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Qualities of Top Queue Management System

Qualities of Top Queue Management System

A queue management system is a vital component of a customer satisfaction strategy. Everyone living in Dubai or any other part of UAE has experienced a queue management system at any point in their life. The main objective of any queue management system is to improve customer experience and increase customer satisfaction. The simplest process of a digital queue management system is that a customer or visitor prints a ticket and then waits for their call and then gets served. However, it is not that simple at all. There are certain features that segregate one queue management system from another and similarly those features distinguish a top queue management system from an ordinary queue management system. The studies have suggested that an average customer start getting annoyed after only 13 minutes of waiting, which is why business are investing heavily in queuing solutions to reduce the wait time.

As the technology is advancing the market is witnessing major changes in the customer behavior and market trends. It is extremely important to keep up with those changing trends and demands from their customers. Earlier the queue management systems was only used to handle long lines, instead of waiting in lines customers can wait comfortably in the waiting area, but now things have changed, now a days the customers expect from the business to serve them instantly, no one wants to wait in the waiting area either. This is why the queue management systems has also evolved with tons of new features and technological solutions that help business to improve the customer journey and customer wait time. In this blog we will cover some important qualities and features of a queue management system that will make it the most efficient and most impactful.

Here are some qualities of top queue management system:

Virtual Queuing

Virtual Queuing

Due to the COVID 19 pandemic the customer behavior, market trends and needs have been changed completely. Customer expects a bit quicker and contactless type of queuing experience from their brands. Whether it is a public office, government office, bank, hospital or any other place where the daily footfall is high, the customers expect the business and organizations to offer a better, quicker and safer queuing experience. This suddenly give rise to the virtual queuing and businesses who were not using or not needing any queue management system before are now using queue management systems. The virtual queuing enables a queue management system to manage customer flow through virtual waiting lines. It means that a customer can sign-up for the queue remotely and doesn’t required to wait in an actual physical queue or line. This also enables the customer to wait outside the premises and come only when their turn came. There are many different methods used for virtual queuing, the most common are remote sign-up through SMS, Calls, Email, Appointments, Smartphone Apps, QR Codes, etc.

The customer sign-up using any method and then they can either wait outside the premises or come at exactly the same time when their ticket number is being called. As the customer identifier or ticket has been issued prior to their arrival and their place is secured in the queue so the customers don’t have to wait physically in the line instead they can wait outside to minimize the contact and interaction with other people. The virtual queuing is not only give confidence to the customers and visitors but it literally completely remove the need of waiting in the waiting area or inside the premises, which means the customers and visitors can get served immediately after their arrival. It improves the customer experience and also maximize the employee efficiency which has double effect on the overall productivity of the branch and increase profitability.

Automatic Customer Journey Management

Automatic Customer Journey Management

Although this is a basic feature of modern days queue management system in Dubai, UAE. But this feature has enhanced a lot in past few years. Any queue management system provides some level of customer journey automation, but a top queue management system should enables the management to configure the customer journey and to make them able to implement the new or temporary company policies instantaneously. This feature is very important in today’s queuing. As businesses often require to change their policy or to change the customer routes. It could be either due to a temporary scenario or a special occasion or for a certain need. But business often require to modify their queuing policies. A top queue management system should be very flexible and helpful for the management in dealing with such scenarios. The customer journey automation is also mandatory to minimize the customer wait time and to improve the customer flow.

The automatic customer journey feature enables the queue management system to automatically route the customers and visitors to their dedicated counters/server and agents. For example, usually a business is offering multiple services in a single branch having multiple counters. Even in some cases a single service delivery require a customer to go to several counters. Certain agents and servers are trained for certain services and some agents perform well for certain services. This is why in order to maximize the operational efficiency and to maintain the ultimate customer experience the business require a queue management system that can handle all these variables automatically.

Queue Management System Smartphone Apps

Queue Management System Smartphone Apps

Smartphone apps have been integrated too deep within our society. In Dubai and all other emirates of UAE the smartphone apps are very popular. The government is stressing on the importance of going green and digitalization. There are tons of government services that are being offered through the smartphone apps. Another reason of smartphone apps getting popular is that in the entire UAE almost everyone owns a smartphone and have access to the internet. People love to spend time on their smartphone, in fact there are certain clusters of society who spend more time on their smartphones than on the laptops or traditional computers. Which makes them even more important for the marketers and business belongs to the service based industry. A queue management system smartphone app added value to both the customers and the management.

The queue management system smartphone apps enables the customer to sign-up remotely from their mobiles, it improves the virtual queuing and help management to minimize the wait time which enhances customer experience and improve customer journey. The smartphone applications can offer a lot of features which enhance customer experience and customer journey. The customers can book an appointment from the apps. The customer can search for the nearest branch, and also find data for those branches which help them planning their visit. The customer can learn about the busy branches, current queuing details and much more. The real-time updates, notifications and support for virtual queuing also add value to the customer journey and customer experience.

Dedicated Agent Dashboard

Dedicated Agent Dashboard

Dedicated agent dashboard is very helpful in improving employee efficiency and making service delivery process easier which also impact customer satisfaction and customer journey. The agent/server can monitor and control the queues from this dashboard. Each agent will have to login to their dashboard at the start of their shift, this way the queue management system will be able to identify the agent/server and then the system can collect stats, capture various data inputs, and measure KPIs (key performance indicators). The dashboard can capture different types of data such as the agent’s progress, how many customers are being served. How much time consumed for each service delivery, what is average time for a single service delivery. What services are delivered quickly and what services took longer. Comparison can be done. The services can be easily identified at which the agent/server is good and vice versa. This way the management can manage the agent’s position and their tasks to improve efficiency.

The agents can also utilize the dashboard to aid their service delivery process. The agent dashboard can offer a variety of standard and customized features which can be designed to aid the service delivery process. For example the customers data can be pushed to the agent dashboard easily or from the agent dashboard to customer repository or it can be linked to the centralized information center. This could save a lot of efforts which reduces the service delivery time, improve customer experience and increase employee efficiency. The agent/server dashboard can be completely customized to add features and functionalities that can facilitate the service delivery process and it also collect important statistical data which help the management in decision making and planning for the future strategies.

Real-time Monitoring and Remote Management

Real-time Monitoring and Remote Management

Any top queue management system must have this quality. The real-time monitoring and the remote management is very helpful for the management. The queue management system allows the top management at the head office to be able to access any or all connected branches. The head office can push new policies, extract data, assign new job roles for the staff and branch management and they can also control various other aspects of the queuing process. Which is very helpful for the head office and it also prevent any additional work and cost of manually implementing company policies and strategies to each location. In order to enable this feature the queue management system must have a dedicated server or server side application. This queue management system server connects with all branches and mostly all the computing and processing is done at the server. This enables remote monitoring for the head office as all the data and stats are being stored at the server which can be accessed from the head office.

This connectivity also enabled the remote management. The head office can remotely monitor and manage the entire organization from the head office. The head office management can access any branch at any time and monitor the live feeds from the queuing process. The head office can push new rules and policies to any branch or to the entire organization. The head office can extract statistical data, KPIs and they can generate reports from any branch. The real-time monitoring and remote management provides a great advantage to the top management. Everything can be accessed remotely which save a lot of time and efforts as well. If the head office has data from all the branches they can understand the trends, customer behavior, agent/server performance and much more with more clarity and accuracy.

Customer Feedback

Customer Feedback

Any queue management system these days is incomplete without customer feedback features. The Dubai and all other parts of UAE have a multi-cultural societies which comprises of people from each and every nationality and ethnicity. This is why the UAE market acts and behaves slightly differently and are considered to be more customer/consumer friendly too. The economy is growing rapidly, the competition is increasing day by day. Businesses are investing a lot in innovation and modernization, in fact businesses keep updating their IT infrastructure after a few years only. This makes things tougher for the marketer and the management. It is extremely important to understand your customers to ensure a sustainable and continuous growth. The customer satisfaction and customer retention are crucial for growth.

