queue management best practices

QUEUE MANAGEMENT

Best Practices to Optimize Efficiency and

Improve the Customer Experience

“Waiting is frustrating, demoralizing, agonizing, aggravating, annoying, time consuming and incredibly expensive.”

— FEDEX ADVERTISEMENT

How do your customers feel about waiting in your line?

68 percent of customers leave a business because they think it doesn’t care about them.

— ROCKEFELLER CORPORATION

68%

— GENESYS STUDY

Businesses in the United States

lose an estimated $83 billion in sales every year because of poor customer experiences.

— BAIN AND CO.

A 5% increase in customer

retention can increase profitability by 75%.

5% 75%

A well-managed queue can:

Cut down on customer reneging

Improve the overall perception of your brand

Increase conversions

Facilitate customer flow

Maximize service allocation

Encourage positive word of mouth

A poorly-managed queue can:

Turn off otherwise happy customers

Make customers feel their time is not valued

Diminish customer loyalty

Decrease repeat business

Decrease efficiency and productivity

You need strategies.

to optimize efficiency

to improve the customer experience

Today’s queue management technology

may have the answers.

The promises of queuing technology.

Reduce wait times

Optimize service allocation

Maintain acceptable wait times

Predict future demand

In this presentation, you’ll learn:

Top queue management practices.

What is intelligent queue management?

Options for intelligent queue management technologies.

How companies across industries are using intelligent queue management.

How to build a business case and convince internal stakeholders to act.

First, a few definitions.

?QUEUE MANAGEMENT

The process of controlling or influencing how people enter, wait, and move through a waiting line.

QUEUE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY

Any technology designed to facilitate queue management.

INTELLIGENT QUEUE MANAGEMENT (IQM)

Specific technology designed to measure, monitor, and manage the efficiency and performance of a queue and its corresponding service points.

Top Queue Management Practices

5

Know your customers.1

At what point does their unwillingness to wait any longer take over and cause them to leave?

Optimize actual wait times.2

Consider both sides of the counter.

Reduce perceived wait times.3

After five minutes, a customer perceives their wait time to be twice the actual wait.

— WALL STREET JOURNAL

Monetize the queue.4

Turn your waiting line into a profit center, while keeping your customers occupied.

Monitor your queue.5

See and address problems before they get out of hand.

Measure, Monitor, Manage.

INTELLIGENT QUEUE MANAGEMENT

What’s driving demand?

Customers can be directed to underutilized service points.

Managers can receive real-time alerts when wait times are out of compliance.

EFFICIENCY

What’s driving demand?

CUSTOMERSATISFACTION

Businesses can keep lines moving, communicate estimated wait times and streamline the customer experience.

What’s driving demand?

PRODUCTIVITY

Dashboards can highlight KPIs and historical reporting can allow managers to better manage staffing.

Consider your options.

Bluetooth/WiFi

Camera-Based Monitoring

Thermal/Heat Mapping Technology

Infrared Dual Beam-Break Technology

Compare your options.

Complexity of installation and configuration

Infrared Dual Beam Break

Installation is easy. Merely swap out a few current stanchions with Smart Posts (stanchions with built-in sensors) and you’re ready to go. Queue mapping is built in!

Bluetooth/WiFi

A Bluetooth/WiFi system can be easy to install, with minimal system configuration requirements, just like a wireless connection.

Cameras

Camera installations can be complex, requiring architectural and IT involvement. Queue boundaries must be configured and mapped. If monitoring a large-sized queue, camera views need to be “stitched” together with additional software.

Thermal

Similar to camera-based technologies when it comes to installation and configuration. Some thermal sensors have wireless capability which may make networking easier, although changing batteries may still be an issue due to ceiling mount requirements.

Coverage area

Infrared Dual Beam Break

Beam break coverage is targeted specifically where it’s needed — in the queue. Since sensors are built into the queue, they’re always perfectly positioned where you need them.

Bluetooth/WiFi

Bluetooth/WiFi systems have a broad coverage range, similar to WiFi coverage in a building. And since it is a tracking technology, it can follow individuals throughout the coverage area.

Cameras

A camera’s view can be compromised by infrastructure, as well as overall lighting conditions (shadows or reflections may cause issues). If watching a queue, its boundaries must be mapped and configured.

