they're unable to provide their customers with a good experience, it won't matter. The customer experience is arguably the most important aspect of a business. A queuing system is a solution that goes a long way towards helping with this.
According to TechJury, businesses that focus on improving the customer experience make 80% more money. Also, 73% of customers say that the customer experience affects their decision to buy something. You need to show customers that you care about their experience. You also want to show that you're invested in removing the roadblocks that negatively impact their time at your business. If you do this, they will naturally respond positively to your business.
Let's dive into exactly how QLess alters the customer experience. It all begins with the simple fact that people hate standing in line. In general, people find lines to be boring, confusing, and disenfranchising. Lines are a significant inhibitor to people enjoying their interactions with a business. But there is research out there that shows the frustration and angst that comes from being in a line isn’t entirely based on how long we spend in that line. It has more to do with how we feel while in line.
There are certain principles to how we feel while waiting in line that businesses should be aware of. Here are 3 key principles you should keep on your radar:
- Unoccupied wait time feels longer than occupied wait time. When you are standing in a crowded waiting room filled with irritable customers, time is going to move slower. However, with QLess, the need to be present is reduced. While customers still have to wait to access the product or services, they do so in a virtual queue. They can spend their wait time in a coffee shop nearby, in their apartment, or wherever they please.
- Unexplained wait times are longer than explained wait times. If your customer waiting for student services, health care appointments, or a license renewal with no clear end in sight, the wait will feel much more significant. A queuing system eliminates this problem. QLess provides customers and employees with up-to-the-minute approximate wait time estimates on their mobile phones that are highly accurate. These accurate wait times provide customers with a clear picture of when they can expect to be served.
- Anxiety makes waits feel longer. Much of the agitation with lines people have is hinged on the anxiety we inherently feel from standing around in lineups. Watching the slow movement of a line, feeling the general stress of fellow customers, and witnessing the business fill up at its busiest times, is stressful. But there is no need for anxiety if you have a clear picture of when to expect to be served. That is what a queuing system can offer.
Making your business easier to access and more tailored to your customer's needs will help you in the long run. According to Forbes, 73% of companies with above-average customer experience offerings perform better financially than competitors. How you treat customers while interacting with your business defines their impressions of you. A long line is an impersonal, exhausting experience that doesn't send the right message.
According to Microsoft, 58% of customers will switch companies because of poor customer service.
If you aren’t treating customers how they feel they should be treated, you are not their only option. The customers you have are your most valuable commodity, and you need to treat them as such. It costs five times more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one. Going above and beyond to provide a positive customer service experience is massive for customer retention. QLess is a great way to do this.
All in all, QLess dramatically reduces the negative impact of waiting in line. When customers do not need to be physically present, they can feel more relaxed and cared for. This also reduces the amount of time they need to wait and eliminates anxiety. A positive customer experience can play a major role in growth and retention. With QLess digital solutions, you can give your customers the quality line experience they deserve.
2. Better Organize the Staff’s Workflow
Long lines don't just harm the customer experience. A significant lineup is an obstacle for your entire team. It makes organizing your business' day-to-day tasks drastically more difficult as customers stream in and out. As a result, the operations of your business are put under constant stress. This can harm employee morale and overwhelm management. They're forced to organize large groups of dissatisfied customers on the fly.
Employees shouldn’t have to waste their valuable time sorting through long lines and dealing with agitated customers. If you want your business to operate as effectively as possible, time management is going to be key. This is what digital queuing systems can help with.
The employee experience is just as important a driver of your business's success as the customer experience. By better structuring their day-to-day workflows, you can ensure happy staff.
There are many reasons to make sure your employees are happy. One reason is that companies with happy workers outperform companies with unhappy workers by 202%, according to Apollo Technical. The happier your staff is, the easier it is to retain them, and the better your business will perform. A more organized business leads to fewer dissatisfied customers your staff must interact with. As a result, there is a more pleasant work environment.
We’ve touched on how the efficient systems created by QLess can make for happier customers. But, let’s dive in on how they can help businesses better organize their employee’s day. QLess’ queue management systems don’t just allow customers to get in lines. They also give businesses the ability to completely sort and manage these lines in real time. Companies can structure virtual lineups according to various criteria that will make it far easier for staff to manage the busiest times of the day.
