free virtual queue management system Archives - RSI Concepts - Top IT Solution Provider Company in Dubai, UAE

October 10, 2021

What Is Virtual Queuing? A Guide to Virtual Queues

A queue management system is a digital tool that help businesses in managing the daily visitors and customers flow and ensuring they are getting served in the most convenient manner possible. The queue management systems allow the businesses to segregate different customers for different queues as per their needs, and are quite capable of controlling the entire customer flow fully automatically. The automatic management eliminates all human related errors and problems. The customer feel more confident as they know no one else can take their turn and everyone will be served as per their turn. The automation also reduce the workload of the staff and expedite the customer journey and it can improve various service delivery steps. Overall a digital queue management system can offer almost 50% to 60% deduction in the waiting time and in some cases the waiting time can be reduced even more than that.

The queue management systems are not new for the businesses and enterprises in UAE. However, as we all know the technology evolves and grows very rapidly. The demand of a modernized and innovative queue management solution which can enhance customer experience is always high. This demand encourages the manufacturers and system designers to come up with innovative and creative solutions. The customer wait time is the most important factor in customer satisfaction. Studies have shown that an average customer can wait for maximum thirteen minutes, any wait time longer than that will keep reducing the customer happiness and customer satisfaction. So, the business are always seeking ways and techniques to reduce the customer wait time as much as possible. A virtual queuing is one of the most modernized and technologically advanced solution to deal with the wait time and other queue management problems.

What is Virtual Queuing?

As the name suggest virtual queuing is a form of queuing that is virtual. It means that a customer or visitor can sign-up for the queues virtually and the queues themselves would also be virtual. The customers and visitors are provided with a medium to sign-up for the virtual queues by remote or virtual channels. Which enables them to arrive only when their number is called. They don’t have to come and wait in the physical lines to be able to stay in the queue, they can wait anywhere. Since the sign-up process is also virtual/digital which allows them to sign-up from anywhere without being physically present at the branch, this can reduce the wait time significantly. There are several technologies and methods used to provide the necessary digital queuing features such as sign-up, customer calling, providing information, communication and live coverage of the ongoing queuing process and other relevant details.

The virtual queuing can offer all standard queuing features along with some additional features that can literally eliminate the need of waiting at the branch and offer ultimate customer experience. The customer satisfaction and customer happiness is guaranteed. Studies and statistical data is suggesting that a business could witness up to 60% reduction in customer churn rate and also the negative feedbacks and complaints got reduced significantly after implementing a virtual queuing solution. The virtual queuing improves customer experience and help business building a strong relationship with their customers. A good relationship with customers is necessary for customer loyalty, the loyal customers are tend to be a good brand advocate and it is nine to twelve time less expensive to sell to an existing customer than acquiring a new customer. Customer happiness and customer satisfaction directly impact your revenue and growth.

What is Virtual Queue Management Systems?

A virtual queue management system is not different than any ordinary queue management system, in fact a virtual queue management system have all basic features of a traditional queue management system along with additional features that made it a virtual queue management systemwhich will enable virtual queuing processes. As each business is different and have its own unique set of methodologies and business practices which distinguishes it from others, that is why the queuing requirements and policies are also different. However, there are some basic features of a virtual queue management system which enables a fully-virtual queuing experience for the customers and also allow the businesses to implement their policies and strategies. Here are some basic virtual queue management system components and features:

Virtual Sign-up
- Online Channels
- Mobile Apps
- QR Code
- Traditional Channels
Virtual Waiting/Queues
Multi-channel Remote Queuing Information Updates
Traditional Queue Management Components
- Counter Plates
- Digital Signage Screens
- Ticket Dispensing Kiosk/Terminal (Optional)
- Audio-Visual Announcements and Customer Calling
Administrative Control Panels and Agent Dashboard
Server Application or Queue Management Server
Third-party System Integration
Customer Feedback Module/System

These are some of the basic features and components that a virtual queue management system must have. However, it is always best to go for a customized queuing solution. The customization allow the business to integrate the queue management system more effectively into their existing infrastructure. Business can link other systems and the central information center or database with the queue management system to make the management and monitoring easier and such customization also enhance the current business practices and work flow. Usually when businesses go for an off-the-shelf solution they might have to make some adjustments to their existing processes and work flow which could make the administration a bit more complex. Anyways, the customized queuing solutions and ready-to-deploy systems both are equally popular in Dubai and all around the UAE. The efficiency and effectiveness of the solution will be determined by the requirements and objectives of the business.