Thermal

Coverage area is similar to cameras and is limited by ceiling height. A typical sensor mounted on a 12-foot ceiling will cover approximately a 10 x 10 foot area.

Architectural considerations

Infrared Dual Beam Break

Infrared beams are built into Beltrac® stanchions. Wherever your queue is, so goes your intelligent queue management system. There is absolutely no interference with the architectural features of your space.

Bluetooth/WiFi

Bluetooth/WiFi solutions are not typically affected by walls, windows, doors, or many structural building features, and therefore blend in seamlessly with the environment.

Cameras

Cameras require a ceiling mount or minimal angle of view in order to gather information, so the correct structure or support system must be available for installation. Network wiring and possibly power must also be installed to reach each camera.

Thermal

Similar to cameras in that a structure or support system for mounting is required on the ceiling. Network wiring and/or power cables may also be needed for each sensor.

Privacy concerns

Infrared Dual Beam Break

Infrared beams are completely anonymous. The system works as a virtual turnstile and is not reliant on any personal technologies.

Bluetooth/WiFi

With this solution there are both perceived and real concerns with privacy, particularly the idea that a person’s mobile phone is being used to track their location.

Cameras

Being followed by a “hidden eye” can make customers feel uncomfortable depending on the environment.

Thermal

Thermal technology is anonymous.

Real-time data

Infrared Dual Beam Break

Infrared sensors collect data in real-time, enabling instant alerts and notifications. Data is also used for predictive analysis and staff optimization and allocation.

Bluetooth/WiFi

Although Bluetooth/WiFi systems collect data in real-time, it is only collecting a sample of the total population (not every customer has Bluetooth or WiFi turned on). Thus, collected data may not accurately reflect what is happening in the queue at the moment.

Cameras

Camera systems provide reporting in real-time, as they are constantly monitoring customer movement throughout the service area. They are also capable of being used for predictive analysis and staff optimization and allocation.

Thermal

Thermal technologies offer the same real-time data collection and predictive analysis as camera and beam-break technology.

System accuracy

Infrared Dual Beam Break

Over 95% accuracy.

Bluetooth/WiFi

A Bluetooth/WiFi system relies on the mobile connection of customers’ devices. The system is only able to sample part of the entire population since those who don’t have devices or have their them turned off go unaccounted for.

Cameras

Over 95% accuracy.

Thermal

Over 95% accuracy.

Total cost of ownership

Infrared Dual Beam Break

Infrared beam-break sensors are built into Beltrac® stanchions, so installation is quick, easy and low-cost. System setup and training is minimal. Batteries only need to be recharged once a year, keeping maintenance costs down.

Bluetooth/WiFi

Bluetooth/WiFi systems are cost-effective to install, but may occur higher costs of upgrades and maintenance as mobile technologies continue to change and security issues become more prominent.

Cameras

Depending on interior architectural features additional cameras, equipment, and software capabilities may be required, quickly adding to installation and maintenance costs. Large areas also require a significant investment in cameras.

Thermal

Thermal technology is similar to camera-based technologies when considering installation, training, and monitoring. Service and maintenance costs will typically be lower over the life of the system.

IQM in Transportation

Monitor passenger flow and KPIs with real-time information.

• Passenger arrival rates

• Number of passengers waiting in each queue

• Average waiting times of passengers in each queue

• Number of passengers serviced and their average service times

• Expected (predicted) wait times in each queue

IQM in Retail

• Count customers

• Measure wait times

• Monitor customer arrival rates

• Assess service point utilization

• Stop problems before they escalate

IQM in Amusement Parks

Manage operations with real-time information.

• Count the number of guests in each queue

• Measure average waiting times

• Monitor guest arrival rates

• Manage service rates

• Receive real-time alerts to head off problems before they escalate

How to build a business case.

Impact on customer satisfaction

Improvements in productivity and efficiency

Increase in customer loyalty

We invite you to learn more about Lavi’s

intelligent queue management system, Qtrac iQ®

powered by Qmetrix® technology by visiting

qtrac.lavi.com/people-counting today.

www.lavi.com(888) 285-8605

Let’s plan your approach.