In This Blog
- Lessons we have learnt a year into the pandemic
- How has Covid19 impacted Queue Management?
- What queuing solutions cater to the New Normal
- Additional tips for surviving and thriving in the New Normal
Are We a Year Wiser From When the Pandemic Started in 2020?
2020 began like any other year, full of hopes, dreams and goals. And just like that, it was all overshadowed, uplifted and thrown in disarray by Covid19 and its worsening impact. We stayed home for extended periods of time, we were unable to meet and greet our loved ones, and life as we knew it was over.
Masks and sanitizer were leaving-the-house-essentials, crowds were health risks and all our customer journeys were altered to adhere to social distancing and SOP guidelines. It has taken a while to adjust and accept that these changes are here to stay. The New Normal is the now, the present circumstance and where we build on for future advancement and benefit. And for customer service and queue management practices, this means change.
Covid19 has catalyzed a faster move to digital channels of communication. From email and text messages, to messaging applications and video conferencing, the way corporations, institutions and businesses choose to communicate with their customers has evolved. Human interaction is still the ideal, but with rising operational costs and technological advancements, unmanned service tools reign supreme!
It is the need of the hour, the month and the year, that businesses adapt, adopt and seek to optimize operations. Keeping up with the pace of industrial change will ensure your customers are satisfied with how they are treated, and keep them coming back for continued service.
How has Covid19 Impacted Queue Management Systems?
Covid19 has had the special effect of making us aware of what matters and what can be sidelined. And with this reprioritization, health and ease of communication have placed highly. Customers and staff must be kept safe, and an open, accessible and sustainable line of communication must be maintained.
To be a successful New Normal business, you must reassure customers and staff with your policies and the implementation of them. Businesses have two overarching concerns:
1. The Number of People On-Premises
Social distancing is an essential SOP and a sure way of staying safe from infected individuals. Guidelines for retail stores, restaurants, bank branches, and any business with a physical store or premise, was to maintain occupancy limits. This would in turn help ensure social distancing, keeping staff and visiting customers safe.
Businesses need to find a way to control the number of people on-premises and keep them at least 6ft apart from each other and staff. The amount of time spent waiting must also be reduced, both actual and perceived. The ultimate goal is to streamline customer flow to such an extent that it reaches optimization.
2. The Most Effective Means of Communicating With Your Customers
A lack of information is a sure way to confuse, frustrate and anger your customers. Remember the early days of the pandemic, the absolute panic as people were unaware of the nature of what they were protecting themselves from? Best not to return to that!
Customers need to be able to view appointment slots, communicate with service representatives, be aware of how much longer they might be queuing for, and any other information pertaining to where they should wait, be served and any offers or promotions they could want to avail.
This communication could be via digital or physical channels, and it is a healthy balance of both that makes for a holistic and trusted business.
Some things, however, have not changed much. Customers still despise long queues and if 5 more customers were added to a queue, purchases would decrease by 3%! This is a huge loss, tallying to about 11.3 billion pounds (GBR) of revenue lost per annum. Your profit margins and customer base demand better and more technologically driven management practices.
Covid19 has made queue management systems more necessary. Businesses can no longer hire extra staff in lieu of visitor management and hope to break even. In light of the above concerns of and demands on their customer service, they must explore other solutions that are designed to streamline their operations and client journeys.
Queue Management Solutions Designed for a Tech and Data-Driven New Normal
Queue management systems are designed to support, complement and further your management requirements. And they are adjustable, scalable and adaptable to a variety of situations and businesses.
You want to reduce the visitor footfall to your branch. Following are solutions to help you with that:
People Counting
Wavetec’s People Counting solution, also known as Occupancy Control, uses 3D imaging technology to manage queues. It is effective even in low-light sensitivity and low latency, and registers visitor presence as they enter the premises.
The device adds this to the number of people in-store and tallies this with the occupancy limits to ensure that they are not being breached. And when the individual leaves, it makes room for another one in their place.
Benefits
- Adherence to social distancing and occupancy limit guidelines
- Reduced number of people on-premises
- Shorter queues
- Accurate statistics of footfall will aid in management policy formulation
Industries of Use
This solution can be deployed in any industry that has physical stores and needs to manage the number of visitors to those.
- Retail and restaurants
- Banks and financial institutions
- Healthcare
- DMV
WhatsApp Appointment Scheduling
Wavetec’s WhatsApp Appointment Scheduling software allows customers to book, cancel and reschedule appointments from the comfort of their home. They pre-plan for their arrival, selecting the branch, time slot and service they require.