A Customer Feedback system is the only tool that can provide a very direct and unfiltered customer opinion. I think whoever is living in Dubai or any other part of UAE for some time must be familiar with the small touch screens, or tablets or kiosk placed next to the serving counters. Which ask the customers and visitors to provide their feedback. A top queue management system must have this quality. These days all modern queuing solutions comes with an in-built customer feedback module. Which enables the business to collect vital business intelligence. The customer feedback data is critical for improving your products and services, enhancing customer experience and customer journey. The business can also accurately measure several different KPIs with the customer feedback module. Which are very helpful for the management in making decisions and taking actions to improve customer interaction. The customer feedback also build trust among the brand and its customers and it improves business’s reputation.

Business Intelligence Gathering

Business Intelligence Gathering

Business intelligence is not a particular data, in fact it is a blend of several data feeds coming from various touch point throughout the entire customer journey. Any top level queue management system must gather and provide business intelligence in the form of actionable reports. This requires a very smart software engine with capabilities of data analytics and data processing. Collecting data is extremely important, but creating actionable reports from that data is also equally important. If a queue management system is collecting tons of data but failed to provide comprehensive and summary reports in an easy-to-understand formats, it could cause problems rather solutions. The top management or head office can rely on the business intelligence to form their future strategies and policies. The reports, stats, KPIs, system usage data and other indicators will help the management to identify the areas of improvements whether it is the customer journey, or agent/server, or product/service quality itself, the business should be able to easily identify and rectify the problems by relying on these reports and statistical data.

A good queue management system should be able to meet all those needs. There should be customizable reporting module, which allows the management to extract data and generate reports as per their needs, rather only daily, weekly or monthly reports. The data should also have to be presented in several visual formats which are easy to understand for the top management. These days we are also witnessing that modern queue management system allows intensive system integration and data synchronization with other enterprise tools and software. Which makes it easier for the management to prepare and compare data from various sources. Such features are very helpful or the management in taking actions, making new policies and identifying the areas of improvements to ensure ultimate customer experience.

Read More: Advancements of Queue Management System Expected in 2022

Conclusion

A queue management system have transformed into a powerful customer satisfaction solution instead of a simple customer flow management tool. Each business and organization have different goals and objectives but still the basic remains the same. Everyone wants to improve customer journey and customer experience to achieve higher customer retention and customer satisfaction rates which ensures steady growth and high profitability. A queue management system must have above mentioned features in order to help business and organizations to achieve their goals and objectives. Virtual queuing, customer journey and business process automation, integration with other enterprise solutions and business tools, customer feedback collection, real-time monitoring, remote management, reporting module, business intelligence collection and KPIs are the basic necessity of any modern day queuing solution. RSI Concepts is a leading queue management system provider in Dubai, UAE. If you need to improve your customer experience and customer journey, 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.

Check out this: 5 Techniques to Integrate Customer Satisfaction Survey with Queue Management System


Queue Management Challenges 2021

Queue Management Challenges 2021

As the year 2020 had a huge impact on everyone, the customers are expecting a bit more digital experience. The year 2021 brings new challenges for queue management and queuing systems as well. Businesses in Dubai and all across the UAE will have to adopt digital solutions in order to meet the expectations and needs of the customers. The customer interaction should also be improved by adding digital interactions and experience. Nowadays the price has become a secondary factor when it comes to the customer loyalty, instead, the experience and interaction is the most important factor in customer loyalty. If you are offering a good price but not a good interaction your customers will soon leave you. Investing in customer experience projects and strategies such as queue management systems is a long-term investment, it could literally double up your revenue in three to four years. However, if your customer journey and customer experience are slightly less than the average you will immediately witness a decline in revenue, and customer retention will become harder. This scenario results in a lot of challenges for the queue management systems as well.

Here are some challenges for a queue management system in 2021 and their reasons:

Challenge No 1. The Impact of Pandemic

The Impact of Pandemic

The customer experience was earlier ruined by the crowded waiting areas and long queues. Businesses have to find innovative ways and solutions to manage such scenarios. After the pandemic of the COVID-19, this has completely changed, now businesses not only have to handle the queues but they must have to deal with the social distancing and health and safety regulations as well. Here in Dubai and all around the UAE the governments have very strict policies and regulations, which are great for the health and safety of the public and society but for the business, it becomes even harder to manage the customer flow under such circumstances. The queue management systems earlier were programmed to automate customer journey and customer flow, now they must have to manage and control the number of customers allowed to be in the queue in order to implement social distancing.

Another most important factor is that businesses all around the world are actively seeking methods to cut costs. In such scenarios, expensive solutions or bulky upgrades are not an option for most businesses. This means that the queue management systems must have to be very cost-efficient and very effective to deal with social distancing and such scenarios. A queue management system will have to provide additional features and functionalities to aid the management in handling such situations at the same time it has to be very cost-effective too. If we talk about the long-term gains, queue management is an excellent customer happiness solution, as for the short-term gains, leading queue management system providers in Dubai such as RSI Concepts are offering great deals and support for local and international clients.

Challenge No 2. Customer Expectations

Customer Expectations

Customer expectations is a very important trend to keep an eye on. There are so many factors that influence customer expectations. The more notable are the competitors, the overall market trends, for example, in 2021 all sorts of businesses, public and private sectors, government offices, and everywhere else where ever you go, the social distancing is a must. This lead to a new trend, now a day’s people expect from their brands and service provider to offer certain solutions and systems in place which will help them to implement social distancing and such stuff.

Apart from social distancing, even before that in Dubai and all across the UAE businesses and institutions who are facilitating visitors and customers are always having one or another kind of digital queue management system. This trend led people in expecting a digital queue management system wherever they go. If their brand is not offering a digital queue management system then they will perceive it negatively and they could think that the brand is outdated or old hence they should consider other businesses who are offering better services, etc.

Another important factor is the competition. If your competitors are offering a digital queue management system at their branch, then your customers and visitors will also expect a digital queue management system there and so on and so forth. That is how customer’s expectations are formed and businesses should have to consider those trends and customer expectations when making future strategies and taking decisions.

Challenge No 3. Customer Journey

Customer Journey

The year 2021 is the year of digitalization, everything is getting digital. The things that can’t get completely digital are getting partially digital with heavy involvement of digital systems and solutions. That is not all, businesses have changed their practices and methods too. The queue management systems have to adapt to all those changes as well. Businesses are moving towards digital interactions and inventing ways to be as contactless as possible, however, in most cases a completely digital customer journey is not possible. Now a day’s queue management systems are integrated with various other systems to expedite the customer flow and to improve the customer journey. Most of the queue management system providers in Dubai are focusing on innovating new ideas and personalized queue management systems for certain industries.

The general consumer market is leaning towards online and eCommerce. However, the service-based industries that can’t completely go digital are partially digitalizing their services and service delivery mechanisms. For example, virtual queuing is partially digitalizing the customer journey and queue management. The online appointment is helping the health care industry and so on. As per the regulations and laws, only a certain percentage of customers and visitors can be welcomed at a given time. This means that the businesses would not be able to let more people inside the premises to wait in the waiting area. The customers will have to wait outside. In order to deal with this problem the queue management systems adapted to virtual queuing, online appointments, smartphone apps, and such features to help both the business and the customers too.

