You might have noticed a subtle change while waiting in line at your favorite restaurant. Or perhaps you've seen a more obvious shift in the way your urgent care waiting room operates. A few decades from now, the old fashioned line up as we know it could very well be extinct. What is its replacement? Algorithms and formulas calculate wait time remotely and a simple App helps customers spend their time waiting in line where they choose.
The changes in customer service efficiency are now visible countrywide: select government offices, restaurants, college campuses, local shops, and even your DMV are revolutionizing line ups. Customer waiting time expectations are undergoing this major shift too, as queues can now be joined with a simple App and click of a button. The joy of customers is palpable, and the benefits are endless. Just look:
- Customers feel productive instead of just standing around in an endless line-up.
- Technology helps your staff and flagship offices stay on schedule.
- Customers choose how they wait. They can walk-in or schedule appointments in advance. If the scheduled wait time is beyond the time they have that day, they can choose a less-busy day.
Once customers have experienced the freedoms a virtual queue provides, it's hard to return to a one-size-fits-all approach to lining up. That's why now is the time for QLess to help your organization adopt this technology. Here are some of the top rave reviews from our success stories.
1. "Customers love it."
Nobody likes to stand still for hours, not knowing how long the wait will be. We help your organization calculate customer waiting time and allow for greater freedom during the wait period. Here are just a few examples:
- No more visible line: Lining up virtually can eliminate the visible line ups we are used to. Instead of seeing the line move forward, each individual who joins the line remotely can track their movement in the queue by downloading a simple App. What's not to like?
- Know before you go: Individuals can check the customer waiting time before leaving the house, and decide if delaying their visit or scheduling an appointment further in advance is best for their schedule that day.
- Track the wait time: Unfortunately, many customers line up for long periods of time, only to leave feeling fed up. Queue software tracks wait time so that customers know what to expect ahead of time.
There is a big difference between waiting in a busy line and waiting in a busy line while at home, doing laundry or running useful errands. Once customers experience the luxury of a remote line up, it's hard to go back to a system that doesn't value their time.
2. "Our staff is more productive."
Allowing algorithms to predict customer service wait time and volume helps your staff focus on what matters - customer service. Your staff will manage time more efficiently and notify a customer if the waiting time has changed. Adjusting for unexpected requests and demands doesn't happen with your traditional line-up system. The result? Customers waiting in line the old fashioned way end up feeling frustrated as the wait time increases unexpectedly.
- Prepare in advance: Queue software allows staff to view customers needs in advance. Paperwork can be laid out or orders can be made ahead of time.
- Track busy periods: Elect to track busy periods and schedule staff appropriately to keep things moving smoothly.
- Send surveys virtually: Send customer satisfaction surveys right after an appointment while the visit is still fresh in mind. This helps your organization identify areas in need of improvement.
Customers expect timely service and answers to their questions. The easiest way to provide these services is to predict customer waiting time and schedule staff more efficiently. A crowd-queue system can thin your physical line up down to nonexistence within a few months by tracking busy periods.
3. "Offers Flexible and Convenient Options."
When anyone enters a line-up, they arrive with certain beliefs and expectations about the service they hope to get. For example, a customer who arrives being told that the wait time is ten minutes would be extremely disappointed if they waited for twenty.
Alternatively, if they are allowed the flexibility to leave and complete errands while being notified of the increase or decrease in customer waiting time, their experience would be quite different as the delay would not affect them quite as much.
- Customers choose: With QLess technology, waiting customers can actually choose whether or not they need to request extra time at their convenience.
- Remove uncertainty: If clients desire to schedule a future appointment instead of waiting in the line up, they can use FlexAppointments technology to schedule appointments in advance.
- Provide options: A traditional line-up can in fact exist alongside QLess technology and remote line ups. By offering more choice, you can show customers that you value their time.
Customers today rely on in-person assistance and speedy attention. By ignoring this fact, walkaways increase and customers decide to go elsewhere. Business is lost before the customer even reaches the front of the queue.
Meeting Customer Waiting Time Expectations
With a clear alternative to the old fashioned line-up, it isn't hard to see why so many organizations have already made the transition to remote queuing technology. Grow your business by using the best technology to keep the customers you have, and attract the ones you don't.
- QLess helps decrease walkaways by analyzing data and targeting areas that need improvement in real time.
- Virtual queues are proven to reduce customer complaints and increase efficiency.
- Enhance communication with waiting customers with an effective messaging service.
Choose QLess and see how customer waiting time expectations can be better met using top queue software.