We have all been compelled by need, urgency, or situation to stand in long queues, even if it is just a last-minute rush to the local grocery store or a nearby stationery shop. How does it feel to stand and keep waiting for your turn to come, to finally be able to buy what you need? Tiring, exhausting, often frustrating, isn’t it? We have quite often struggled with the dilemma of whether to keep waiting in line or to leave the queue and look somewhere else or come back here later. Therefore, you can very much relate to what your customers must go through while waiting tirelessly in long queues.
So without further beating about the bush, here are the 3 most important reasons why queues are bad and detrimental for the progress and scaling of any growing business and following that, are the top 5 excellent ways to effectively manage and solve this problem once and forever!
Disappointing customers
Newbie customers, who have read good reviews online or heard great feedback about the products your company offers, come to you with a lot of expectations. They come to you to be satisfactorily served and hold your company in high regard. They have escalated your company’s image very high in their mind. Even before using your products, because that is just how our human psychology works. We tend to exaggerate and over-emphasize the worth of things in our minds, which is often far away from reality. So, if the very first thing they have to experience, is a long never-ending queue, their image, expectations, and interest in you drastically drop. They are instantly disappointed, which is the last thing you probably want for your customers!
First impression matters!
Even if these new customers make it through the queue and finally purchase your product, it is very likely that they will not recommend their friends and family to purchase from you, even if they found your product really great and helpful. Or even if they genuinely appreciate your product’s quality, they will most probably not refer your products to others, simply because of the exhausting experience of waiting in a queue. And even if seen from a marketing perspective, this is a terrible mistake to commit, because reputation also spreads by word of mouth. First impressions are always the most important!
A once gone customer is a lost customer.
People nowadays are getting increasingly busy and they have many important tasks to get done. Moreover, it is statistically shown that people will patiently wait for a maximum of about 14 minutes in the queue. If they have to wait further, most people prioritize another task at hand and often exit the line. They are unlikely to return again because when they decide to come back, the very first thing that will strike their mind is the long queue they have to wait in. In this age of instant gratification, where we are happy with instant favors—making your customers wait for so long, can be like a death sentence to your business growth!
But you have no reason to worry or panic. We got you! Here we are up with our most highly recommended solutions to all your queue management problems:
Maintaining balance
Efficient queue management can be done only if there is an evenly balanced inflow and outflow of customers. So, appoint active assistants to help current customers with their doubts. Or play some trendy energetic music to automatically make the current customers move, decide and shop faster( it is psychologically confirmed), while simultaneously, making the ambiance lighter for the waiting customers and making way to usher them inside.
Transparency in communication
People will more likely want to wait if they are made to feel that they matter. Staff can be appointed in each queue to analyze queue data and politely inform customers of the approximate time for their turn to come. A little transparency and communication can go a long way in maintaining reputation. Also, this trains staff members better in crowd management.
Entertain and educate them when in queue
Waiting in queues can really be painful for the legs and irritatingly exhausting for the mind. This can leave them grudging and fuming in anger or groaning in pain. Why not use this to both their and your advantage? You can install an LED screen and stream funny comedy shows or engaging movies on it. You can distract customers from their aching feet while simultaneously diverting their minds from the long monotonous line with this efficient queuing system software. For people who prefer books over movies, you can provide a bookshelf facility or access to e-books for free. This will make them want to stay longer while creating an encouraging atmosphere, which is greatly beneficial for your business. Hence you can greatly improve services quality through this queue management system.
Appointment provision
If it is possible for some services, let your potential customers clearly know that you provide certain services on beforehand appointment only. You can mention this on your business website or app. This will prevent unnecessary crowding and improve service quality through this digital queue system to a large extent. Besides, this will also save up a lot of your customers’ valuable time.
Avoid multiple queues
Maintaining a single line can cause your customers to face a lot less anxiety and stress. If there are too many lines, they will get anxious and confused about which is the correct queue. This may lead them to randomly switch lines, causing unnecessary chaos and commotion. As a result, overall slowdown in the queue movement and progress.
Implementing these ideas may seem daunting at first, but once done, your business is ready for rapid exponential growth! You can now shift your focus to some other aspect of your business that needs attention. Make improvements in other areas because this issue is very effectively taken care of. You do not need to worry about queue management problems anymore and you are now good to go!