In any service based industry in Dubai or anywhere in UAE the biggest problem every business and customer face is the long wait time and hard to manage queues. No one likes to wait. Whether you are a bank, a government office, a healthcare facility, an educational institute, a service provider or anything else, you will always find it difficult to manage the queues and your customers will always complaint about the long wait time. This not only ruin the customer journey and customer experience but it also destroys the brand reputation and the customer relationship. Which could have very bad consequences in long term and could jeopardize the future of the business or organization. It is difficult to completely eliminate the waiting, but it can be reduced, organized and managed to make the customer waiting experience more pleasant and their journey more satisfactory. For that a queue management system is used.
What is a Queue Management System?
A queue management system is used to manage the customer flow effectively, organize the queues, and reduce the customer wait time. This is the very basic definition of a queue management system. However, these days the business and organization in Dubai and all around the UAE are using the queue management system to transform the customer journey and customer experience. The main goal for any business of organization is to have satisfied customers. That is what a queue management system is used for. But it also provide other benefits, such as it increase employees’ work efficiency, it help improving profitability, reduces expenses and help improving customer relationship with the brand. The queue management systems are also a great source of valuable business intelligence which is vital for decision making and planning for the future. From the technical point of view a queue management system is a tool that help building and managing queuing processes, waiting line disciplines, customer routing, services channels, KPIs, feedbacks, statistical data and much more.
The digital queue management system consists of several different parts but all these parts can be classified in two main categories, the software and the hardware.
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Queue Management System Hardware Components
A variety of hardware accessories and components can be added and integrated in a queue management system to achieve certain functionalities, however there are some essential queue management system hardware components:
- Self-Service Interactive Sing-up Kiosk/Ticket Dispensing Kiosk
- Digital Signage Screens
- Counter Plates
- Announcement System/Audio System
Some non-essential but popular components are:
- Emirates ID Card Reader
- RFID Reader
- QR Code Reader
- Payment POS and/or Cash Acceptance
There are a lot many other components that can be added to meet certain needs and unconventional requirements. Here are the details of all essential hardware components:
Self-Service Interactive Sing-up Kiosk/Ticket Dispensing Kiosk
The self-service interactive sign-up kiosk or ticket dispensing kiosk is used to allow the customers and visitors to sign-up for the queues. Usually a business is offering multiple services, and mostly certain counters are dedicated for certain services. Whatever the case is, a customer or visitor can select the desired service from the available services list and sign-up for that queue. Even if there is only one counter the self-service interactive kiosk is helpful for sign-up process, it saves time and automate the sign-up process. It also dispense a ticket bearing the customer number in the queue with estimated time to their turn or any other additional information or marketing content.
Digital Signage Screens
The digital signage screens are a very important hardware component of any queue management system. The screens are used to display the real-time queuing updates and other relevant information. It can also provide the list of the active counters along with the current ticket number serving on the counter. Businesses can also display the estimated time for the next few customers in line. Such information are very helpful in improving customer’s waiting experience. Moreover, the digital signage screens can also play multimedia content on it which keep the users engaged and also make their waiting experience pleasant.
Counter Plates
The counter plates are small digital displays that are placed on each counter. Usually these are small elongated LCD screens or LED displays, which display the counter number and also the active ticket number. Such information is very helpful for customer in finding their service counter.
Announcement System/Audio System
As the name suggest, it is a sound system used for customer calling and it can make announcements for the ticket number along with the counter number and any other required details. The audio announcement system consists of multiple speakers which are placed in different location to make the announcements audible for everyone in the waiting area. The announcements can be bilingual i,e English and Arabic or also in any other language.
Queue Management System Software Components
A queue management system software is an intelligent application and a well-crafted control console for the management. The software is used to implement policies, monitoring, and aiding queuing processes as well as it can also help improving various service delivery processes. The usually queue management system have a standard software application which is hosted on a server, it can be hosted in online hosting, cloud, or local/in-premises data center as well. The interactive kiosks, announcement system, digital signage and the agent computers are linked with the queue management system server application. The application also provide the administrative panel and control console. Here are some essential queue management system software components:
- Administrative Control Panel
- Agent Dashboard
- Self-Service Interactive Kiosk User Interface
- Digital Signage Controls
- Reporting and KPIs Monitoring Module
- Statistical Data Analytical Engine
- Customer Feedbacks
Here are some popular queue management system software components:
- Virtual Queuing Module
- Appointment Booking System
- Mobile Apps
- QR Code Module
Here are the details of essential queue management software components:
Administrative Control Panel
The administrative control panel is basically a control console for the entire queue management system. The businesses can add and manage multiple branches. Multiple system users can be added as per the administrative hierarchy. The businesses can add head office users, higher level managers, branch managers, employees with various access levels, agents and other system users. The administrative control panel makes it easy to integrate the queue management system in the business and organization management and work flow.
The Agent Dashboard
The agent dashboard is the agent control panel. The agent can manage and control queues. They can utilize the customer calling functionality to call customers and make announcements. The service delivery related features can also be integrated in the agent dashboard to improve the service delivery process and quality. The system integration with other systems such as customer data base, sales system, CRM, etc. can be achieved via APIs which is a very secure and most efficient way for such data integration and synchronization.
Self-Service Interactive Kiosk User Interface
The self-service interactive kiosk user interface is the very first touch point of the customer. The customer generates their ticket number from the kiosks and sign-up for their queue. The interface can provide functionality to select from a list of available services as well as it can provide relevant information and any other functionality required for the sign-up such as scanning of the Emirates ID card or making payment for the service, etc.
