Queue management technology does more than just shorten a waiting line. The benefits of a smart queue management system span widely, extending from customers to service agents to managers to the bottom line. The following are four proven business benefits of queue management technology.
1. Increased service efficiency
In field studies, we've found queue management technology can deliver an average increase of 35 percent in service efficiency. This is made possible with technology that enables agents and cashiers to hail the next customer more quickly and easily. It is also accomplished by queue management systems that ensure customers approach the correct service station based on their desired service (e.g., returns vs. new purchases, new account openings vs. regular transactions, business vs. consumer services).
2. Decreased wait time
Customers’ average wait times have been shown to decrease anywhere from 10 to 30 percent with queue management technology. Managers can do a better job of monitoring lines and reallocating resources when they’re immediately notified of changes in queue performance. Being able to prevent service breakdowns thanks to predictive metrics and real-time management means queues will run more efficiently, decreasing the average wait.
3. Decrease in perceived wait time
When it comes to queues, how long a customer thinks they’re waiting is just as important as how long they’re actually standing in line. Customers’ perceived wait times can decrease by as much as 40 percent with queue management technology like digital signage that keeps them busy and distracted through commercials or promotional messages. While a manager will benefit from information about customer counts and service times, customers also need and deserve information – people will be appeased when presented with digital signage, a printed ticket, or a text message displaying their current expected wait times.
4. Increase in impulse purchases
One of the biggest impacts to the bottom line made possible with the help of queue management technology, is to boost impulse sales. It’s possible to see a whopping 400 percent increase in impulse purchases at checkout with the combination of in-store digital signage and in-line merchandising, according to Lavi field studies. Digital messaging can be changed quickly and easily to accommodate particular types of crowds – mothers out in the morning with kids, individuals trying to beat the rush at their lunch hour or right after work – with in-store electronic signage displaying promos, commercials, and tutorials right next to available goods or services. Learn more about business benefits of queue management technology in our new guide, Automate the Wait: How Queue Management Technology is Changing the Waiting Line Experience.
