A queue management system is a foundational technology that helps all offline and phygital businesses manage their customer footfall and avoid queueing like banks, restaurants, retail stores, hospitals, and more. This article will share a brief synopsis of what’s queue management system is and what it can do for your business.

What is a queue management system?  

As the name suggests, the queue management system is a technology-enabled system consisting of hardware or software that can enable businesspeople to effectively manage queues at their business, if not avoid them altogether.  

However, a queue management system not just manages or avoids queues but also optimizes and enhances the overall waiting experience from pre-service to post-service. It can also gather important data that can help you better customer experience and boost. 

What is the hardware you might need for a queue management system?

 

Some of the hardware a queue management system may need are: 

• Ticket printers 
• Digital signage 
• Display screens 
• Media Player 

What are the features of a queue management system? 

 

Some of the features of a queue management system include:  

• Online appointment booking 
• Time slot management 
• Token generation  
• Virtual queuing through a smartphone 
• Apps for employees to serve customers 
• Customer and staff real-time notifications 
• Real-time monitoring of operations 
• Customer feedback surveys 
• Extensive statistics and analyses 

What are the benefits a queue management system can bring?

Let’s go into the exactitude of its benefits, especially in the times we are living in now: 

Helps you adhere to COVID-appropriate behavior

The absolute need of the hour is maintaining safe social distance in enclosed spaces. There is, anyway, lingering anxiety amongst people to go out in crowded spaces. And we all know that social distancing is hardly successfully followed. A queue management software works like a charm with features like appointment booking, streamline appointments, token systems, and virtual queueing.  

Helps you make data-driven decisions 

 

These systems offer you detailed reports to help you track the influx of customers with time. You will know which time slots see the maximum inflow and which services are asked for the most and least in that time frame. This helps in managing and distributing staff appropriately. It also allows you to identify issues and fix them.  

Decreasing the wait time as well as the “perceived time.”

 

When we talk about the customer wait time at the business space, we’re talking about two waiting times — the real and perceived waiting times. The latter is the more important one to reduce! If a customer has a difficult or unpleasant experience while at your business — they will perceive the time to pass slowly. So, having a queue management system in place will not only reduce the actual waiting time — but the good experience it created will also reduce the perceived time.

Creating happy customers  

 

 

According to a PwC report, 1 out of 3 would leave their loved brand after just one bad experience. Moreover, happy customers are your most powerful word-of-mouth marketing machine, which can help you gain social proof and boost sales massively.  

Some Use Cases

Here are some industries, a queue management system can help: 

Healthcare: OPD patients can book appointments online, stand in virtual queues for vaccination, and find where beds are available.  

Retail: Quick in-store shopping experience, efficient management of customers during sales and festivals, better phygital customer experiences. 

Banks: Make the customer-facing processes faster, gain leverage over competitors. 

Conclusion 

Forbes/Arm Treasure Data states that a massive 74% of consumers shop based solely on their experiences. And, according to Siegle+Gale, businesses lose $98B because they fail to provide “simple” experiences to their consumers. A queue management system is one of the most effective and much-needed systems for offline and phygital stores. This technology will help you meet the expectations of a modern-day consumer who almost does everything from the smartphone!  

 

For the time being, interacting with virtual humans is a way to go as it helps people feel less isolated in their own houses.