Customers and customer satisfaction are of paramount importance to all businesses, especially when it comes to businesses that directly deal with their customers, like brick & mortar stores dealing with customers in the queue to enter the store or get their carts billed. But who likes standing in line waiting for their turn? The experience should be such that the customers do not mind standing and waiting for their turn. Nonetheless, they should appreciate the management effort. The queue management system should be such that it caters keeps the customer and the staff happy and in harmony.
So how to manage the queue? It’s simple, establish a queue management system. But apparently, one would think, how difficult would it be to manage the queue? Couldn’t the store staff do it? Of course, they can! But a queue management system is essential if you are looking for an effective and satisfying (for the customer and staff) solution.
What Is A Queue Management System, And How Does It Work?
Simply put, the queue is a line of customers waiting to get or pay for a service or product. When there are more people waiting and fewer staff to serve them, the queue gets longer, and there are chances that people waiting may get impatient. Dealing in a manner that skillfully and professionally handles the queue without unwanted delays and smooth movement of the queue is queue management. It may sound simple until one actually faces this issue.
Now we come to the queue management system. It is basically a set of devices- electronic, software-based, or manual; a tool to manage and reduce the chaos during queuing. Establishing a queue management system saves time significantly and increases efficiency resulting in customer & staff satisfaction.
Queuing system works on the principle of controlling customer inflow and regulating the queuing experience. It aims at minimizing efforts and reducing & making the waiting time comfortable for the customer. A streamlined queuing system is directly proportional to customer satisfaction, the ultimate goal of a business.
The Different Ways Of The Queue Management System (Qms)
There are several ways to manage the queues, some are as simple as using physical boundaries, and some use software to reduce the waiting time. All have pros and cons, but eventually, they all help maintain a better queuing system.
1- Physical Management
Physical management can be done with the help of ready-made or customized crowd control barriers like retractable belt barriers stretched on posts or wall mountings, rope stanchions, rigid barriers, and guards. The primary purpose of this method is to create a well-drawn queue, maintain order, establish a sequence for a first-come-first-serve policy, and minimize chances of line cutting & queue jumping. Examples- Retail store billing counters, self-service food outlets, theatre ticket booths, etc.
2- Ticket Management
Here the customers enter the premises, register, and get a ticket number. They do not have to stand in a line; instead, they can sit and wait for their number to be called out or appear on a screen. Example- Post sales customer care centers, vehicle service centers, etc.
3- Digital Management-
Digital management is a virtual management system that allows the user to register online or on a device and get a time slot fixed beforehand. This saves time of reaching the location much in advance to get the first-come-first-serve benefit. Example- pre-booking a doctor’s appointment over an app, pre-booking for private or government service, etc.
All the above systems can be clubbed with human management, deligating staff at different levels to assist and guides the customers through every step of the service.
Benefits Of The Queue Management System
By learning about different ways of queuing systems, one can know the significance of queue management systems. Businesses that have installed either method of QMS can list down many benefits, but some are very obvious and significant.
- It controls the crowd and makes it more manageable and organized. By installing barriers and ropes, people entering knows where to go and where to form the queue. It reduces the chances of confusion and chaos.
- It saves actual waiting time, energy, and effort for the customer as well as the staff.
- It keeps the customers calm and increases the chances of better customer satisfaction.
- Increases staff efficiency and productivity. Rather than 100% focussing on managing the crowd, they can put their efforts into actually doing more important tasks.
- The primary customer complaints are stated around waiting time and mismanagement at reception. QMS keeps the customers updated on their status in a queue, thus making waiting time more bearable.
- Ticket and digital management have added benefit of collecting essential data about the customers, which can be used to serve them better in the future.
- When a person employs a QMS in their business, it creates a trusting and better image by sending out a signal that the business owners care about the time and comfort of their customers.
- Once the QMS is aligned and managed, it smoothes out the business activities and significantly builds better prospects for the business.
Who Needs Qms?
All businesses, organizations (public or private), and event organizers require a queue management system. The reason is simple, they all deal with people or crowds in large numbers at a given point in time. Whether they are selling products, rendering services, or providing customer support, they all need to keep their customers happy and satisfied. The arrival at the meeting point (of customer & business) is where the first interaction happens. As we know, the first impression is the last; the experience here must be compelling. So businesses and places like hospitals, hotels, retail outlets, food outlets, restaurants, government offices, customer-care centers, service centers, banks, and all B2C establishments need the support of a queue management system for better performance and acquiring customer satisfaction.