QLess allows businesses to organize customers into separate lines according to appointment type, employees they are meeting with, and more.
Front desk employees don't have to filter through information like this one person at a time. That process causes hold-ups that slow down the number of customers or clients employees can see. Customers can enter the line virtually and check in with the appointment type or employee they are looking to meet with. After that, they can wait from wherever they are until their appointment time is scheduled.
QLess can help trim some of the unneeded delays in business processes by presenting alternate solutions that allow customers to handle the check-in process all from their cell phones. This helps make the business workflows more efficient and employee-friendly. Modern organizations that implement a queuing system can also see a large bump in improving communication between staff and customers.
QLess has features that allow for bi-directional communication. This means employees can ask customers for pre-appointment screening updates. They can also view what lineup they are trying to join, and gain more information before the appointment begins. Customers can update staff on whether they have left the line or need more time. Then, your business can be more agile in adapting to these changes. Staff can also broadcast templated messages to the entire lineup throughout the business day. They can notify them of delays or changes to appointments. It is an effective form of mass communication.
Staff at businesses with long lines typically have a lot on their plate. Customers who have typically spent a significant amount of time waiting in line are often disgruntled. The frontline staff are the ones who have to deal with that. QLess drastically improves their experience by cutting back on customer dissatisfaction and improving communication. It also helps employees be more productive by organizing their business workflows and simplifying their day-to-day customer interactions.
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3. Provide Important Data on Company Performance
One of the most important tools businesses can have is information. Whether it is retail businesses or government offices, being hyper-aware of your company's performance is critical to success. For many companies, it is extremely difficult to procure data on things like your appointment processes and line up customer experience. There is no real way to track it. But that is one of the greatest aspects of QLess and electronic queuing systems. Businesses can get highly accurate, highly valuable data on the performance of key aspects of their company.
The value of data to your business is extreme. Business intelligence (BI) is a process that uses technology to get data and analyze it. This helps businesses create plans of action.
According to Tech Jury, data analytics make decision-making 5x faster, and the average ROI for enterprises using business intelligence and analytics is 1300%.
Access to high-quality, actionable insights from data is an extremely valuable asset to businesses. Data insights can show you exactly where your business is at. It can illustrate where your business is performing well and where it is underperforming. This allows you to clearly see what needs to be done to improve your business processes. But getting this data without the right software is extremely difficult, and that is where QLess comes in.
QLess isn't just a time management platform that creates virtual queues. It is also a business intelligence software that provides essential data to the businesses that implement it. QLess monitors several key aspects of the business that modern organizations must be aware of. It provides data visualizations and long-term details on various segments that can indicate how the customer flow of your business is performing.
The QLess business intelligence features will offer insights into:
- Median wait time.
- Median transaction time.
- Forecasted wait times.
There are even more insights available. You can also break all of this critical information into different segments. You can see wait times based on certain times of day, based on certain appointment types, and based on employees. This can give you a clear picture of what might be causing hold-ups in your business.
Business intelligence helps illustrate patterns in your business that you might not have been able to notice on your own. You're not alone if you feel like you need help to understand your business better. But don't worry, there are ways to get concrete data and visuals that show you what is happening and why. This can help you figure out what improvements you need to make to your business. If you notice that certain times of day performance falls or certain appointment types are causing long waits, you can make the adjustments to streamline your business processes.
No business is perfect. There are always aspects of your day-to-day operations that can be improved. It is just finding out exactly what they are with full accuracy that is the challenge. With the data from QLess, businesses can know with complete accuracy which parts of their business are working best and which may be lagging. This way, they can make the necessary changes to provide better service to their customers. This technology will help businesses nurture a more efficient workplace.
According to the same report by TechJury, 54% of enterprises agreed that cloud-based BI was vital to their present and future initiatives.
Information is one of the most valuable tools your business can have. This knowledge can alter the long-term trajectory of your company. Data can help streamline services for universities, improve customer service in hospitals, or trim additional time-off waits in government offices. Implementing a queuing system, not only changes the queuing process, but you gain valuable information. This information can be utilized to change your business for the better.
