When a customer walks into a store to make a purchase, the last thing they want to see is a long queue. Even though a queue can be an indication that a store’s products and services are in demand, a long, slow-moving queue is usually down to poor or slow customer service.
Retailers risk losing a large percentage of customers due to long lines and inadequate customer service, so they are finding innovative ways to more efficiently cut down on queue times and provide service exactly when it's needed and where it's needed.
What is a Queue Management solution?
Queue Management solutions help business owners leverage technology and data to streamline customer service and enhance the customer experience.
A queue management solution consists of 3D camera technology that measures the number and movement of people in a store and data analytics software that analyzes the information to quantify queue demand and send real-time alerts or warnings when queue length or time exceeds predetermined values.
Information is captured and analyzed in real-time, accessible from a user-friendly dashboard that uses built-in predictive algorithms to provide advance notice on how many checkouts or service points are needed at any time to meet demand.
The analytics dashboard shows the total traffic, queue length, average and total wait time, abandonment rate, cashier idle time, and average checkout performance, among other metrics. If performance and service levels drop, management teams are automatically alerted, enabling them to proactively manage the situation before customers become unhappy or abandon the queue.
3 Ways a Queue Management Solution Can Help You Improve Customer Experience
A queue management solution equips managers with the tools to react to customer demand more efficiently, expedite the checkout process, reduce the waiting time for customers and improve the overall shopping experience.
1️⃣ React to Customer Demand More Efficiently
Queue Management predictive analytics enables managers to foresee busy periods and quiet periods and deploy staff and resources more adequately according to the data. Long-term analysis of traffic flows and conversion rates might show that your peak hours are after 4 PM on a Friday. With this predicted trend, you can stock up on inventory, deploy additional staff and open more checkout counters during that period to meet the demand and reduce or avoid queues altogether. Real-time notifications can also be sent to alert on-premise staff when they are needed immediately during busy periods.
2️⃣ Improve the Queueing Experience with Customizable Messaging
Sometimes a queue simply cannot be avoided, but there are ways to reduce the perceived wait time and communicate with your customers so that they still feel valued. By integrating strategically placed LCD screens with your queue management system, real-time data about wait times can be communicated to customers via live stream, with reassuring messages, imagery, or even audio to keep them entertained, or at least distract them from becoming upset and leaving the store. If a customer knows that they only need to wait a few more minutes before receiving service, they are far more likely to wait than if they didn’t know how long they had to stay.
3️⃣ Ensure the Safety of Customers
Social distancing and mask-wearing mandates are part of our reality now, and the majority of consumers and service providers take this very seriously. To ensure the safety of customers and employees at all times, a queue management sensor can automatically measure the physical distance between people standing in a queue or detect when someone doesn’t have a mask on. Real-time alerts can be sent to employees to intervene, or a message can be streamed via an in-store screen to request customers to maintain physical distance and keep their masks on.
In today’s on-demand economy, you cannot afford to keep your customers waiting. If you understand the value of excellent customer service, you’ll love Vemcount - an all-in-one data capturing and analytics solution designed to optimize business processes and enhance customer experiences. Vemcount is queue management made easy.
Get in touch with us to tailor a solution to your needs.
