10 Reasons your organization should be using a virtual queue

1. Inspire customer loyalty

At WaitWell, we always say that we are actually in the business of turning customers into raving fans. We do this by providing a wait experience that allows customers to make use of their most precious resource: time. When your customers can use their wait time to shop, work or relax instead of standing a physical lineup, they will choose to return to your location time and time again. 

2. Enhance safety

COVID 19 has likely changed forever the way that many people feel about spending time in crowded spaces. WaitWell’s two-stage wait allows your customers to wait outside of the waiting area until it’s almost their turn for service. You can select the number of customers or parties allowed into your waiting area, making it simple to maintain reduced occupancy while also keeping your lineup moving smoothly. In short, you reduce the number of bodies in your service area without reducing the rate of throughput. Your organization remains every bit as efficient, but also much safer. 

3. Reduce staff turnover

Dealing with crowds of people is stressful, even without COVID 19 to be concerned about. Performing a service when dozens of people are lined up in front of you can feel like staring down the barrel of a gun. These days, attracting and retaining talented people is challenging, so any steps an organization can take to reduce the stress levels of service providers will help to avoid staff turnover and the associated costs to the business. Virtual queueing helps with this because it puts customers in control of their wait experience so they can wait outside of the waiting are and arrive just in time for service. As an added bonus, customers are generally satisfied with the service before it even begins because they have been able to wait comfortably and safely and to use the wait time productively. 

4. Improve staff training

With a traditional lineup, staff typically don’t know which service customers need before the service begins. This means that it’s more challenging to scaffold training in a way that allows staff to learn more basic skills before moving on to more complex tasks. WaitWell allows you to set up separate Queues or Service Types so that staff know which service customers require before assisting them. This way, they can spend days or weeks on the most basic tasks and gradually add to their skill set by selecting services that they already know how to do or tasks they are learning to do. The benefit for customers is that they are always served by a staff member who is able to assist them, so they don’t have the frustrating experience of explaining their need to one staff member only to be put back in line to wait for a more senior staff member. 

5.Understand the customer journey

Many organizations have little insight into the experience customers have before service starts. For example, what time do customers join the queue? How often do customers walk away without being served? How long do customers wait for service? How long does service take? These are just some of the questions that WaitWell can help you to answer through our industry-leading Reports & Analytics. When it comes to your website, Google Analytics means you know where visitors are coming from, how long they spend on each page, and where they drop off. Think of WaitWell like Google Analytics for your in-person service delivery.

6. Facilitate communication between staff

WaitWell’s unique “Notes” feature allows staff to place a note that is easily visible to other staff. The Notes feature is frequently cited as a favourite among service providers as it allows staff to share important information with each other to facilitate a better experience for customers. Organizations often use this to share information like a preferred service language or service provider or some important background information to assist with the transaction. The result is that the customer gets the best possible service by the staff member best able to help them, and they perceive that this has happened effortlessly and without having the poor experience of staff members discussing their unique situation in front of them or others. 

7. Two-Way communication with customers in line

WaitWell allows customers to send SMS texts to the Virtual Queue and for staff members to reply to those SMS texts from within WaitWell. For example, let’s say a customer goes to a municipal office to get a building permit, but the staff member at the service counter has to escalate the request to a supervisor and the supervisor is not available. The staff member can put the customer on hold. If the supervisor requires additional information from the customer, the supervisor can easily send a text requesting that information from within the WaitWell queue screen. Customers can reply with the relevant details to facilitate the service. You can even collect and view digital intake forms and waivers from within WaitWell.

8. Real time insights to make timely decisions 

Without a virtual queue, organizations struggle to understand what the wait experience looks like for customers at any given time. Managers might peer outside their offices and conclude that the lineup is “long” or “not very long”, but they don’t have the insight they need to make the best decisions to drive optimal service delivery. With the WaitWell, managers can see in real-time how many people are waiting, how long they have been waiting and much more. This data allows them to make the best possible decisions for how to allocate staff to better serve customers. 

9. Service delivery insights

For many organizations, staffing costs are the most significant expense, so it’s important to understand how much time staff spend on various services. Service delivery insights also help organizations to understand where additional staff training may be required. For example, if Salesperson 1 is able to sell a Dryer in an average of 22 minutes, but Salesperson 2 generally needs 40 minutes, this could indicate that Salesperson 2 needs some product education. Service delivery insights can also help organizations to determine the cost to provide certain services, helping them to make sure that service fees are appropriate. 

10. Improve online presence 

There are many ways that WaitWell can help your organization to improve its online presence and drive traffic to your location. For one, many businesses choose to send out a “Thank You” text after the service is complete. This text can have any message you choose, but one option is to provide a link to your Google My Business page or Yelp or anywhere else that you want customers to find you. Many organizations report a 100-200% increase in the total number of online reviews, as well as a marked improvement in the overall rating of the business on Google. In addition, allowing customers to join your line from your website means that more customers will be visiting your website to look for the “Join the Line” button. The WaitWell widget is an easy way to allow customers to check wait times and join your line before leaving home. 

Elevate your customer experience with just 7 minutes of your time. Discover improvement areas using this scorecard. ↓

No matter what your goals are when it comes to customer experience and service delivery, WaitWell can help. Reach out today for a free demo and to learn more.