Many organizations are permitting remote work; however, not everyone has this opportunity. Remaining open amid the epidemic is an obligation, not a choice, for healthcare facilities, hospitals, and grocery stores, as well as government offices. And remaining open means customers, clients, or patients standing in lines that are much longer than normal, which poses a variety of risks.
Although dealing with huge lines and addressing the problems resulting from them has been a challenge for retailers since the dawn of modern retail, the COVID-19 epidemic has added a new dimension in attempting to deal with crowded retail outlets: public safety. In this post, we’ll take a deeper look at the various forms of queue management systems as well as how these can be implemented to maintain social distance in a retail setting.
Retailers Face a New Reality
It’s not standard operating procedure: Running a store or a service during the current corona outbreak is a difficult task. It’s difficult to serve customers while trying to keep them and employees secure, but virtual queuing can make a massive difference. The technologies that power virtual queues aren’t totally new; the need for social distancing is just one of the multiple advantages they provide.
One thing is certain: Long lines and packed lobbies must go in order to ensure customer loyalty when conforming to the new rules. The technology of digital queuing (also known as virtual/remote queuing) allows companies to serve their customers quickly while keeping them out of harm’s way.
Queue Management System (Virtual Queuing Software)
Most retailers who depend on browsing and drop-ins for the majority of their revenue would not be able to accommodate booking appointments. If this is the situation in your retail establishment, a queue management system may be a better option. For several years, casual dining restaurants have used these techniques to handle walk-in diners. Essentially, customers will arrive at the shop entrance and be instructed to scan a QR code to enter the “queue” by filling out a form with their phone number, email address, and name. After that, a few minutes before the customer’s slot becomes open, an SMS is sent to their phone inviting them to return.
This queue management approach will be especially useful in situations where customers can easily occupy themselves while waiting for the SMS. A mall or shopping center is a good example of this.
Best Practices:
- Some apps can handle both appointment booking as well as virtual queuing management, giving your customers the choice of booking beforehand or joining the line on the spot. This will help to reduce the number of dissatisfied customers who come to your store.
- The above-mentioned SMS issue is relevant.
- Make no attempt to be fancy. The majority of these approaches are ready to use right out of the box. Attempting to incorporate them into existing applications will only raise costs and push back the launch date.
Advantages:
- Once developed, it delivers a very precise estimate of wait time.
- Customers spend less time in lines and more time enjoying their day and browsing stores, resulting in increased secondary spending.
- It can be commercialized by allowing visitors to pay to “jump the line” without ever seeing it happen, thus removing possible frustrations.
- It may modify wait time automatically to accommodate the changes in throughput, such as delays caused by a guest being ill during the journey.
Constraints
In order to properly use attraction potential, a small physical line is still needed as customers arrive at the event or activity.
To scan in registered guests, a method of validation (either digital or staff) is required at the entrance.
It’s best if customers have access to smartphones and the internet, which is fortunately fairly common these days.
Is it true that good queue management has a direct impact on the customer experience?
There’s an intriguing aspect to the experience of waiting in a line: Our perceptions of the time spent waiting often differ from the actual time. We may mistakenly believe that a time period is longer or shorter than it actually is, despite the fact that it is longer than the average waiting time. This has much to do with how we pass the time while waiting.
Adding a Dedicated Greeter for Your Store’s Operations
A designated welcome agent who manages the reception phase can be a nice addition to the customer experience, especially in information-driven retail, where comprehensive product consultations frequently precede the purchase decision.
In this position, the agent welcomes customers when they enter the store and inquiries about the reason for their visit. Not only is the customer attended immediately, but that same agent will also provide visitors with a waiting time estimate and, if needed,schedule an appointment. If this were an online and you’d need scheduling, everything would be easier because you could use a scheduling software for service business.
In addition, by assigning preferences based on the essence of the customer’s needs, the welcome agent may serve as a gatekeeper.
Social Distancing Using Kiosks
While most retailers that want to introduce and optimize a digital queuing approach will look for a specialized welcome agent, there are various steps and initiatives that can be taken to reduce the risk of using shared interfaces, including touch screen kiosks.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The retail industry is overdue for a big shakeup, and the COVID-19 crisis appears to be speeding up the process. Virtual queuing solutions are likely to be implemented by retail stores, especially specialty retailers functioning from smaller locations with limited space.
Smartphones will undoubtedly play an important role in a range of roles, including serving as personal control devices, warning beacons, check-in terminals, and communicating possible delays and rescheduling. Queue management systems, with all of their many flavors, shapes, and forms, seem to be an increasingly useful and popular solution.
Also Read: How Do You Monitor People Remotely?