4. Remove Congestion with a Queuing System for a COVID-safe Environment
The words “unprecedented times” have been constantly thrown around throughout the past several years, but they are undeniably true. When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in full force, it was unlike anything the modern world had seen before.
It seemed like everything was upended, from how we work to how we live our day-to-day lives. Businesses were faced with a never-ending list of safety protocols and lockdowns. This led to a decline in customers' willingness to frequent stores in person. Adjusting to the age of social distancing and pandemic anxiety is a tall task for enterprises worldwide, but it is one every business must face to survive.
One of the significant changes brought on by the pandemic is the increase in reliance on technology. The businesses that were able to survive during the pandemic were those that could quickly implement new technology to reduce or eliminate their need for face-to-face interactions. But what you can do is minimize the amount of in-person interactions to reduce risk and increase customer comfort.
The Coronavirus pandemic played a major role in increasing anxiety around the world. The numbers are quite staggering.
From January-December 2019, the range of U.S adults reporting feeling anxiety was 7.4-8.6%, according to the American Psychological Association. From April 2020 to August 2021, that range was 28.2-37.2%.
This dramatic change illustrates that people are more anxious than ever before. Much of that anxiety is rooted in fears about the pandemic. To help accommodate those anxieties, effective social distancing measures should be implemented.
These measures are things that many businesses have struggled to implement efficiently. University campuses have emptied their classrooms for online classes yet have long lineups outside admission offices. Healthcare organizations are serious risk centers for virus spread yet often have crowded waiting rooms. Government offices can typically have waits that last for hours, yet customers that are nervous about the pandemic just have to accept it or not receive necessary services. With digital queuing systems, this is no longer the case.
QLess is a way to put customer safety first. It completely reduces the need for in-person interactions until the actual time of the appointment. Rather than having a congested workplace packed with people, you can have an entirely empty office and a packed virtual queue. This is an effective way of managing social distancing measures and the general anxiety that many customers are experiencing due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
![Joining a virtual queuing system allows customers to avoid physical lines.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65f0310651a1a69da629bfb3/65fec68198ab5f81e144ddc3_Joining-a-Virtual-Queue.avif)
The implementation of this sort of technology is an innovative way to adapt to the constant changes of the pandemic. While as much as we’d all love for the pandemic to end, we’ve seen variants consistently spring up that further complicate matters. Assuming the pandemic will be over in short order may be optimistic thinking, as we are now multiple years in. Building the necessary infrastructure to be ready to adapt to the changes this pandemic might bring before they even happen is a great way to protect your business while also keeping customers safe. The digitalization of customer interactions rapidly increased due to the pandemic.
According to a McKinsey report, 65% of interactions for North American businesses were digital during the peak of the pandemic, compared to 41% before.
Many companies took the necessary steps to adapt to an increased desire to avoid in-person interactions and increase technological capabilities, and they were better for it. The same McKinsey report showed that 72% of companies that reported a very effective response to the pandemic were the first in their industries to experiment with new technologies during the pandemic.
The changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic are likely here to stay. The pandemic accelerated the increasing desire of businesses and customers to digitize interactions for maximum simplicity and effectiveness. QLess digitalizes a significant component of the business experience by completely reducing the need for congestion in academic offices, waiting rooms, or stores. It takes out the need for in-person lines that could be a source of anxiety for many and a cause of virus spread. This increases workplace safety and customer comfort.
5. Boost Your Reputation and Reduce Walkaways
The customer experience has value to businesses. As we've mentioned, retaining customers is much less costly than acquiring new ones, and having a low customer churn rate will allow you to effectively grow your business. There are additional benefits to providing customers with a great experience and going above and beyond to make adjustments to suit the evolving environment. Two of these benefits are improving your business' reputation and reducing customer walkaways.
If customers walk into your business and see a large, congested line, they will likely decide to take their business elsewhere. There is nothing more intimidating than seeing a slow-moving, large line, even if you expect to receive high-quality service at the end of it. This is a problem for businesses because walkaways are a very real missed opportunity that can cut into a bottom line. Reducing walkaways is a pathway to success.
