CSC 797 - RESEARCH METHODS

ASSIGNMMENT

VIRTUAL QUEUE MANAGEMENT

BY SAMUEL WALBE YISE

MATRIC NUMBER: 238354
 INTRODUCTION
No one likes being stuck in a physical waiting line. Even if you’re not in a hurry,

being forced to stand in a slow-moving queue in order to get what you want can easily

breed dissatisfaction with the customer service experience as a whole. Virtual queue

solutions free up a customer’s wait time, giving them freedom to spend their time in

other ways. Some people are simply happy to be able to sit down instead of stand in a

line, while others relish the ability to walk away from the service area and tend to

other matters or continue shopping without losing their place in line.

It can be argued that the perceived wait time is more important than the actual wait

time. A customer might only be standing in line for 60 seconds, but one minute can

quickly feel like 10 to the impatient customer who is resentful of being behind a slow-

moving clerk or other patron. By allowing customers to join a virtual queue, register

for their place in line, and offer transparency with an estimated wait time, you

stabilize the perceived wait time and eliminate uncertainty. Plus, the virtual queue

dramatically reduces perceived wait times when customers have the ability to relax,

browse, shop, or even stay home while waiting for service.

BODY
Virtual queues as the name implies are just queues that are virtual. This is a system

used by a plethora of businesses to reduce wait times, give guests flexibility and

increase customer satisfaction. It is basically used to reduce congestion in business

facilities and improve customer satisfaction.

A virtual queue is an alternative to physical lines. Instead of wasting hours waiting for

an attraction, facility, or service, customers can quickly join an online queue and then

spend their wait time as they please. You can allow customers to leave the business

premises, get things like waiver forms filled out or payments processed while they

wait, or encourage them to explore other parts of your business.

The idea of virtual queuing is not new. Organizations like banks and amusement parks

have been using virtual queues for years to reduce wait times for their customers.

You’ve probably joined a virtual wait-list at a restaurant or waited in a digital queue

to purchase tickets online to a concert.

TYPES OF VIRTUAL QUEUES

There are two different types of virtual queues: hybrid queues and fully virtual

queues.

Hybrid queues

Hybrid queues involve having customers “line up” via an online queue system for

something that will take place in person. For example, imagine wanting to queue up

for a ride at a theme park. In a hybrid queue, a guest would join the line virtually

through a personal or business-provided device, and then would be free to wander the
park, enjoying concessions and other attractions while waiting for their turn. When

it’s their turn, they would need to physically return to the attraction.

In a hybrid queuing system, you may choose to have a virtual queue operating

alongside a traditional physical line. For example, you may want to give your guests

the option of joining the line virtually before they’ve arrived on site while still

accommodating walk-up customers.

The optics of having both a physical and virtual line are tricky though, as people in

the physical line can feel cheated if they see members from the virtual line getting

served first – even though both guests may have “waited” the same amount of time.

This is something to consider as you hammer out the ideal customer flow for your

business.

Fully virtual queues

Unlike hybrid queues, fully virtual queues do not require customers to have a physical

presence in your business at all. Consider, for example, a customer who needs to

interact with an online bank teller. They may join an online queue via a chat box, and

then do some work in their office or get errands done while waiting for their turn to

come up. Once it’s their turn, they’re assisted online, via text message, or on the

phone, rather than needing to appear in person.

HOW DO CUSTOMERS INTERACT WITH VIRTUAL QUEUES?

Regardless of whether the service you’re offering is in-person, online, or a mix of the

two, virtual queues are equally easy to set up and run.

Customer interactions
Customers can join a virtual queue in a number of different ways – and you can

decide what makes the most sense for your business. With a virtual queue system like

Waitwhile, you can offer any combination of the following options:

1. Having employees manually add guests to a virtual queue

2. Letting customers text a number to join

3. Providing a QR code on site for guests to scan

4. Setting up a self check-in kiosk

5. Allowing visitors to join a virtual queue at home via your website

6. Embedding your virtual queue into an app your customers already use

7. Adding a virtual queue to your Google Maps listing

To join, customers will fill out a brief form (which you can customize) with, for

example, their name, phone number, email, and service desired.

Once in the queue, customers will receive real-time updates on their status. You can

also choose to send your visitors updates via SMS or email – and they can text or

message back to ask questions or ask for an extension if their turn is coming up.

CONCLUSION
Virtual queues have many advantages and businesses that utilize them, will be able to

make life easy for their customers while making sure they don’t loose their customers

to unnecessary stress and time wastage that comes with traditional queues.

REFERENCE

1. https://waitwhile.com/blog

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_queue