Challenge No 4. Customer Experience

Customer Experience

Another toughest challenge that a queue management system has today is the customer experience. Despite all those factors that are not only changing the customer behavior but also demand a completely different approach to handle customer flow, maintaining the customer experience is a very challenging job. This is why the queue management systems have to adapt to the new trends and requirements very quickly. All the customer touchpoints, interactions, and relevant business processes that were being handled through the queue management systems should be reworked and redesigned. The modern queue management systems in 2021 are not only a ticket dispensing and customer calling setup but in fact a complete customer happiness and customer experience management tools.

The customers are very sensitive these days, especially about their interaction and experience at public places. As the market has shifted rapidly so there is too much confusion among the marketers and businesses, everyone is trying to catch up. In such situations, things could easily go wrong, so it is important to focus and work in the right direction. This demands critical thinking and a better understanding of customer behavior and demands. Although it may sound difficult it is not. These days the most important thing any customer wants is the quickest service delivery, the least wait time, and better human interaction. Well, this is what a customer always wanted. But these days, it is extremely important to focus on these factors to improve customer experience. An advanced queue management system should be able to help management in dealing with such situations.

These days, the overall market trends and the behavior of the general population are changing. The working from home, online schools, eCommerce, and a long list of online services which before that we never thought could go online, have completely shifted the market trends. Now the customers are very comfortable with the digital experience, in fact, prefer digital over traditional methods. So including digital fragments into your business process along with the personalized interaction or human interaction could really boost the customer experience which will increase customer happiness and satisfaction.

Challenge No 5. Virtual Queuing

Virtual Queuing

Virtual queuing is also a modern customer flow management technique. The virtual queue management system is a queuing system that allows the customers and visitors to sign-up for the queue even before physically appearing at the business. There are so many different methods and approaches to attain virtual queuing functionality. Virtual queuing not only allow remote sign-up but also provides the queuing information and various other data directly to the customer using various different mediums, the most commonly used methods are SMS and Smartphone Applications. This data and live status updates are very helpful for the customers as well as for the business.

The virtual queue management systems are gaining popularity in Dubai and also all around the UAE. Virtual queuing can significantly reduce the customer wait time and in fact, it can completely eliminate the wait time. The customers and visitors are already provided with live updates and queuing information so they can come at the exact time when their number is called. Virtually there will be no wait time at all. The virtual queue management systems also reduce the workload of the staff and servers/agents. Which further improves their efficiency and service quality. The customers and visitors can have an excellent user experience.

Virtual queuing can be a little bit challenging if not planned properly. However, at RSI Concepts, we have a highly experienced design team and business analysts. Our virtual queue management systems can not only provide a personalized experience but also provide a very flexible control panel and data collection module for the management.

Challenge No 6. Integration with Other Systems and Tools

Integration with Other Systems and Tools

In order to cater to the needs of the businesses under today’s circumstances, a queue management system will have to be able to synchronize and integrate with tons of other enterprise solutions and business tools. For example, in order to include a virtual queuing module the queue management system will have to be linked with the Smartphone Applications, QR Code module, Customer Portals, Intranet, ERP, and Sales System too (if required). These are just a few commonly used types of integration. There are several others that are required to ensure the desired customer experience.

Integration is usually done via Secure Web Services or APIs. Integrating one system with another could be tricky but integrating one system with three or four or even more different systems and synchronizing data between all of them could be very challenging for a queue management system. Sometimes there have to be some intermediary applications to make sure everything works as per the plan without any technical problem. These apps should be designed and developed along with the customization of the queue management system as well.

As each and every business has certain business processes and unique methodologies and practices. So the queue management system also has to be very flexible in order to support the businesses in improving their efficiency and productivity without forcing them to change their business processes and methodologies. This could be even more challenging when the queue management system will also have to integrate with various other systems and corporate tools.

Conclusion

As the year 2020 has completely changed everything the customer journey and customer experience that we were experiencing earlier have been completely changed. The pandemic and resulting circumstances have changed every aspect of our daily life. When social distancing is required the digital and online services are the best solution. However, there are still so many businesses that can’t conduct business online. People will still have to visit the business or a local branch to get the service done. The trends have been shifted and the general behavior of the customers has been changed completely. This means that in order to maintain a better customer experience and customer journey, the queue management systems should also have to evolve.

This brings a lot of new challenges for the queue management systems in the year 2021. The new digitalized features and virtual queuing are not new to the queue management system industry. However, earlier multiple different digital services were provided in different types of queue management solutions. But now a day, all those features have to be provided in a single queue management system. The business should also have to maintain the best customer experience, which is also very challenging for the queue management system. This blog was to highlight those challenges and to let our audience have a better understanding of the market trends and the new advancements in the queue management system market. At RSI Concepts we have specialized in queue management systems and various other customer happiness and customer satisfaction solutions. If you need any help or want to get a quote, 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.

Check out this: What are the 7 advanced features of QMS?


What are basic features of Queuing System?

The queuing system or queue management system is a combination of software and hardware tools, which allow businesses to effectively manage their daily customer flow. The markets like Dubai and other emirates of UAE are very advanced, modernized, developed, and technologically far superior to any other nation in the region. This sets up very higher standards for almost everything. The economy of UAE is huge and is growing along with gigantic occasional boosts such as the Expo 2020 event which was postponed to 2021 and is just above our heads, the economy is very promising and this attracts a lot of companies and investors to hop in. Which leads to tougher competitions. The competition results in very demanding customers who expect very high of their trustworthy brands.

basic features of Queuing System

The queuing systems are at the very top of customer experience management and have a huge impact on the customer journey and customer satisfaction. This is why the Dubai market is full of queue management system providers. RSI Concepts is one of the leading queuing system and customer experience transformation solution providers. There are so many different types of queue management systems advertised these days, and almost all of them are different than one another. However, the basic features of a queuing system are the same. For example, the prime objective of a queuing solution is to improve the customer journey and customer experience along with that the employee performances also got improved, one agent/server can serve more customers in a single shift if an effective digital queuing system has been commissioned.

Read More: 10 Reasons to Choose RSI Queue Management System over Other Similar Products

Here are 10 basic features of the queuing system:

Queuing System Feature 1. Organized Queues

 Organized Queues

A digital queuing system ensures a well-organized queue. However, with manual management, the management will have to deal with lane jumpers, hustlers, and sometimes confrontations between the customers themselves and between the customers and the staff. This is very frustrating for the customers and for the staff too. If the queues are managed manually then more staff is required to manage everything. In addition to that physical barriers, stanchions, and other things are also required to manage the queues, even then disputes, delays, and troubles are common sites, which completely ruins the customer experience and makes the customer journey terrible. However, with the digital queue management system, everyone has to sign up for the queue.  A ticket number or token number is given to every customer and visitor. No one can trespass on other queues, or jump the lines, or any such thing. The chances of disruption are almost none. Businesses can easily organize a queue without requiring much staff intervention.

Queuing System Feature 2. Easy & Automatic Customer Routing

Easy & Automatic Customer Routing

Another problem with manual queuing is that the staff will have to make separate lines, which again they have to manage too. Priority customers or premium customers might also be stuck in regular queues, which is very discomforting and discourage customers from becoming premium or priority customers. But if you are using a digital queuing system, the system can easily distinguish between ordinary and priority customers and visitors. That is not all the digital queuing system also provides automatic management of the customer routes. Let me explain, for example, there are several services offered by a business which usually is the case. Most of the time for different services different counter are allocated and only designated staff to provide certain services. Which requires very accurate customer flow management and customer routing. This can be achieved easily using a digital queuing system.