How Virtual Queuing Works?

The virtual queuing doesn’t require your customers and visitors to be physically present at the business to sign-up for the queue or to wait in the queue, in fact these two functions can be done virtually/remotely. Another major difference is that it supports virtual queues, it means whether the customer or visitor is physically present in the queue or not they can still be treated as present in the queue and their turn will come accordingly. This provides ultimate freedom and convenience to the customers and visitors. Basically the main objective of deploying a queue management system is to reduce the wait time, organize the customer flow and improve the customer experience. Here is how the customer journey is through the virtual queue management system:

Virtual Queuing: Sing-up

The sign-up process for virtual queuing is usually by the remote channels. Some retail businesses and small branches also offer QR Code based sign-up. The customers can scan the QR Code and will directed to the mobile ticket issuing page and can sign-up there and get a mobile ticket issues instantly, the same page can also provide the queuing updates and other relevant information. Here are some most popular channels used for virtual queuing sign-up:

Smartphone Applications
Online Customer Portals
Online Appointment Booking
Email, Call, SMS, etc.
QR Code

The customer can sign-up by any available method and channel and will get the ticket issues. The business can also provide queuing information to the customer by multiple mediums.

Virtual Queuing: Waiting

There is literally no actual waiting with virtual queuing. The customers are completely free to wait anywhere they want, all they need is to sign-up from any available channel and then wait for their turn. The customers can arrive at the business at the very same time of their turn or when their ticket number is called. This completely eliminate the wait time. The businesses also don’t have to stress much about managing a large number of daily foot fall or crowed formation in the waiting area or any other problem. The businesses can easily implement social distancing polices with a virtual queuing enabled queue management system.

Virtual Queuing: Service Delivery Experience

The service delivery experience or the customer’s interaction with the agent/server is always better with virtual queuing. As the customers are not bound to sit in the waiting area and there is no compulsion of standing in the lines, the customers who arrive at the counter are always fresh, happy, and cooperative. On the other hand as there is no burden of managing the customers and there are not distractions for the employees the agents/servers are also happy and satisfied, they have balanced workload and they have enough time to focus on their primary tasks. This has double effects on the customer experience and the customers being more cooperative and understanding and the staff more active and happy lead to a superior service delivery experience and good quality service.

The virtual queue management systems can also facilitate the service delivery process, this can be achieved by integration the queue management system with other systems and central information center to facilitate the agents/servers via their dedicated agent dashboard. So along with reducing the wait time to literally none the business can also ensure a quicker and good quality service delivery.

Virtual Queuing: Customer Feedback

The customer feedback is a very important part of business intelligence data. It provides a deeper understanding of your customers as well as it provides a chance to accurately evaluate the effectiveness of various business processes and business resources involved in the customer journey and customer experience. A virtual queuing enabled queue management system can collect customer feedback from various mediums and channels. For example if a customer is signing-up via mobile app or SMS, then the customer feedback can be collected from the same channel as the same channel was already preferred by the customer. This increase the customer response rate and help businesses improving their relationship with their customers and the customer feedback is also good to promote a positive brand image and brand identity.

What are the Benefits of Virtual Queuing?

Whether it is a small business, retail store, large enterprise, government department, bank, hospital, university or collage, or any other organization, the only thing that everyone want is to improve the customer experience and customer journey to achieve the highest levels of customer satisfaction. The customer satisfaction can directly impact the business reputation and brand identity. Which is critically important for growth and profitability. The virtual queuing enabled queue management systems are way too effective in doing that than comparing to traditional queue management systems. Here are some key benefits of virtual queuing enabled queue management system:

Reduce Wait Time: The wait time can be reduced to literally none due to virtual queues and remote sign-ups.
Multi-Channel Sign-up: The multi-channel remote sign-up facility offer freedom and convenience to the customers.
Effective Crowd Prevention:Automatic in-built smart algorithms controls the number of the active queues as and monitor everything in real-time to prevent the crowd.
Social Distancing Enabled: Implementation of the social distancing is very easy with virtual queuing, the business can easily set the number of customers they can facilitate at any point of time.
Boost Employee Efficiency:The virtual queuing takes off a lot of the work load of the staff and help improving the employee efficiency.
Smartphone Applications: The virtual queue management system can provide integration with the smartphone apps or can also offer dedicated smartphone applications, both are very effective to facilitate the customers and visitors.
Third-Party System Integration:Like any other high-tech business solution the virtual queue management system also support third-party system integration which help businesses to offer a variety of functionalities and help improving business processes and service delivery mechanisms.
Higher Profitability: The virtual queuing can significantly reduce the expenses by boosting employee performance, enabling the business to optimize resources and by increasing customer retention and the customer satisfaction also increase revenue and reduce cost.
Customer Feedback: Virtual queuing offer a variety of communication channel which can be utilized to collect more and highly accurate customer feedback data.
Reports, KPIs and Business Intelligence: Like any other modern system the virtual queue management system can capture data from all customer touch points as well as it can effectively monitor various KPIs. It can provide actionable reports and integrate data with other systems too which results in a great business intelligence collection.

These are some of the key benefits of the virtual queuing or virtual queuing enabled queue management systems. There are several other benefits too which all can’t be mentioned in this article. The studies have shown that the virtual queuing is way more effective than traditional queuing methods.

Important Things to Understand before Switching to Virtual Queuing

In Dubai and all around the UAE more and more businesses and organizations are switching to the virtual queuing. In fact since the early 2020 the virtual queuing adoption rates have been doubled or even more in the recent few months in the UAE and in many other regions worldwide. However, before you switch to a virtual queuing business model here are some things that you should consider:

Waiting Area: Switching to virtual queuing doesn’t mean that you no longer need any waiting area, in fact there will be some customers who would wish to wait inside the premises to wait for their turn.
On-Site Check-Ins: Similarly there would be some customers who would like to go with the more traditional way, so keeping a traditional sign-up kiosk or ticket dispensing machine is always better.
Digital Signage: You will still going to need the digital signage to display the active queues and other queuing information even if your customers are just there for a brief moment of time. Provide all the necessary queuing information on the on-site digital signage.
Educate and Train your Staff and Customers: Obviously whenever a business implement a new system or solution it should train its employees and staff to be able to operate the system at its full potential. Apart from staff training your customers and visitors will also need training and education about the virtual queuing. The best solution is to place digital signage and run training videos and share the details of the process with your customers and audiences by all available channels.

Business and organizations who are switching to the virtual queuing often neglect these things and miscalculate the initial impact of the new technology on their customers and staff. It is important to switch to the virtual queuing with full preparation, which is why most of the modern virtual queuing enabled queue management systems also offer all the traditional queuing features.

Read More: Queue & Waiting Time Management

Conclusion

A virtual queuing is method of queue management which allows the customers and visitors to sign-up virtually/remotely for the virtual queues. This means the customer don’t have to be physically present at the business to sign-up for the queues and they also don’t need to wait in the physical queues or in the waiting areas to remain in the queue. The virtual queue management system is a very advanced queue management system with additional feature that enables the virtual queuing process. Customers and visitors can sign-up using various remote channels and they can get the status and updates through multiple convenient channels. These features can significantly improve the customer experience. The customer flow can be managed automatically and the customer journey can be reduced significantly. The virtual queuing also improve employee performance and enable the business to optimize the resources which reduce the expense and also increase profitability.

A good customer experience and customer satisfaction lead to higher customer loyalty, which further improve brand reputation and let business build strong relationship with its customers. In long term the virtual queuing have so many benefits which can help businesses to maintain a steady growth and improve brand image. RSI Concepts is a leading queue management system provider in Dubai, UAE. Our virtual queuing solutions are helping businesses to achieve their goals and objectives. If you are seeking a virtual queuing solution or if you want to learn more about it, feel free to contact us 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 blog: Top 10 Virtual Queue Management Benefits

September 1, 2021

World’s First WhatsApp Queue Management Solution

The queue management systems and solutions are considered to be a mandatory tool for any service based industry. Whenever a business will have to manage daily customers and guests, they need an effective and efficient customer flow management. Which is only possible with a digital queue management system. These days as the customers are more inclined towards a bit more digitalized and contactless user experience, the virtual queuing gain popularity. Businesses are getting amazing results after implementing virtual queue management system. When it comes to virtual queuing the biggest advantage is that is enables the guests and customers to sign-up remotely for the queues. However there are certain ways that a customer can sign-up. The most popular method is the smartphone applications, which have a lot many other advantages and benefits too. However, the most convenient method to enable remote sign-up is the WhatsApp. These days in Dubai and all around the UAE almost everyone have WhatsApp, in fact it is one of the most popular messenger app in the entire world.

