15 Queue Management Tips for 2015

2015 has arrived. There is no better time than now to look at how you can improve your waiting lines or queues. Customers will thank you and your business will benefit from a queue that is well managed. Here are 15 queue management tips for a better 2015:

1. Create a clear cue to the queue

Do you offer directions to your queues? Don’t leave customers hunting for the queue, or assume that they already know where it is. Use clear, well-situated signage to direct them to the waiting line.

2. Bring in the merchandise

Merchandising in the queue can add significantly to your bottom line while simultaneously keeping customers busy and distracted from the wait. Try adding impulse purchase items that are an easy addition to customers’ transactions.

3. Add digital signage

Digital signage grabs the attention of customers, where they are able to view a screen for important information. You can display wait times, advertisements, promotions, commercials, infomercials, or whatever suits your business to keep customers engaged while they’re waiting.

4. Consider call-forward electronic queuing

Call-forward electronic queuing helps service agents hail customers in an orderly manner (while also eliminating agent downtime), allowing customers to give in to the distractions of merchandising or digital signage since audio and visual cues will alert them when their turn has come.

5. Communicate estimated wait times to your customers

Be honest with your customers about how long they’ll be waiting. Keeping a lengthy wait a secret only creates disgruntled customers. Telling them up front how long they can expect to be standing in line, puts the power in their hands. Make sure not to underestimate the wait in order to appease people. Be as accurate as possible.

6. Mobilize your queue

Allow customers to register for in-store services, such as product returns or technical support, via their mobile device. Mobile queuing allows customers to plan their day the way they want it.

7. Take advantage of real-time alerts

With sophisticated queue management technology, you can head off problems before they escalate. Real-time alerts delivered via text or email notify managers of lines that have gotten too long, for example, service that has gotten too slow, or lines that have exceeded the pre-set maximum wait time.

8. Bring in people-counting technology

Know how many people are waiting in a queue at any given time. Capturing this data in real time makes it possible to better manage and improve the overall customer experience.

9. Consider virtual queuing

Eliminating the physical line reduces customer stress because they aren’t held captive in a waiting line. Customers have the freedom to do as they please while they wait, and you can still communicate with customers via digital signage or mobile devices to let them know when their turn is imminent.

10. Monitor your queue

The queue is not an unknown animal. Real-time technology makes it possible to keep track of people traffic in and around the queue so that you can ward off problems before they occur or stop undesirable service issues before they get out of hand.

11. Create a short cut

Shorter queues always make customers happy, but shorter queues don’t necessarily mean the wait is entirely eliminated so make sure the queue is merchandised to work to both your benefit and the customer’s positive experience.

12. Consider a single-line queue

Multiple queues may seem faster, but research has proven that single-line queues leading to multiple service agents create the most equitable wait for customers. This configuration also promotes the first-come-first-served atmosphere and eliminates anyone crying foul.

13. Don't neglect the self-checkout line

Just because self-checkouts give customers the ability to wait on themselves, these lines still require managing and merchandising to ensure that there is an orderly queue to the checkout process.

14. Get them started

The wait is effectively over once service begins. Think of ways how you can help waiting customers feel like their transaction has already started. For instance, grocery stores achieve this by allowing customers to unload groceries onto the belt while waiting for their turn. Starbucks sends baristas out into the line to get drinks started for waiting patrons so they don’t renege. What can your business do?

15. Role play

When was the last time you stood in your own waiting line? You need to experience what your customers go through every day as they interact with your business. Address every queue question or issue from the perspective of a customer, whether a first-time or repeat customer, so that you can truly see where the potential snags occur and fix them before the customers discover the problems themselves. Now that you have 15 ways to improve your queue, from simple changes to digital solutions, it is time to get to work. Let’s make 2015 a great year for your business and your customers.