Queuing System Feature 3. Reduced Wait Time

Reduced Wait Time

With manual queue management, a business will have to allocate more resources to manually manage the queues and customer flow. Which is not only expensive but it could cause a lot of trouble too. The manual customer flow management requires staff to manage everything which is very time-consuming, resultantly the customers will have to wait for more. However, with a digital queuing system the customer flow management, the customer journey, and customer flow is managed by the queue management system without any human intervention. The well-organized queues, automatic customer routing, and improved management prevent all the time-consuming problems of manual customer flow management. Which significantly reduces the wait time of the customers. As the staff is being relieved from the duties related to queue management they can focus on serving customers and can serve more customers in the same amount of time. Which reduces the wait time and also improves the customer experience.

Queuing System Features 4. Improved Customer Journey & Customer Experience

Improved Customer Journey & Customer Experience

The well-organized queues, automatic customer routing, and reduced wait time can significantly improve the customer journey and customer experience. The traditional customer journey starts from the very moment a customer enters the premises and it sends when a customer leaves the premises. The customer experience is the actual experience a customer has going through that journey. It could be either good or bad, if a customer’s experience is as per their expectation then the customer journey is good if not then you should really think about taking action fast. A queuing system not only reduces the customer journey but also makes the customer experience very pleasant and comforting.

The digital queue management system can easily identify the priority customers and the customers who require certain services. Then the queuing system automatically routes them to their designated counters/agents. This feature not only reduces the workload from other counters but also reutilizes the vacant counter for general services. Especially in Dubai and other parts of UAE most of the businesses are offering multiple services and certain counters are designated for certain services. Or in the case of stepped service delivery, when a customer has to go to multiple counters to avail a full service, automatic customer journey management comes in handy and it could significantly improve customer experience.

Queuing System Feature 5. Improved Productivity and Profitability

Improved Productivity and Profitability

A digital queue management system is far superior to any manual customer flow management practice. It significantly improves customer happiness and customer satisfaction. The queuing systems are a great tool for businesses to ensure steady growth by improving customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction helps increasing customer loyalty which further helps businesses to establish a positive brand identity. The positive brand identity then attracts more customers and also help businesses to improve customer retention rate. Which ultimately also results in better conversion rates. As the queue management system improves the customer journey and customer experience, they also reduce the workload from the staff and agents, which enables them to perform well. It means businesses have to pay less for the expenses and human resources. This not only increases productivity but also increases profitability.

Queuing System Feature: 6. Customer Engagement and Wait Time Experience

Customer Engagement and Wait Time Experience

Any queuing system comes with a certain list of basic queue management system components. Which include a digital signage screen, counter markers, and an announcement system. In Dubai and other parts of UAE, in fact, all around the world a big display is used as digital signage which provides all the ticketing information along with the customer calling announcements. Digital signage can be utilized to play multimedia content or adverts or any other interesting content to keep the customer engaged in it. A known waiting time is far better than an unknown waiting time. All the information on the screen is being updated in real-time along with the multimedia content or adverts it keeps the user engaged and busy. Customer engagement can significantly reduce the stress of waiting. Hence it improves the customer wait time experience.

Queuing System Feature: 7. Centralized Management & Real-time Monitoring

Centralized Management & Real-time Monitoring

Where a digital queuing system is offering so many benefits for the customers and the staff it also helps the management to effectively monitor everything in real-time. That is not all the head-office management can effectively control and manage any branch from the head-office. All the branches are connected to a centralized management system. All the data captured from the branches are synchronized in real-time with the head office. Remote management is enabled. The head office can push any policy or configuration change from the head office to any branch or to all branches. However, the branch manager will also be capable of managing and controlling the queuing system for their branch and would not be able to access or control the other queue management systems until the access and permission are granted by the head office. The head office can create administrative users with whatever access and control they want to. That is a great feature for head-office management.

Queuing System Feature 8. Reporting, KPIs, and Stats

Reporting, KPIs, and Stats

A good queue management system always captures valuable data and measures KPIs (key performance indicators). Mostly a queuing system capture system usage data, such as which services are most availed, which services take the maximum average time or minimum average time, etc. Such data is very helpful in understanding customer behavior and their demand. Furthermore, the queuing system can also measure KPIs for the employees such as how much customers are being served by any employee on average. How employees are performing during rush hours? How much gap or break an employee is taking during finishing one customer and the next customer calling, etc. This data helps the management to understand the employee performance and their behavior which could be very helpful in arranging training or for other HR activities.

Read More: How an Arabic Version of Queue System can Help Improving Customer Experience?

Queuing System Feature 9. Integration with other Systems

Integration with other Systems

The queuing systems are built with very flexible technology and can easily be integrated with third-party systems, corporate tools, enterprise solutions, and other systems via secure web apps or APIs. This integration is very helpful in automating many processes which can reduce the wait time and service delivery time to improve the customer journey and customer experience. Furthermore, the queue management system can also fetch data from various other systems to their interfaces and vice versa. The integration makes way for a lot many advanced features as well, for example, integration with online customer portals, smartphone applications, online booking and appointment systems, ERP, SAP, and many more.

Read More:  What are the Basic Components of Queue Management System?

Queuing System Feature 10. Easy Upgrade and Future Scalability

Easy Upgrade and Future Scalability

Another very basic feature of any queuing system that you should be looking for is its capability to easily upgrade and expand or future scalability. This is very important. As we have noticed that most of the time businesses expand, once they install a queuing system in one branch, they might want to install it to another branch or maybe all of them. Usually in Dubai and all across of UAE businesses first start with installing such solutions in a few branches then they keep expanding them to other branches. This is cost-effective and it also gives businesses enough room to improve the solution. The queue management systems should be able to keep up with the ever-changing trends, the capability to upgrade, and future scalability should not be very difficult and very expensive. This is what each business should clearly discuss with the supplier before starting the project.

Read More: What is Queue Management System?

Conclusion

The Dubai and other emirates of UAE are all highly advanced and technologically developed societies. The economy of UAE is huge and is very promising for new investors, which means a lot of competition, the competition is always good for the customers and consumers and it indicates a healthy market. Like any other developed nation, the customers in UAE have very high expectations and are very demanding. This further increases the importance of customer satisfaction and customer happiness. A queue management system is a great tool for customer experience and customer journey management. The purpose of writing about the 10 basic features of a queuing system was to provide our audience and customers with a detailed guide on the basic queue management setup and how a business can benefit from the queue management systems.

Although there are so many different types of queuing systems, however, the basic remains the same and the understanding of basic features and their benefits is very important for businesses in order to choose an appropriate solution for them. It is always better to seek advice from a professional queue management system provider such as RSI Concepts. We are specialized in customized queue management systems and customer satisfaction solutions. We are helping businesses and organizations in transforming their customer journey and ensuring steady growth by improving customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, and increased conversion rate. If you are looking for a queue management system or want to learn more, please feel free to reach us out through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get back to you soon.

Check out this: What are advance components of Queue Management System?


How Queue Management System Helps to Provide Better Customer Service

Before we jump into the topic “How queue management system helps to provide better customer service” we should discuss why good customer service and customer experience is important for a business. In modern society the market is completely changed, all the 2 decades-old books and materials are somehow unable to define today’s market trends and customer behaviour. Today a customer has tens of options to choose from, online marketing, social media and platforms have their impact too. Having a wonderful customer experience and a great customer service delivery is so critical to sustaining a loyal customer base which ensures steady growth.

How-Queue-Management-System-Helps-to-Provide-Better-Customer-Service

If a customer is repeatedly getting annoyed from your services delivery mechanisms and their experience at the branch the chances are very high that they will switch to another service provider, even if they might have to travel a bit more to reach the branch and they might have to pay a bit extra, they will going to do that. So, customer service delivery experience is critical for your business.

How Queue Management System Improves Customer Service Delivery Experience?