According to Small Biz Trends, 68% of customers will leave a business because of perceived indifference from the business.
Entering a long line with no real communication from the business is a classic example of indifference that businesses can now address. If there is no intimidating physical lineup, the experience is entirely different. Customers can enter virtual lines with the queue management software and see the exact wait time they are in for. Businesses can message back and forth with the customers in line, providing a more personal experience. This will drastically reduce the desire of customers to leave due to a visible line and perceived indifference and cut into the number of walkaways your business receives.
The more of a positive customer service experience you manage to create for your customers, the more positively your business will be perceived. It is a massive benefit for businesses of all kinds to be perceived positively by as many people as possible. If you are looking for a way to boost your reputation, a more personalized and comfortable experience brought on by a queuing system is a great way to do it.
One of the most valuable forms of marketing is strong word-of-mouth marketing brought on by a good reputation. According to Big Commerce, 92% of consumers believe suggestions from friends and family more than advertising. People are more predisposed to listening to recommendations from those they know because they are more impartial, trusted sources of information. If you want people to talk positively about your business, you need to give them good customer service and meet their needs.
While customers sharing negative experiences with your business is damaging, the reality is that customers are just as willing to share their positive experiences.
According to Forbes, 30% of customers in a survey stated that they are willing or likely to share their negative experiences with a business online or on social media. In comparison, 49% stated that they are willing or likely to share their positive experiences.
The benefits of customers publically voicing their positive experience with your business are significant. People are more likely to trust the opinions of their family and friends over sponsored content. Therefore, good public feedback on your business can be very helpful in developing a strong reputation for your brand.
QLess can help your business drastically improve its customer service by improving communication and clarity. By showing the approximate wait time, offering bi-directional communication, and removing imposing in-person physical lines, you can reduce walkaways that could be harming your bottom line and improve your reputation. This, in turn, leads to free marketing and improved business performance.
6. Improve the Appointment Scheduling Processes
The right enterprise technology will be capable of transforming a wide variety of key business processes in ways that simplify things for both customers and employees. Queue management systems succeed in doing this by making the line process less of an agonizing experience, but QLess also has other utilities that make it invaluable to the modern appointment-based business. One of the core features that QLess provides is their online appointment scheduling platform that eases the way businesses and customers schedule and change their appointments.
In this era of digitalization, appointment scheduling shouldn’t be a difficult process. Yet many businesses are stuck in the past with labor-intensive appointment scheduling processes that don’t provide customers with the freedom they need. Many businesses rely on an appointment scheduling phone line, but the reality is that this is more restrictive than it needs to be. Most businesses only accept scheduling calls from 9-5, which is the hours most people are working.
![24-7 Appointment Scheduling is one way a queuing system can help customers](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65f0310651a1a69da629bfb3/65fec68198ab5f81e144ddcb_247-Appointment-Scheduling-Graphic.avif)
QLess is an appointment scheduling app that allows for 24/7 access for customers. They can browse available appointment openings, select available appointment types, and pick what works best for them. It gives your customers more freedom to schedule based on their own specific needs, with unlimited, constant appointment scheduling access. Customers can also use QLess for appointment pre-screening questions, which eliminates the need for any on-site wait time and delivers optimal pre-appointment freedom.
According to 10to8, appointment no-shows can go as far as $26,000 in revenue losses for small businesses with a $120,000+ yearly revenue.
Having customer no-shows and late cancellations can be a serious blow to appointment schedules if businesses cannot adjust on the fly. If your business and employees allot time with a customer, and that customer cancels or doesn't show up, it can cause your business to lose money and disrupt workflows. Having tools that allow you to pivot on the fly will go a long way to helping in this regard.
QLess’ appointment app is a flexible tool that can minimize the impact of cancellations or no-shows. QLess has features that allow businesses to integrate scheduled appointments with walk-ins on the platform. The line will automatically prioritize customers with scheduled appointments and blend that line up with the flow of customers walking in without appointments. Businesses can easily fill appointment slots with walk-in customers, so the impact of a canceled appointment is less drastic.
