What causes more frustration, waiting time or being in a long queue ? In this article, we highlight 4 tips to improve the quality of your service, through the management of queues.
We believe that customer service is a crucial point for customer loyalty. There are those who argue that the most important thing is to reduce waiting time, but some people consider that the most important thing is not to create long waiting lists.
Waiting to have an answer or solving a problem, is a lot of effort. The consumer needs quick and effective responses.
When a customer comes across a long queue, he automatically starts calculating how long it will take before they can be served. This analysis of time can be fatal to sales and will have a huge impact on the overall analysis in service operation.
However, this sense of waiting can be “manipulated” and this experience can become more enjoyable. But how ?
When we are able to divert attention from the waiting queue, the customer’s sense of comfort increases at the same rate, making the experience more important than the time spent waiting.
Here are some tips that can improve service quality and customer satisfaction:
1. Keep the customer busy and informed
When the customer is distracted while waiting their turn, time seems to pass faster.
You can do this through visual distractions such as displaying content on TV / digital signage, or simply not “forcing” the customer to stay on the spot, by providing interactive solutions such as warning by message how much time is left until is attended, or taking the ticket via web, before even moving to the location.
Case Study – Queue Management in Santa Casa Misericórdia Barcelos
Whenever there is a wait that goes beyond what normally occurs, pass this information on to the customers, keep them informed. The lack of explanations is one of the main factors that lead customers to become angry and anxious, transposing these feelings to those who will attend them and in many cases to leave the place of purchase without realizing the purchase that they had already set out to carry out.
“The activity provided to fill the waiting time should offer benefit in its own right, and be related in some way to the customer service that will occur.” – DAVID MAISTER, specialist in business management
2. Start the service process as soon as possible.
As soon as the process begins, which leads to attendance, the wait effectively ends. Any task that places the client at a transition point for service will be efficient in their perception.
The self-service / check-in multimedia kiosks serve as an example and give the client an autonomy that gives them more time and eliminates the need for this to have to go to the service desk, manually fill in information forms, among other tasks that make all service as fast and possible.
3. Be calm and present different solutions to your customer
Not all consumers will be in a good mood or be extremely polite, if they are in a hurry or already bored by the time they have waited, there is no way to get rid of a dissatisfied person.
It is necessary to remain calm and above all, to provide different solutions such as those already mentioned, such as not “obliging” the client to wait in the place, or even to warn him how long it will take to be taken care of.
4. Be dynamic
Present information in a dynamic and interactive way. Entertain your customer while they wait, either through kiosks or digital signage. But keep it. And this is very important, because in addition to decreasing the sense of waiting, increases satisfaction and interaction with your client.
BE CAREFUL OF THE APPOINTMENTS SYNDROME
Customers who have pre-appointment for service will wait without problems until the scheduled time. From that moment on, however small the wait, will increase the irritation of the customer.
Important: The appointments generate an expectation in the clients that must be fulfilled.
Conclusion
Quality in service is something that is achieved over time and with the right tools.
QMAGINE by PARTTEAM & OEMKIOSKS systems are an essential tool for performing the actions to reduce waiting perception.
In addition to guaranteeing customer service in turn without having to be in a physical queue waiting for their turn, they offer several features that allow the organization and a better quality and experience of the service.
Case study – Cintramédica chooses the DINK kiosk for the customer service system
38% of customers consider not returning to a place because they consider the management and organization of service poor.
The important thing is to understand how these tips can be implemented and how they can really improve the quality of your care !
Therefore, train your employees, obtain systems and equipment that increase this effectiveness, especially stand out from the rest of the competition and loyalty to your client.