How-Queue-Management-System-Improves-Customer-Service-Delivery-Experience

Now, how come a queue management system can help to provide better customer service and a great customer experience? Well, the answer is quite simple, less wait time, and fast service delivery makes an excellent customer experience. No one likes to stand in the long queues, with the help of a queue management system your customers can sit calmly in the waiting area until their turn comes, this also opens a door to a wider range of activities that can help you to engage your customers to make the waiting time more pleasant and easy. You can also market new products and services using wide screens, print media and much more.

How Queue Management System Reduces Wait Time?

How-Queue-Management-System-Reduces-Wait-Time

By managing the customer flow effectively a queue management system can reduce the wait time by 20% to 60% in various applications. The queue management systems can automatically route the visitors to their designated server/counter, in case if a customer mistakenly got a queue for the wrong service than the service delivery agent can immediately put them in the correct queue and they don’t have to wait again. The queue management system can automatically call in the next customer when a counter got free, this also saves a lot of time. The customers/visitors feel more comfortable if an estimated time to their turn is provided, this also reduces the frustration of waiting for an unknown time period.

Queue Management System provides an Opportunity to Communicate

Queue-Management-System-provides-an-Opportunity-to-Communicate

Large screens and multimedia displays are an essential part of a queue management system. These screens have the ability to not only display the queuing data but also a large space for the marketing and informational content to be presented directly to the customers in the waiting area. As customers/visitors more often look at the screen to see what token number is currently serving and when their turn is expected so, any type of content on that screen or next to that screen will automatically get their attention. Businesses can provide information that can help their customers or adverts for their new products/services or latest offers. This is not only good for generating more leads, but it also reduce the frustration of waiting time.

Queue Management System Improves Service Quality

Queue-Management-System-Improves-Service-Quality

It is very obvious that if a customer reaches to a counter with the frustration of long wait time or any such inconvenience, they will be stressed out, hence they will be less understanding and less tolerated. Which could also impact on their interaction with the server or agent. But if a customer/visitor had a good time and less hustle in waiting then they will be calm and happy while they reach to the counter. This will automatically create a positive environment and the service quality will be improved automatically. A good customer flow management also ensures less burden on the serving staff and agents, which also ensures good interaction with the customers. Hence the service quality improves.

Conclusion

A queue management system helps to provide better customer service by reducing the wait time, improving the customer flow, enhancing the customer experience and reducing the workload of the agents/servers. It also provides businesses with an opportunity to improve the waiting time experienced by offering interesting/relevant information and marketing content along with the queuing details. Which also minimizes the wait time effects. Queue management systems not only improve the customer journey and service quality but it also provides vital statistical and usage data. This data can be used to make decisions to further improve customer experience and service quality.

Check this out: 5 Paramount Needs of Queue Management System for Schools and Colleges


5 Paramount Needs of Queue Management System for Schools and Colleges

In this blog, we will discuss 5 paramount needs of a queue management system for schools, colleges and educational institutions. The management at the educational sector most often neglect the digital queue management systems at their premises which usually results in unorganized long queues with a lot of complaints. But as the student enrollment department, student affairs and internal management offices occasionally got large crowds so they most often don’t collect data of the customer flow in these departments. Apart from that, there are so many reasons that the management at educational institutions don’t invest in the queue management systems.

5-Paramount-Needs-of-Queue-Management-System-for-Schools-and-Colleges

Here are the 5 paramount need of a queue management system for schools and colleges:

1. Customer Flow Management at Student Enrollment Offices

Customer-Flow-Management-at-Student-Enrollment-Offices

At student enrollment offices usually, a large crowd could be formed due to short deadlines, or most people do enrollment a few days prior to the last day. Which could cause long queues, with unmanaged students waiting in the lines. The staff is usually not enough to handle such a large amount of visitors, so mismanagement of the customer flow is inevitable. A smart digital queue management system can easily solve this problem.

2. Queue Management System Improves Brand Image

Queue-Management-System-Improves-Brand-Image

A proper customer flow management with an efficient queue management system can not only help the staff to manage large crowd but it also improves the brand image among the customers/visitors and students. Especially at admission offices, receptions, and admin offices where students, new candidates, parents, teachers, and visitors most often interact with the school or college, having a proper queue management system could help you improve your image and impression.

3. Queue Management System Improves Customer Experience

Queue-Management-System-Improves-Customer-Experience

Students and parents who are coming for new admissions are usually visiting multiple schools/colleges or institutes to choose best for themselves and their children. So whenever they are visiting an institute they start comparing each and everything they have interacted with. If they notice a large unmanaged or the poorly managed crowd at the office, they will immediately get a negative impression, this could also impact their final decision. Of course, there are a lot much that people consider while making such decisions but such things could also have a huge impact.

4. Queue Management System Saves Time

Queue-Management-System-Saves-Time

The queue management system can save a lot of time by reducing service delivery and wait time. Having a queuing solution in student affairs, admission offices, admin offices, and other internal departments could save a lot of valuable time for both the students and the teachers. As in schools and colleges, the classes schedules and other activities’ schedules are very tight, usually back to back with a short break after a few hours, this means that the students specifically have very limited time to visit internal departments for their regular tasks. As those tasks often have a deadline, so the students, mostly skip their classes to attend to such matters. Which is very bad for their education. This is why a queue management system could help reduce or completely eliminate such issues, and could save a lot of time.

5. Queue Management System Provides Statistical Data and Insight

Queue-Management-System-Provides-Statistical-Data-and-Insight

No matter whatever industry you belonged to, if you are using a good queue management system it will collect vital data for your business and provide you with a detailed insight of all your services, customer behaviour, customer journey, staff efficiency and much more. In case of educational institutions such as schools, colleges, universities, and other institutes, the statistical data which provides insight of customer journey, service delivery time, wait time, staff performance and visitor traffic could be really helpful in future planning and decision making to improve the overall service delivery mechanisms.

Conclusion

These are the 5 paramount needs of a queue management system for schools and colleges. Obviously, a queue management system has so many benefits and can help the management in understanding the current service delivery mechanisms and customer journey. This helps them to take decisions to improve various processes and overall the brand image. The brand image can directly impact your business in both positive and negative ways. Especially in Dubai and other Emirates of UAE where the competition is very high and the general population is very well educated, your brand image could make or break your business over the night. Having satisfied customers means more business. And a queue management system, if installed correctly in all required places, could give you a competitive edge you can never even imagined before. It is always wise to contact a professional queue management system solution provider in Dubai, UAE such as RSI Concepts. You can get in touch with our consultant via our Contact Us Page.

Check this out: Year 2021 and Queue Management System


Year 2021 and Queue Management System

In this blog we will elaborate on the topic “the year 2021 and Queue Management System” along with the current competitive scenarios businesses are facing with the effects of the year 2020 on the market and customer behaviour. The main objective of this blog is to discuss the major queue management system industry trends and future forecast. This will help businesses located in Dubai, UAE and GCC to understand the queue management system market globally and regionally. As we all know that the year 2020 has totally transformed the market and customer’s preferences. In order to meet the customer satisfaction level, the businesses will have to reevaluate and revamp their strategies in all kind of service delivery industries. The current trends are not only showing promising growth in the queue management market but also indicating the importance and impact of an efficient digital customer flow management on the service industry and customer happiness.

Year-2021-and Queue-Management-System

Global Queue Management System Market Trends and Forecast 2020 to 2025

Global-Queue-Management-System-Market-Trends-and-Forecast-2020-to-2025

The global queue management system market trends and forecast 2020 to 2025 have been prepared from the statistical data and research report published in www.researchandmarkets.com . Research and Markets is a very reputable global market research organization. The report suggests that there will be a 6% growth in the global queue management system market till 2025. Which means a rapid growth in demand for digital queue management systems in coming years. Another market trend that will be responsible for that growth is that more business sectors are already making queue management systems mandatory for various departments. And more business sector will follow the footsteps in the coming years.

You can find the full report HERE.