This solution is available for use 24/7, is easy to onboard for digital and non-digital clients and integrates with the most popular messaging application to make for a seamless service experience.
Benefits
- Adherence to social distancing and occupancy limit guidelines
- Reduced number of people on-premises
- Shorter queues
- Pre-planning privilege for both customers and staff, increasing productivity and cross- and up-selling opportunities
- Easy-to-use and install
Industries of Use
This solution can be deployed in any industry that has physical stores and needs to manage the number of visitors to those.
- Airports and Airlines
- Retail and restaurants
- Banks and financial institutions
- Healthcare
- Telecommunication
- DMV
WhatsApp Queuing
Of the same product range as the above solution, WhatsApp Queuing allows customers to be served quickly and safely whether they are walk-ins or appointment holders. If you are a walk-in, you scan a QR code or open a chat with the business and answer questions pertaining to your service needs. You will then receive an electronic ticket confirming your place in the queue.
For appointment holders, they will check-in once they arrive on-premises and be issued an electronic ticket securing their place in the queue. For both types of customers, they now have the freedom to queue and wait wherever they please. This remote queueing is facilitated by a virtual queue system that provides real-time notifications of queuing information, such as how much longer until your turn and which counter to approach once your number is called.
Benefits
- Remote, virtual and contactless queuing
- Self service capabilities
- Fewer customers in-store and more floor space for marketing and advertising needs
- Ease of use, and onboarding for digital and non-digital clients
- No need for downloads, new applications or paper tickets
- Increased customer satisfaction
Industries of Use
This solution can be deployed in any industry that has physical stores and needs to manage the number of visitors to those.
- Retail and restaurants
- Banks and financial institutions
- Healthcare
- DMV
- Telecommunications
You want to keep your customers better informed and aware. Following are the queue management solutions you might need:
Digital Signage
Guide, inform and manage customers and their flows in real-time using state-of-the-art signage solutions.
Guide your customers to where they should wait, which counter they should approach and where they should register their feedback – all with the help of industry-leading digital signage solutions.
Inform your visitors of offers, discounts, promotions, SOPs and business operating procedures and hours. Use digital signage as a marketing and advertising tool as well by displaying information about other product and service ranges.
Display queuing information, making the waiting clients aware of how much longer they can expect to wait and how many people are ahead of them in the queue.
Let digital signage be an open and engaging means of communication between you and your customers. Use it to help them pass the time too.
Benefits
- Reduce perceived and actual wait times
- Keep customers informed and satisfied
- Increase revenue with additional marketing and selling opportunities
- Reduce operational costs
Industries of Use
This solution can be deployed in any industry that has physical stores and needs to manage the number of visitors to those.
- Retail and restaurants
- Banks and financial institutions
- Healthcare
- DMV
- Telecommunications
Customer Feedback
Receive timely feedback from customers on your service standards, their experience and areas of improvement. Customers can fill out these questionnaires/record their responses online or by using one of the feedback systems available on premises.
Benefits
- Collect feedback on your operations, gaining the opportunity to improve
- Show customers how much you value their opinion and feedback
Industries of Use
This solution can be deployed in any industry that has physical stores and needs to manage the number of visitors to those.
- Retail and restaurants
- Banks and financial institutions
- Healthcare
- DMV
- Telecommunications
Spectra Reporting and Dashboards
Wavetec’s Spectra is a live reporting system, complete with manager dashboards, can be integrated with the different queue management systems to form a complete business intelligence module.
Spectra is a complete enterprise solution that is capable of extracting comprehensive insights in terms of customer flows, staff performance, service area efficiency etc. Managers access real time business intelligence reports and dashboards through a centralized reporting system.
Benefits
- Gather data, analyze and gain insights, and act on them for improved service delivery
- Increase staff productivity with regular checks and real-time dashboards
- Integrate queue management solutions and their data in one centralized and accessible location
Industries of Use
This solution can be deployed in any industry that has physical stores and needs to manage the number of visitors to those.
- Retail and restaurants
- Banks and financial institutions
- Healthcare
- DMV
- Telecommunications
- Government offices
Additional Tips for Your New Normal Business
- Ensure that your signage is clear, engaging and available in multiple languages
- Have sanitization option available at all service points
- Choose to over-inform customers than under-inform them
- Offer reassurance in the form of staff covid19 safety training news announcements
