As the world evolves technologically, businesses fight to keep up with fast-paced advancements, that includes colleges and universities, which may be left in the dust if they don't adopt an electronic queuing system to deal with current and future students. Incoming coeds have grown up with technology, they know how quickly it evolves, and they adapt with it effortlessly. In general, they expect the same from the places where they choose to do business, even the business of earning a degree. In a nod to the need for mobile-compatible systems and online opportunities, many institutions of higher learning offer at least a few online classes, some seeing the wave of the future, offer entire degree programs online, with the exception of lab work or practical experience that needs to be done on campus or in the field.
The point is that your university can benefit from adapting to the future, as well. What is the attrition rate at your school? How many students drop their classes or leave their programs entirely because they aren't getting the help or services they need? Academic institutions don't always have the resources or the staff power to handle the influx of students they see each day and advisors double- and triple-book themselves when setting up meetings with students. At the beginning of each semester, the Registrar's Office and the Admissions Office are overrun. Students run into trouble immediately whether they're attempting to sign up for classes, pay their tuition, or request help from student services, there is no organization in the admin departments, worse, employees are stuck doing every job that needs to be filled, including wrangling all the incoming students.
Together, those components are a recipe for disaster, university employees are frustrated and stretched thin, students are impatient at best, at worst, they're demotivated to the point of leaving school. That's not the purpose of higher education, students are supposed to be inspired by new ideas and subjects and college should prepare them for their futures, but that can't happen when everyone involved is bogged down in bureaucratic BS. Taking the step to update your offices on a high-tech level has an array of benefits that will positively affect your bottom line, staff morale, and the well-being of the student body.
The Future Is Mobile
It's worthwhile to implement an electronic queuing system solely for the students who attend your university. There are many more reasons to update your office to a cloud-based management system, of course, but the peace of mind and pleasure it will bring your students is no small advantage. The young adults who attend college now and who will descend on campuses all over the country in the next few years compose a generation that has been raised on the cloud. Where millennials are familiar with floppy disks, CD ROMS, and flash drives, today's student bodies have always known what it's like to save photos and files that go straight to the cloud, where it waits until they need it.
The QLESS system operates using cloud technology, as well. Not only does this cut down on maintenance costs and the potential for data corruption, but it's also convenient for students. They have the option of installing the QLESS app on their Android and iOS devices, or they can visit the website of the department they need, from there, the students can view the appointments that are open on the days and during the time frames that work best for their lectures and study schedules. On campuses that don't use QLESS, students have to mold their schedules around the administrative employees who wield power over them.
Crowd Control at a Glance
The QLESS electronic queuing system has undeniable benefits for students, but it's a revolutionary upgrade for employees and admin officials, too. Unlike the waiting system you may be using now, our software includes the QLESS Dashboard. A peek at the dashboard reveals live updates regarding the performances of both staff members and the visitors who come into the office. These real-time updates are lifesavers because they allow employees to keep an eye on their workflow. If there are issues with time management or the office is at risk for falling behind, each employee has the opportunity to check in and correct the problem.
Constant and instant access to the daily schedule naturally leads to an improvement in the quality of service that students receive because the staff can focus on what they're supposed to be doing instead of making up for lost time, redirecting students, or apologizing for unreasonable wait times. On that subject, wait times are shorter when everyone is in-the-know, as well. Utilizing the QLESS system in place, staff members have a steady influx of students requiring help, they don't have to wait around to be busy but can allocate all of their resources where they need to be.
Waiting Is a Waste
Waiting is a waste of time. One might contend that it builds character, but one would be hard-pressed to argue that spending over an hour in line to see your advisor or sign up for classes builds anything except resentment. Students don't pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition to spend their time in queue. In the moment they need assistance from their university, they rightfully expect it to occur promptly and at the very least, they feel that it shouldn't disrupt their entire day--and they're correct.
Coeds are thrilled with technology that saves time, an electronic queuing system eliminates the need for them to stand around in an actual queue. QLESS allows them to sign up for an appointment online or through the app, they don't have to show up and hope for the best, which places them at risk for missing classes or losing their place in line. No student should have to make a choice like that because when a student chooses to visit the Registrar at noon on a Tuesday, she or he can show up at noon on the dot at an office that uses queue management software. It's unnecessary to wait for someone to become available because an employee is already ready to help. Rather than wasting precious hours for the line to move, a student can study, attend a lecture, get a bite to eat, or complete homework assignments up until they're due to meet a staff member.
Retention Rates Flourish in Organized Environments
Rising student attrition rates are a problem at numerous universities, students don't feel like they're receiving their money's worth, nor are they getting adequate support from college administrations. They're unheard, their time isn't valued, and they're forced to devote too much time to academic bureaucracies which is more than enough to make a coed feel like dropping out of a program or out of school entirely. Due to the implementation of electronic queuing systems, organizational efficiency and time management are enhanced, facilitating increased availability of administrative staff to provide personalized attention to visitors. Consequently, students experience a heightened sense of respect and support, they finally get to focus on academics, not the business of paperwork and standing in a line when they have a hundred other things to do.
A Proactive Approach to Problem-Solving
An electronic queuing system like QLESS offers a behind-the-scenes look at visitor behaviors. Through the dashboard, employees can keep an eye on the length of any wait times that remain, as well as how many students are in the lobby or the line at one time. From there, you can also pinpoint how long each service visit lasts; although the system can solve many of your in-office problems, viewing the analytics will allow you to see any other problem areas before they cause a noticeable issue with the level of service provided by your department. If too many students are still left waiting in the office, for example, you can use the data on the dashboard to determine if staff members are taking too long with individual students or if students are arriving unprepared.
An electronic queuing system has the power to enhance the infrastructure of your office. You and your staff will experience improvements from the most fundamental level, beginning with your ability to reach out to students, communicate, and offer unexpected but welcome transparency into the inner workings of your office. Introducing QLESS into the applicable departments on campus will result in increased employee morale accompanied by stabilized student services. Your staff can focus on helping students instead of apologizing or attempting to calm down angry or impatient visitors.
As for the coeds, they will have fewer complaints about time crunches because they'll finally have the opportunity to get into the administrative offices they need without being shuffled from person to person or waiting around for hours. Because they feel heard, respected, and valued, they'll have the desire to continue their education, they won't be demotivated. It's time to change the university system. Are you prepared to take the QLESS approach? Read our campus without lines whitepaper and learn how to improve campus operations and retention rates.
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