Due to the current pandemic scenarios, there was strict lockdown all around the world. The governments and communities have responded very well, and now the lockdown has been lifted or eased. Standard SOPs has been formed for each and every business, to ensure the safety measures. The queue management systems are not only useful in managing customer flow but are well equipped with features to prevent crowd formation, maintain and enforce social distancing and other measures. These features will surely contribute to the high demand for queue management systems in 2021.

Post COVID-19 Landscape

Post-COVID-19-Landscape

As the year 2020 results are partial halt or in some cases full halt in some businesses, most of the businesses started offering their services online. Which not only helps the customers but also the businesses to stay operational. Another positive impact of this scenario was that the businesses worldwide immediately understood the effectiveness and usability of the technology and now the businesses are becoming more acceptable towards technological solutions. This will also cause a rise in demand for digital customer flow management solutions and queue management systems. Especially in Healthcare, Education, Hospitality and public sector. Even businesses are also enquiring us to have a queue management solution at their HR departments, admin blocks, and internal operations. Which is a great sign.

As 2021 will be a very competitive year and businesses will try to improve their sales, services and practices to ensure growth. The queue management systems will not only help to improve the customer satisfaction level, but they will also improve service delivery mechanisms, reduction in waiting time, more manageable and controlled environment at your branch and a lot many other benefits. The virtual or digital queuing solutions also provide a deep insight into the service centre and service delivery process. This could help the management to further improve their practices and adopt new methods and technologies to further enhance the customer experience.

Queue Management Systems in Dubai, UAE in 2021

The queue management system market in Dubai, UAE in 2021 is also expected to grow rapidly, more businesses are opting for specialized or customized queue management systems. As the UAE Government was one of the few governments who have successfully controlled the pandemic, there are standard operating protocols and procedures developed for all types of businesses and public offices. As UAE is already very acceptable towards adopting high-tech solutions, the market is always thriving with innovation and high-tech.

Queue-Management-Systems-in-Dubai,-UAE-in-2021

Another great advantage is that the queue management system market in the UAE and also in GCC is fragmented, which also ensures healthy competition and overall such markets are great for innovation and technological advancements. So there are so many vendors such as RSI Concepts, who are continuously evolving their queue management systems and solutions to meet the needs of the market. However, the worldwide growing trend in the queue management system market will also be visible in UAE, in fact, the growth of the local queue management system market will be more than any other region. Especially in Healthcare, Education, and Hospitality sector will witness rapid growth in queue management system demand.

Conclusion

The year 2021 will be the year of innovation and exponential growth in the queue management system market worldwide. Especially in Dubai, UAE where the overall market is very friendly and adoptive towards new innovation and high-tech solutions. We will witness even more growth in the queue management system market than anywhere else. As 2020 has totally transformed each and every sector of the market. The common behaviour and perception of the general public have been changed, now people are more health-conscious and the awareness of personal hygiene is far more than ever before.

Such circumstances will compel the businesses and organizations to take extra measures to ensure a better customer experience. Modern queue management system solutions are very advanced and high-tech with a lot many software and hardware accessories and capabilities to integrate with other enterprise solutions, which will help businesses to provide a unique and very convenient user experience at their branch. This will also improve service delivery and ensures a productive environment.

If you want to evaluate your current queue management system or if you want to upgrade it, then you should be able to understand the basic dynamics of the system itself and more importantly, you should take help and consultancy from a professional queue management system providers. Such as RSI Concepts, we are a leading queuing system and virtual customer flow management solution providers in Dubai, UAE having more than a decade long experience in the field with thousands of active installation. Feel free to approach us via the comment box below of our Contact Us page.

Check this out: Importance of Queue Management System in 2021 for Schools and Colleges


Importance of Queue Management System in 2021 for Schools and Colleges

The queue management systems are largely ignored by schools, colleges and other educational facilities. The administrations usually don’t pay much attention to the visitor’s flow and queue management in student-related services. Even most of the time people are complaining about the long queue and prolonged waiting time in the student enrollment area. Usually, the administration thinks that enrollment is once in a year event, but at the same time, it could be the very first impression of your school or college on the parents and students. So it is very important to have a productive and comfortable environment during that period.
Importance-of-Queue-Management-System-in-2021-for-Schools-and-Colleges

As the year 2020 completely transformed our living and working practices. So, the year 2021 will be a new era with new norms and new standards. Maintaining social distancing will be an unspoken rule. Businesses all around the world will try to improve their sales by implementing latest technologies to improve customers experience, the customers’ expectations would be changed, and require more attention to minute details if you want to compete and grow in 2021. Technologies like queue management systems and digital customer flow management can help to build trust and improving customer/visitor experience. Although the queue management systems were considered to be very important for the service industry now they will become essential. Because an efficient queuing system is the only available technology that can help businesses manage the crowd effectively and implement new policies in their waiting areas. As for the schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions having an efficient queue management system will not only ensure a cost-effective solution to manage the large crowd and customer/visitor flow but it will also help them improve their service delivery mechanisms. In the nutshell, the queue management system will be an essential part of any kind of service industry in 2021. Especially for the schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions, the queue management system could be very helpful in managing crowds and large customers/visitors flow.

Queue Management System at Student Enrollment Office

Queue-Management-System-at-Student-Enrollment-Office

I still remember when I was trying to get admission I have visited multiple universities and for one particular institute there was a huge crowd, no line or queues, and the staff was completely helpless to manage everyone, people were jumping the lines and all that. I thought, “If this university is unable to manage this, how would they be in managing other student affairs and academics itself.” This is how people usually think, so having a great first impression is also very important.

Queue Management System at Canteens/Food Courts

Queue-Management-System-at-Canteens-Food-Courts

In schools and colleges the students will have to face long queues and waiting times, during their lunch breaks, especially if the canteen or hall is small then there would be large queues and crowd waiting for their turns. Most of the time students don’t report such issues, sometimes parents/teachers may complain about it if they notice the students are not taking part in games or play or any such activity during the break. It is because the students will have to stay in the queue and by the time they got their turn, there is no time left for play and other activities. So, this has to be managed properly with a proper digital queue management system.

Queue Management System at Student Affairs and Internal Offices

Queue-Management-System-at-Student-Affairs-and-Internal-Offices

Students often have to visit different departments especially in colleges and universities where the students are doing a lot many things independently. Such as admission office, transport office, accounts, etc. In such places, an efficient queue management system can save a lot of time. Most of the time students take leave from their scheduled classes to sort things out in such places, and as these offices are operating independently then the students might have to skip a class just to go there and wait in a long queue, this could also impact their studies, so it is very important to have a queue management system and controlled customer/student flow in those offices.

Queue Management System at Libraries

Queue-Management-System-at-Libraries

Some large schools, colleges and universities could also face long queues at entrances, and even there could be some days when more free periods are aligned from different disciplines which could lead a crowd in the library or during the exams season. So, having an efficient queue management system is important to prevent any waste of time for the students. Usually, at book return counters, there are always large queues, because in most of the libraries the return counters are fewer. So, a queue management system can not only help the students but also the librarians and clerical staff.

Read also: Rental of Queue Management System for upcoming Sharjah Book Fair 2020

Conclusion

The year 2020 has completely changed the common perception of masses. Now whenever we have to visit any public place, we first think about the interaction and social distancing, etc. That is not all, as the pandemic is also about to an end as does the year 2020. But in the year 2021, the businesses and organizations shouldn’t think that the current mindset will simply be switched off and things will be similar like they were in the year 2019. Maintaining a better customer experience with your current business practices might not be sufficient enough. The competition will also be higher, so if business and organizations want to sustain their existing customers and also want to grow in the year 2021 then they should have to adopt an out of the box approach to provide a great customer experience, what else could be more effective than an efficient queue management system at your premises. Similar also applies to the schools, colleges, universities and educational institutions. Parents and students are more concerned about their safety than ever before, everyone including me and you tries to avoid crowds and congested places, especially no one likes to stand in the long queue. Businesses should have to invest more in improving the customer experience if they want to grow in the year 2021 and queue management systems could be a great investment.