Bi-directional communication also increases clarity for businesses. They can message back and forth with customers and hear up-to-the-minute updates that will help them manage their schedules. Customers can cancel appointments from the app, message staff if they are experiencing delays, and in general, keep your business more informed with details relevant to appointment scheduling. This will help you build your schedule and adjust to the by-the-minute changes appointment-based businesses have to face.
Business predictability is a major asset, but customers are inherently unpredictable.
While it would be nice for everything to go according to plan, the reality of running a business is that things are constantly changing. The ability to respond to those changes and stay ahead of them is important. The QLess online appointment scheduling platform gives businesses a tool that empowers them to stay ahead of the daily changes they will have to face while also making life more convenient for customers.
Appointment schedules are an important aspect of your business, and with the QLess appointment scheduling app, you are better equipped to manage your day-to-day. The QLess appointment scheduling features include the ability for customers to 24/7 set their schedule, a way to blend walk-ins with scheduled appointments, and bi-directional communication. These features can help businesses avoid confusion following cancellations and no-shows, have clearer dialogues with customers, and increase the ease of access for the people trying to use your services. This will improve your bottom line and make you a more agile, modern organization.
Why Queuing Systems Are Important
In every business, the systems of organization used are incredibly important aspects of success. From city hall to admissions offices, doctor's wait rooms, to retail stores, having a well-organized, structured enterprise is a major key to long-term growth and viability. With appointment-based businesses, this holds true. QLess makes it easier to manage the flow of customers and handle the ever-evolving nature of the industry. It accomplishes this while not sacrificing the customer or employee experience.
The greatest resource any business has is the people that frequent it.
Your customers are what sets you apart, and providing them with incredible service and devotion to improving their experience will set you apart. QLess helps businesses do this in multiple ways. For starters, removing the anxiety and duress of a confusing, unexplained line wait will go a long way to making customers have a happier overall experience. They can wait in line from wherever they want, checking the QLess app to see approximate wait times and check in with workers.
QLess is made all the more viable in the age of social distancing measures and the coronavirus pandemic. Anxiety is high right now and people are worried about interacting with others. If you can take congested lines out of your business, your customers will be more comfortable. In the age of digitalization and communication via mobile phones, QLess is a tool well-suited to the climate. People want to limit their interactions with strangers, and QLess helps make that possible.
The benefits these features have for your business are numerous. Improving the customer experience will dramatically improve your reputation. Your business will have fewer walkouts and receive free word-of-mouth marketing from customers, which can improve your bottom line. The fewer dissatisfied customers your business is dealing with, the better the employee experience is. Dealing with unhappy customers can be difficult for you and your employees. This can damage your customer service reputation and make your employees unhappy. QLess can help prevent these potential problems from happening.
Key Takeaways
Beyond the virtual line management, QLess’ other core features make it an incredible tool for businesses. QLess can help employees do their work better by organizing lines according to employee and appointment type. It can also help businesses respond more quickly to no-shows and cancellations. In addition, it can provide valuable data for enterprises that can guide the next steps.
The business intelligence collected and visualized by QLess is an important way for enterprises to gain actionable insights into the performance of key areas of your company. Businesses can see the average wait times customers must face, analyze certain times of day where performance lags, or see if certain appointment types or employees are holding back processes. This will offer insightful, highly actionable data to help businesses move forward in the best direction.
Companies that constantly are looking for new ways to improve, new solutions to streamline processes, and augment the customer experience are the ones that last the longest and grow the fastest. In a time where customer expectations are sky-high, implementing the tools that make life as easy for them as possible is the best path forward. This is what QLess can offer.
QLess’ virtual queue management, business intelligence, and appointment scheduling features blend together to help businesses provide the best possible service to customers. Eliminating in-person waits, improving communication, and offering easier access to appointment scheduling services will dramatically benefit the customer experience and improve your business's reputation. Streamlining employee workflows, offering agile tools that help enterprises react on the fly, and providing actionable business intelligence will improve a company's performance. With all these essential features, QLess is an effective enterprise solution trusted by major companies worldwide.