Digital Signage Controls
The digital signage controls is a part of the administrative control console, it allows the management to run multimedia content on the digital signage screens along with the queuing information and other updates. The signage controls allow the management to perform basic digital signage functionalities to improve the user engagements and interactions during the wait time.
Reporting and KPIs Monitoring Module
The queue management system software has capabilities to monitor and capture data from each and every touch point of the customer journey. It also record valuable statistical data and measures various KPIs and other indicators. Which is very helpful for the management and make them able to make informed decisions on the bases of highly accurate data feeds from various sources.
Statistical Data Analytical Engine
The statistical and data analytical engine is also a part of the reporting module but it is a very useful component. It analyze the data and allow the management to extract the data in multiple format. It also help the management in creating reports with visual and graphical analysis and data presentations.
Customer Feedbacks
The customer feedback is a very important and essential part of business intelligence. It provides a direct window into the customer’s minds. The business can utilize the feedback to evaluate each and every aspect of the customer journey, the quality of the service and products, the employee performance and much more. The customer feedback along with other business intelligence highlights the areas of improvements and enables the management to take actions and make strategies for future improvement to maximize the customer satisfaction and quality of the service and products.
How to Choose a Best Queue Management System?
When it comes to the queue management system there are so many different vendors and systems available in the market. Businesses often get confused when they are selecting a queue management system. There are also some popular brands which advertise their systems with different brand names. However, there are certain things that a business should consider while selecting a queue management system to make sure it will be helpful in solving their problems.
Here are some key points to consider while selecting a queue management system or configuring/customizing a queue management system:
What are the Different Queuing Process Types?
The queuing process is basically managing the queues, streamlining the customer flow and improving customer journey. However there are certain service delivery mechanisms which are different for each business and that is how a business should chose a queuing process for their queue management system:
Single Phase Single Channel Queuing
When a business has single counter which serves each customer and a full service isdelivered through a single counter it is called single phase single channel queuing.
Multi-Phase Single Channel Queuing
When a customer will have to go to multiple counters to get a full service delivery and each counter serves a single step of the service it is called multi-phase single channel queuing.
Single Phase Multi-Channel Queuing
When a single service can be delivered at a single counter and there are multiple counters who can serve the same service it is called single phase multi-channel queuing.
Multi-Phase Multi-Channel Queuing
When a single service delivery requires a customer to visit multiple counters and for each step more than one counters are available it is called multi-phase multi-channel queuing.
How the Branch, Office or Facility Operates?
The capacity of the branch, office or customer service center is also important and it will help you selecting an appropriate queue management system which will meet your needs. Here are some important things that you should understand about the facility:
The Population of the Customers
The population of the customers or daily footfall is classified in two categories, one is limited and the second is unlimited. Facilities like boarding counters and clinic have limited number of expected customer or daily footfall. Facilities like customer service centers and banks doesn’t have a limited or pre-defined number of expected customers or daily footfall.
The Method of Arrival
The method of arrival is also important. Usually business operate on single arrival mode, it means that each customer will come individually. However some businesses are serving customers in group arrival mode. It means the customer will arrive there in form of a large group such as Immigration Services, HR Departments, etc.
The Infrastructure of the Facility
The infrastructure of the facility is also important. A business should consider the number of counters, space for the queues, capacity of the waiting areas, and size and shape of the facility. These things will help business in determining the type of the queue management system as well as the size and quantity of the components require for a cost-efficient queue management system solution.
Read More: Why Business Need Mobile Apps along with Classic Queue Management System?
What are the Benefits of a Queue Management System?
A queue management system can significantly improve the customer journey and provide several benefits which help businesses in improving profitability and ensuring steady growth. Here are some of the major benefits of a digital queue management system:
- Reduce Customer Wait Time
- Improve Customer Waiting Experience
- Improve Customer Journey
- Improve Customer Happiness and Customer Satisfaction
- Improve Customer Loyalty and Reduce Customer Churn Rate
- Organize Queues and Customer Flow Effectively
- Automate the Customer Journey
- Improve Employee Performance and Reduce their Workload
- Improve Resource Management and Reduce Operational Cost
- Improve Service Delivery Quality
- Collect Customer Feedback
- Gather Valuable Business Intelligence
- Measure KPIs, Prepare Reports and Improve Future Strategies
- Improve Revenue and Profitability
- Bring Innovation and Get Competitive Edge
These are only a few benefits of a queue management system. When a business implement a queuing solution they can literally transform the entire customer journey and customer experience which will help them improving service quality and customer retention. The customer happiness improves customer loyalty and customer loyalty help business building good relationship with then and a positive brand image in the market. In a long term a queue management system can provide excellent ROIs.
Read More: Top 10 Virtual Queue Management Benefits
Conclusion
A queue management system is considered to be an essential part of the service based industry. Especially in Dubai and all around the UAE where the competition is tough and the customers have too many choices, it is extremely important to stay ahead of your competition and ensure ultimate customer experience and customer journey. The happy and satisfied customers are more loyal to the brands and loyal customers can be a great asset for a business. The customer loyalty plays an important role in business growth. In this blog we have discussed the queue management and the queue management system. If you follow the above mentioned guide to understand the queuing process and to assess your queuing needs, you will be able to get a very efficient and cost-effective queue management system. RSI Concepts is a leading name in Queue Management System providers in Dubai, UAE. If you need any more help, feel free to reach us out through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.
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