Check this out: 10 Impacts of Website Design on Digital Marketing Strategies


3 dimensions of Queue Management System for Hospitals

Usually, in hospitals, the management has to face certain issues such as urgency, lack of data inputs, a huge number of patients and unsatisfied visitors/patients. The main issue is always with the limited resources the management have and sometimes the limited space also. Another common problem with queue management systems at hospitals is that there are certain patients who may arrive later but should be treated earlier, managing such scenarios is always difficult with ordinary queuing solutions.  Apart from that usually hospital management always complaint about lack of data input or insufficient data, which also makes it more complex to make decisions regarding customer experience and customer happiness. A queue management system for hospital must resolve all such problem to improve patient journey and experience along with collecting enough data which help the management to take decisions in further improving customer satisfaction.

3-dimensions-of-Queue-Management-System-for-Hospitals

Here are the 3 dimensions of a queue management system for hospitals:

Queue Management System for Hospitals

Queue-Management-System-for-Hospitals

The queue management system for hospitals should be operating on linear queuing majorly with an exception for the patients need urgent care or emergency treatment. All types of emergency and regular scenarios should be classified and identified in the queuing system’s agent portal clearly. Whenever a patient arrives at the hospital they the first responding staff or the counter agent should be able to assess the treatment requirements to issue appropriate token which leads the patient through the required route to get the treatment with least wait time. Linear queuing is also the best approach for the hospitals and can help effectively handling large customer flow.

All types of treatments, checkups, examinations, etc should be managed through the system with different routes, as for all of such patient the treatment is different and requires different types of staff to attend them. This will not only reduce the wait time and the overall service delivery time but it also allows the management to effectively manage high-priority queues for examples, people with emergency situations or who need immediate attention. Another important feature is to provide full and flexible control over the queue and the agent should be able to hold someone’s turn to prioritize newly arrived patient with some emergency situation.

Data Input and Data Collection Process

Data-Input-and-Data-Collection-Process

No matter what type of single or hybrid queuing mechanisms are being used, it is extremely important to make the data entry process simple and quick. Usually, when people visit hospitals they are in a situation of unrest and hurry. Everyone wants to get treated as quickly as possible. No one likes to stay on counters/receptions for long to fill in the forms, or for data entry, etc. The queue management system should be able to integrate with the existing ERPs or any other system that is running there.

When a patient or visitor reach to a counter, the system should be able to get their details from the Emirates ID Card or Insurance Card to save time, all the data should be linked to a centralized information centre to immediately identify the patient. This also helps the system to propagate relevant information to the relevant departments to avoid any delay in repeated data entry at any other department or area when the patient visits there. The queue management system should be able to collect data of the patients along with the relevant visit details which should be linked to the digital patient history, in short, a single sign-in should allow the staff and doctors to get all the relevant information they need, without repeated signing-in on different departments or phases.

Read also: How to reduce patient wait time in hospitals with virtual queuing?

Customer Happiness Meter

Customer-Happiness-Meter

A customer happiness meter is a very useful tool for a queue management system for hospitals. The customer happiness meter should be linked with the queue details and shouldn’t require any input from the customer/patient to give their feedback. The system should be able to automatically link the happiness meter data with the queue management system data to identify which patient gave the feedback. Such indicators are very helpful in identifying the issues with the system and the process itself. Staff efficiency and behaviour can also be monitored through such indicators.

The happiness meter data should be organized and presented in comprehensive and short reports along with other user data and stats. The happiness meter stats will help management to understand the efficiency of the overall staff and the service delivery process with deep insight and a better understanding of the issues. Later the staff or the customer care department can contact the patients/customers with negative feedback to further assess the cause of their negative feedback. These steps could be very helpful for the management to take decisions to improve their service delivery process.

Read also: Queue System for Medeor Hospital Dubai

Conclusion

The queue management system for hospitals is not an ordinary queuing system. The overall dynamics of customer flow is totally different than any other industry. In hospitals, the patients are usually in some kind of problem and they are not fully calm. So, they don’t behave naturally, everyone wants to get treated as early as possible. As per researches, the waiting time in hospitals felt even more due to the environment, stress and other factors. Apart from that, there are certain patients who might come later but they require treatment earlier, so the queue management system should be able to handle such situations as well. Another big problem is with the sign-up process, which usually requires some time and the visitors/patients also feel uncomfortable during that time. So, the queue management system should be able to link with the central data centre to be able to pull up all the relevant records and history for the patient by only a single sign-in such as Emirates ID or Insurance Card, etc. This could save a lot of time. The queue management system for hospitals should also collect customer feedback on multiple stages of service delivery, which can later be utilized to take vital decisions for improving the customer journey and customer experience.

Check this out: Zayed University Acquired RSI Queue Management System and Customer Feedback System


Queue Management System Problems and Solutions in Dubai, UAE

In this blog, we will talk about how to fix some commonly occurring problems that organizations face with a pre-installed Queue Management System or with a new installation in Dubai, UAE. Queue Management System in a service-based industry is a critical component in maintaining steady sales. As every business is different from others and the targeted customers are also different but in UAE the overall environment for the service base industries is fundamentally similar. The clients are expecting the highest level of service and they like to have a lesser service delivery time. This makes the Queue Management Systems (QMS) more important and crucial for sustaining the customers. No matter what industry or business you are doing, or what kind of services you are offering, if you have to deal with a queue then the customer flow and customer journey are very important for you and this is why we have selected some common problem that businesses usually face in UAE.

Queue-Management-System-Problems-and-Solutions

In this blog we will classify the problems in two categories:

  1. Queue Management System Customer Experience Problems
  2. Queue Management System Administrative Problems

1. Queue Management System Customer Experience Problems

Queue-Management-System-Customer-Experience-Problems

The main objective of commissioning of a queue management system is to improve the customer experience and customer journey throughout the service delivery process. Customer happiness is very important for any service-based industry. Here are some common problems that organizations face with their queue management system in Dubai, UAE:

  • Estimated Queue Time

Estimated-Queue-Time

There is a popular theory that known wait time felt shorter than the unknown wait time. I personally also think like that. Sometime if the estimated time is there then we don’t over-estimate the queue time and it is easier to wait for let say 25 minutes rather than “unknown” time period. So, having estimated queue time showing on the screen could be very helpful especially when you have long queues.

  • In-Queue Marketing

In-Queue-Marketing

In-Queue Marketing/Adverts is another most commonly occurring problem reported by the customers/visitors who are waiting in the queue. Most of the organisations run their promotional videos/content or adverts on the digital signage screen which is also used for the queue announcements. The mistake that organizations usually made is that they cover too much of the area of the screen with the adverts, which most of the people feel annoying as they want the queue to be more visible and readable. So, you should make your signage content areas smaller and the queue announcement area larger or clearly visible. Do not ever use two separate screens as the customer will not pay attention to the repeated adverts and will entirely focus on the announcements.

  • Pre-scheduled Visits and Virtual Queuing

Pre-scheduled-Visits-and-Virtual-Queuing

Pre-scheduled visits of virtual queuing is a very popular feature that customers like and want to use whenever they can get a chance, especially if you are located in a mall, or you have other activities around your location which people can get engaged into. This eliminates the stress of waiting and the announcement can be made on their mobile phones. The best practice is to have push-notification as well as an SMS notification.

