At first, it may seem counterproductive to combine several busy lines in an arena and turn them into one line. However, the benefits of single-line queuing can actually make visitors to an arena or stadium happier and improve their faith in your ability to fulfill their needs in an efficient and painless manner. Here’s how a single waiting line can impact operational efficiency and the experience a person has at a special event, game, or concert:
1. Reduce the real wait
The single-line queue maximizes customer throughput by reducing the actual time spent waiting. When you have a single line with multiple servers you reduce the chances of unusually long wait times for everyone in line. Even if one stadium guest is taking longer than average to order their nachos or select a T-shirt, the next person in line will not be severely impacted since they need only wait for the next service agent to become available. In a multiple-line configuration, one slow transaction holds up an entire line, creating an unfair and uncomfortable situation for those waiting behind.
2. Create a sense of fairness
There’s nothing worse than waiting patiently in line only to feel like someone else – who just showed up or couldn’t possibly have waited as long – has been served ahead. The single-line queue enforces a sense of “social justice.” Each guest of a facility is served in a fair, first-come, first-served manner. There can be no questioning a person’s place in line – whoever is next waited their turn to get there, just like everyone else.
3. Reduce frustration
Stadium-goers want to relax and have a good time. They don’t want to be stressed out by waiting in an interminable line or worry about picking the “wrong” line and potentially missing a crucial few seconds of a game. And, let’s face it, being behind someone unsavory can happen just about anywhere – the angry father complaining that his kid didn’t get his complimentary hockey puck at ticketing; the oblivious fan who wants all the time in the world to choose between two souvenir items; the person at Starbucks ordering lattes for a dozen people in their group. While these frustrating guests will always exist, the single-line queue reduces frustration about choosing the wrong line. The person ‘next in line’ simply heads to the next available service station instead of being forced to wait.
4. Reduce anxiety
Anything to reduce the anxiety that can come with attending an event in a large, crowded, and perhaps unfamiliar venue will help decrease perceived wait time. By providing guests with a single waiting line, you eliminate their need to make yet another choice about where to stand or what to do. People simply have to make their way to the line and wait their turn – taking away the right to choose is a positive when it comes to waiting lines. Customers in a single-line queue have no need for neck-craning to see if another line is better, no chance to lament a poor line choice, no feeling like anyone is getting faster or better service. The single-line queue combined with a multi-server approach in a stadium or arena setting can streamline and calm the thousands of people who make their way to such busy venues. Learn more about the methodology behind a single waiting line and how it can work for your business by checking out these related resources: Infographic: The Case for Single Line Queuing Video: Make it a Single Line Queue Or speak with a Lavi expert to discuss single line queuing in your facility.
