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How to speed up service with a tailored pre-arrival information collection workflow

Wole Olayinka • October 7, 2024 • Read time: 11 min

Pre-arrival information collection illustration

Imagine arriving at a service desk for support and the agent can’t access your information; according to Zendesk this scenario happens to three out of ten agents, leading to irritated customers. This is especially concerning when over half of consumers will switch to a competitor after just one bad experience. To keep customer experience optimal, a prepared agent is key, and this often starts with how and when customer information is collected, including the speed, accuracy, and simplicity of the process.

With WaitWell designed to ensure optimal experiences in service environments, there are a number of popular features that help streamline information collection and support organizations in providing great service; for example, customizable waiver & intake forms and document upload functionality.

Challenges WaitWell organizations have solved using these features:

  • Manual, time-consuming processes: Staff spend significant time collecting, scanning, or storing documents. Especially if these slow down operations and lead to errors.
  • Long wait times: Handling paperwork on-site extends service times and frustrates customers who expect quick, digital experiences.
  • Compliance issues: You’re in a regulated industry and need to gather signatures, consents, or medical histories that must be accurately documented and securely stored.
  • Inefficient data management: Without a system to manage digital forms, keeping track of essential data has become chaotic, leading to lost documents or missed information.
  • Service-specific intake: Different services require specific forms or information, and a generic intake process can miss critical details, resulting in miscommunication and poor service.

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How does WaitWell solve these problems?

  • WaitWell’s intake, waiver forms, and document upload features are fully customizable and can be easily toggled on or off or tailored based on specific service types, locations, or queues.
  • Forms are included in the booking process when customers make an appointment or join a queue. They can be sent to customers via automated SMS and/or email, offering a variety of field options tailored to your needs.
  • You can set forms as mandatory or optional, depending on your service process.
  • Staff can access uploaded documents in advance and in addition send proactive reminders to ensure customers bring necessary or missing documents.
  • These features can easily be integrated with CRM systems and lookup databases, allowing staff to quickly retrieve and verify customer information.

How queuing and booking with pre-arrival information collection elevates service

Customers want convenience and fast service

Very few people today would prefer to be handed a clipboard and pen to fill out information that could have been easily gathered digitally when booking an appointment or joining a queue. Add to that the increased wait time and the need to carry physical documents, and it’s clear that offering digital forms and advance uploads is a no-brainer for any organization aiming to provide convenience to its clients.

With WaitWell’s document upload feature, customers can upload necessary documents and information like ID, health cards, forms, waivers etc. This can even be configured to request service-specific documents/information ahead of their visit. This proactive approach allows customers to arrive fully prepared, further reducing wait times and removing the need for them to carry physical documents. Jessica Valle Ruvalcaba, Neighbor Engagement Manager at Community Foodshare, shared that “having an online form has empowered new shoppers (and some that are using it to renew), to be better prepared for their first visit. They now have the option to ensure all their paperwork is in before arriving.”

For customers, “they are able to see our guidelines ahead of time and it can make someone’s first time in less overwhelming,” Ruvalcaba added, highlighting how digital preparedness reduces anxiety and confusion, which contributes to a smoother experience.

Streamlined operations for businesses

Pre-arrival information collection setup by staff

A food bank using WaitWell could serve up to 300 customers in a single day. WaitWell offers an alternative to paper forms for collecting household information and other relevant data. The process of reviewing, capturing, and organizing this information manually could take anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes per client. For 300 clients, with an average of 3 minutes per client, this would amount to 900 minutes (or 15 hours) of staff time in just one day. The significant staff capacity required for such a manual process underscores the efficiency gained by transitioning to an automated and streamlined intake system.

Staff can review, verify, and organize paperwork before the customer even arrives, ensuring that everything is in order. Jessica Ruvalcaba at Community Foodshare noted that “it overall is a smooth process on the user side,” meaning that customers are set up for a quick and seamless check-in, while staff can focus on what matters most—delivering service rather than managing paperwork.

Reducing the burden on front desk staff

Front desk staff are often quite the multitaskers, juggling tasks like answering phones, greeting customers, managing paperwork, and responding to inquiries. Automating as many of these tasks as possible can significantly boost productivity and reduce errors.

Digital forms and document uploads have proven to be easy wins in this area. For front-line staff, collecting, scanning, and managing physical paperwork can be time-consuming. By allowing digital information collection in advance, teams can shift their focus toward delivering exceptional service. With everything already in the system, front desk staff can process more customers in less time, easily creating a more efficient, service-oriented environment.

A vet clinic adopted WaitWell’s digital intake form feature from day one to completely streamline the collection of pet health histories. Now, pet owners submit medical records and vaccination details during the booking process, giving staff the ability to review everything ahead of time. The alternative? Overwhelmed staff drowning in paperwork, scrambling to chase down missing details, and struggling to manage the chaos, while frustrated pets and their owners sit waiting. With WaitWell, that chaos is eliminated, ensuring smoother operations and faster, more organized appointments.

Enhanced security and compliance

In addition to reducing the chances of human error, security is another key benefit of advanced document upload features. WaitWell ensures that sensitive customer data is securely stored with full encryption both in transit and at rest and flexibility that allows organizations to decide how and when to scrub this information from the system to ensure maximum privacy.

Why busy, multi-faceted service locations choose WaitWell

If you need a solution tailored to your services or customer base, WaitWell is the ideal choice. For pre-arrival information collection, its flexibility allows organizations to customize questions, gather signatures or consent, and manage service-specific requirements, making the intake process more relevant and efficient. This is especially valuable for businesses handling complex, multi-step services, enabling them to prioritize and serve customers more effectively.

By integrating digital forms and document uploads into your booking and queueing system, you reduce paperwork and create a seamless, personalized experience for customers while boosting operational efficiency. With WaitWell, your staff will benefit from an intuitive system designed to meet the unique needs of your service locations.