  • Audio-Visual Aid and Multilingual Announcements

Audio-Visual-Aid-and-Multilingual-Announcements

As in UAE multiple nationalities are living together so to have a multilingual audio announcement is very helpful. People usually got confused if they are not familiar with the announcement language. Usually, the announcements are not clear or not enough loud to be heard in a busy waiting area. Try to use more speakers with less reasonable volume to cover more area and along with the audio announcements the token number should also flash on the signage screen(s) to avoid any confusion.

Read also: Can a Queue Management System Improve Customer Experience?

2. Queue Management System Administrative Problems

Queue-Managemen- System-Administrative-Problems

Now let us talk about some common queue management system administrative problems. Organizations not only have to deal with the issues related to customer satisfaction and happiness but there are some other administrative issues which are in fact important while administering a queue management system at your premises. Such as:

  • Maintaining the physical queue and customer flow

Maintaining-the-physical-queue-and-customer-flow

Usually, organizations use different types of stanchions to route the physical queue. Especially where a large number of customers/visitors coming there should be physical queue management in order to maintain the overall queue management system efficiency. Such things should be used efficiently and in such scenarios where a large sum of people has to stay in the queue then the best approach is to have a single queue multi-serve setup. This way everyone in the queue will have to wait for a similar amount of time and people will also remain calm by knowing that multiple counters is serving the very same queue in which they are standing.

  • Directional Signage for the Customer Flow

Directional-Signage-for-the-Customer-Flow

Directional signage for the customer flow is very important in case of large waiting areas or multi-story multi-area kind of service delivery systems. In such systems, the customers/visitors might have to visit multiple counters located in multiple locations in the vicinity to get the service delivered to them. So, digital or physical signage and direction indicators are very important to route the queue and to maintain a steady customer flow. This also reduces customer confusion and help to improve the customer journey.

  • Premium Counters of VIP Service

Premium-Counters-of-VIP-Service

In case if you have premium counters or VIP service you should avoid clubbing such counters with the ordinary counters. The best approach is to set up both installations in a different location, with separate waiting areas. This also helps to maintain the high-quality customer experience for the VIP or Premium customers/visitors but it also eliminates the possibility of negative effects on the ordinary customers/visitors.

  • KPIs of the Queue Management System

KPIs-of-the-Queue-Management-System

Organizations usually don’t pay much attention to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the system but KPIs are very important in the evaluation of the overall system as well as the evaluation of the service delivery agents or staff. The software should be capable of tracking the performance of each service delivery agent as well as of the overall system.

  • Reporting and Statistical Analysis

Reporting-and-Statistical-Analysis

Reporting and comprehensive statistical analysis are very important in order to take administrative decisions. The organizations should be able to retrieve the reports and statistical data from the queue management system as per their required protocols. This will also help in taking administrative decisions to improve the customer experience and customer journey.

  • Queue Management System Software and Integration

Queue-Management-System-Software-and-Integration

The queue management system software is the backbone of the system and has to be efficient enough to automate as much of the processes as much possible. There should be easy-to-operate back-office controls and policy deployment to keep everything up-to-date. The integration of the queue management system data with any other organizational systems and/or the ERP is also important for some organizations in order to lower the workload of the IT department and the branch staff.

Read also: Why should the bank think beyond queue management?

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed some basic issues and problems that organizations and their customers could face while utilizing any queue management system. It is very important to have an efficient and easy-to-use QMS system for both the customer and the staff. If you have any such problem in your existing queue management system of if you want to implement a new queue management system in your branch please feel free to get in touch with us for further guidance and consultancy. You can reach us through the below comment box or contact us through our Contact Us page.

Check this out: Appointment scheduling tips to improve customer experience


Appointment scheduling tips to improve customer experience

Appointment-scheduling-tips-to-improve-customer-experience

In this blog, we will discuss some appointment scheduling tips to improve customer experience. First of all, we have to understand why an appointment scheduling system is required and what it can do to improve the customer experience? Here are some basic features of an appointment system:

  1. Allow full control over customer flow and queue management
  2. Increase service time efficiency and decrease the customer wait time
  3. Allow booking out of the business hours
  4. Provides more flexibility, ease and access to your customers
  5. Allow online and remote sign-ups, with notifications, reminders, etc
  6. Provide detailed insight of the customer flow
  7. Facility to customize the queue management with routines and expected future visits
  8. Improve planning and management efficiency for the service agents and staff
  9. Provides real-time status reports, regular reports, and statistical data
  10. Customer Feedbacks, Integration with other systems, data export facility and much more

These are some of the basic features of an appointment system. Before you start adding up more features or add-ons in the appointment scheduling system you should have to understand your strengths and weaknesses. The best practice is to conduct some surveys with your service agents, and your customers, and try to understand what is necessary to improve the customer experience in the branch.

Most of the businesses heavily focus on the customer experience and their journey without considering any investment in the service delivery staff. It is very important to maintain a stress-free environment for the service agents as well. The appointment scheduling systems not only enhance customer satisfaction and the customer journey but also help reducing stress on the service delivery staff and the counter agents. This could further improve the overall efficiency and customer happiness.

Following are some of the most important things that business should consider while implementing an appointment scheduling system:

Availability on multiple platforms and mediums

Availability-on-multiple-platforms-and-mediums

Your appointment scheduling system should be available on multiple platforms and should be accessible through multiple mediums. People love to use their mobile phones as a substitute for the laptop or PC. A dedicated smartphone application for Google Play Store (Android) and Apple App Store (iOS) will be a good addition. Website portals and sign-up via SMS service are also widely used mediums.

Ease of Use (User Interface)

Ease-of-Use-(User-Interface)

The appointment scheduling should be very easy and in a few steps only, let say your customer can sign-up using their batch number or some serial number which provide all necessary information about the customer to the system and they don’t have to fill in long forms each time they want to sign-up. Optimize the appointment scheduling and booking mechanisms.

Provide helpful information and the latest data

Provide-helpful-information-and-the-latest-data

The portal should have enough information so that the customer can choose the appropriate service without any confusion or complexity. Showing current (real-time) information is vital for customer experience and it also helps to control the customer flow.

Communication is the backbone

Communication-is-the-backbone

In customer satisfaction and customer happiness, communication from an organization is always crucial. The customers love to get personalized communication from the organizations, it gives them a sense of importance and they feel like the organization cares about them.

Enable easy feedback channels

Enable-easy-feedback-channels

Either by online or within the branch there should be some channels to take feedback from the customers. This help to increase the trust and it also helps businesses take necessary actions to rectify issues. The feedback should be easy and simple such as a happiness meter tablet or kiosk, an online survey with just a few short questions or something which can be done in 30 to 45 seconds.

Effective Queue Management System

Effective-Queue-Management-System

Once the customer is in the branch or premises, then they should be welcomed with a very efficient queue management system. The queue management system should have all the important features to maintain and enhance the customer journey through the service area. Aid your queuing system with digital signs, audio-visual announcements, and other essentials to improve the customer journey.

Check this out: Complete guide to Queue Management Systems in Dubai

Measure the KPIs

Measure-the-KPIs

The appointment scheduling system should have a comprehensive statistical and analytical software engine. To measure key performance indicators of both the system itself and the service agents/staff. These reports could play a vital role in the strategy-making process and steps are taken further enhance customer journey in future. This will also help to improve the staff or service agents’ performance.

Check this out: How to reduce patient wait time in hospitals with virtual queuing?

Conclusion

Either you are a bank, hospital, clinic, beauty salon, public office, government office, HR department, or an organization who requires their customer to visit them in order to operate, having a high-tech appointment scheduling system and queue management system is very vital in retaining your customers. Getting new customer could be easier but retaining your existing customer, maintaining your positive brand identity is vital for your business growth.

Check this out: Why should the bank think beyond queue management?