Is a Waiting Number System Right for Your Business?

A waiting number system isn’t a new concept. For decades, businesses and organizations have invited patrons to take a number to reserve their place in line.

However, technology has transformed the traditional waiting number idea into something that streamlines the customer experience and makes life easier for everyone involved.

Does your business need a modern waiting number system? Here’s what you need to know.

Here’s Exactly Why You Need a Waiting Number System

To uncover why a waiting number system can help you, your employees, your customers, and your business, ask yourself:

• Do you think your customers would like to see their place in line and receive real-time updates on their wait time?
• Do you like the idea of increasing productivity and efficiency for your business by serving more customers in less time?
• Does less frustration for your customers and your staff sound like a goal worth working toward?
• How about cost savings—are you intrigued by the possibility of saving on labor costs and freeing up your staff to focus on non-queue-related responsibilities?

If you’re a fan of reduced chaos, reduced costs, and increased quality of customer service, a waiting number system is absolutely for you.

Is Your Business a Good Candidate for a Waiting Number System?

Think about some of the most common pain points you and your customers experience in your daily operations.

We’ve found that waiting room number systems can change the game for companies in many industries, including:

• Government offices and military bases. Waiting number systems (or their modern counterparts) can help the public sector serve customers more seamlessly while supporting peace of mind for admin and executive teams. If your company or agency is GSA-enabled, Qtrac can provide significant cost savings when you onboard take-a-number apps or similar systems such as virtual queueing.
• Telecom. When you seek ways to improve service delivery through a store environment and remote offerings alike, you need to understand customer needs early, provide custom interactions, and automate as much as possible about your business so you can focus on customer needs. Virtual queuing and pre-scheduling software for telecom can help you accomplish all that (and more).
• Banking. If your bank is looking for a way to increase its value and develop more customer loyalty, it’s time to invest in personalized services. Virtual queuing and appointment scheduling for banks can help you provide tailored experiences, increase customer satisfaction, and engage customers more with your bank’s varied service offerings.
• Animal hospitals. How much better would it be not to have your customers wrangling their nervous, high-energy pets in your hospital waiting room? (Answer: much better.) Waiting number and appointment scheduling systems can help providers, patients, and pet owners alike have a flawless healthcare experience.
• Colleges and universities. Whether you work in tutoring services, registration, or the campus health center, you’re likely very familiar with lines of frustrated students. Virtual queueing for colleges and universities can help you streamline transcript requests, financial aid, password resets, major declaration, and more.

The Many Benefits a Waiting Number System Can Bring to Your Business

Today, modern waiting number systems—also known as virtual queue systems—allow businesses to handle wait times and customer queues with all the benefits of modern tech.

Your customers can go from waiting in an in-person line to checking into an online queue, scheduling services ahead of time, and receiving status updates via SMS notifications. This transforms their experience because they can do what they want while they wait—so waiting feels much less like, well, waiting.

But what do you get out of it?

Virtual queue systems can help you:

• Know what your customers want before they set foot in your store
• Meet and exceed each customer’s needs
• Improve your brand, reputation, and potential for future growth
• Streamline your business to reduce stress for everyone involved
• Get detailed data about how your business runs, so you can fine-tune as needed
• Keep your physical offices quiet, calm, safe, and serene

This can seem like a lot to expect from a simple take-a-number system. That’s because today’s virtual queue systems go so much further than simple take-a-number tech-based models.

You just need to find the right provider for your business’s needs.

Finding the Best Waiting Number System for You

Consider these factors as you’re selecting a waiting number system or virtual queue that will streamline your business’s daily operations:

Does it have the key features you need?
Think about your business and the way your current queue systems work. What features would actually make your life easier? Those features may include customizability, real-time monitoring, reporting, or helpful integrations with your current business tools. Regardless, determine how you will implement your waiting number system to streamline your specific business, and then discuss your unique needs with potential virtual queue system providers.

Does it work with your budget?
If it’s relevant for your office, seeking out a pre-vetted, GSA-scheduled company for your waiting number system can save you a lot of time and money. Whether you’re interested in GSA-scheduled providers or not, Qtrac’s solutions are priced to make sense with your budget.

Will it be intuitive for your unique customer base?
There is always an understandable learning curve whenever you adopt a new business practice, and you will likely need to educate your customers (at least initially!) on some virtual queue how-tos. That said, the best queue systems are intuitive. Seek out a system that requires minimal fuss—think: as few buttons, logins, and obstacles as possible, plus easy mobile compatibility options.

Will it be an easy thing for your staff to learn and implement?
Here’s a business rule of thumb for you: Tools are only effective if they’re actually used. (Makes sense, right?)

Here’s another universal truth: If a tool is hard to use or requires extensive setup, people won’t use it. It doesn’t matter how transformative the tool will be—if the energy required to use it in the first place is too high, the tool will go unused.

However, if you select a virtual queuing system that’s easy to use and makes your staff’s life easier, you’re in business. When you’re considering virtual waiting number or queuing systems, consider:

• How much new hardware and software you’ll need
• How much time your staff will need to dedicate to initial queue setup
• How much ongoing time your employees will need to set aside to maintain the queue
• Whether a virtual queue vendor provides real-time, responsive customer support

Can it grow with your business?
The perfect virtual queue system for you should be flexible, scalable, and customizable.

Your business is unique. It’s ever-evolving. And—whether it’s in your immediate plans or not—there’s always a chance that your business will grow significantly in the future. You don’t want to be held back by your virtual queue system. You also don’t want to have to shop around for another virtual queueing service in a few years!

Instead, find a provider that offers future-proofed virtual queue solutions. That way, you can feel confident that you’re set up to serve customers well for years to come.

Want to Get Started with a Waiting Number System?

When you’re ready to realize the benefits of waiting number systems and virtual queues for your business, we’re here to help. Qtrac offers you tools to craft ideal customer journeys and make your own life easier. Check out what we offer. If you’re interested, schedule a demo with our friendly team.

In the meantime, here’s an intriguing resource to help you learn more about the benefits of modern waiting number systems: Why Virtually Queued Customers Buy More.