How WhatsApp Queue Management System Works?

A queue management system is all about improving and managing the customer experience and the WhatsApp is the simplest method a business can offer to their customers. The WhatsApp Queue Management Solution is a queue management system integrated with the WhatsApp instant messaging application. The customers can sign-up using their WhatsApp, no need to print tickets, or call at the branch to reserve a spot, or access to the customer portals for appointment or anything else. Usually businesses encourages their customers to install their mobile apps on their smartphones, however, not everyone appreciate it. But with the WhatsApp queue management solution the customer can instantly sign-up for the queue, get live coverage and announcements on the WhtasApp without getting hustle of any app installation, or accessing a website or anything else. This makes the customer journey over simplified and yet very impactful. The customers get a great user experience and end up happy and satisfied with the brand.

The WhatsApp queue management is very simple and easy for the customers. All they need is to scan a QR Code, and the mobile phone will automatically open up a new WhatsApp window, which usually have a list of the categories, and then the customer can choose the appropriate category to sign-up for and instantly receive an e-token or digital token for the queue. The customers can get real-time updates of the ongoing queue and will be notified when their turn will be near and also when their turn will come. After the customers got served the businesses can easily collect customer feedback from the whatsapp.

What are the benefits of WhatsApp Queue Management?

The biggest advantage of a WhatsApp queue management system is that it significantly improve customer experience and customer satisfaction. There is also no need to download and install any new application which occupies storage space on the phone. The customers’ overall journey is reduced and their efforts are also reduced. Here are some of the best advantages and features of a WhatsApp queue management:

Remote Sign-up Facility
Real-time branch data and updates
Easy Sign-up using a QR Code
Reduced wait time and automatic customer journey management
The WhatsApp interface makes it easier for the customers and help reducing customer effort score
Completely contactless sign-up process
Customized notifications, reminders and alerts throughout the entire customer journey
Direct communication with the customers
Simple Information broadcasting such as branch timing, current queuing status, pre-signup requirements, etc.
Ability to check status of multiple branches, and on-demand status updates
In-built customer feedback system or integrated customer feedback system
Reduce customer wait time, improve customer flow and reduce workload of the employees result is improved employee efficiency
Easy branch management, crowd prevention and social distancing compliance features
Improved customer experience and smooth customer journey results in higher customer satisfaction
Simple and easy administration, automation capabilities and monitoring tools enable the business to have a close eye on the entire process
Customer feedback collection, KPIs monitoring and business intelligence gathering
Very Cost-effective queuing solution

These are the general features of a WhatsApp queue management solution. Moreover when a system is customized for a particular business or enterprise it could offer a lot more benefits and could be a great competitive advantage. The system integration also allows to integrate the WhatsApp queuing system with other business tools and enterprise solutions to enable a robust and swift control and command center at head-office or at the branch. The remote management makes it easier for the head office to monitor and improve the performance of the connected branches and make informed decisions on the bases of customer feedback and business intelligence.

Conclusion

WhatsApp is one of the most popular app in the world. In Dubai and UAE almost everyone have WhatsApp on their phones. The whatsapp sign-up process is very simple and convenient. The customer will have to scan a QR Code and they will be directed to the WhatsApp chat where they can chose the required service and sign-up for the queue. The customers are not even required to be physically present in the queue, they can wait anywhere. The WhatsApp queue management system also provide live queuing information and on-demand info requests are also available. This queuing method significantly reduce the wait time, improve customer flow, prevent crowd formation at the branch and reduce work load of the employees as well. The employee’s performance also got improved and consequently the service quality also improves. The WhatsApp queue management solution are a very cost-effective queuing solution and it can significantly improve customer happiness and overall business’s productivity and profitability. RSI Concepts is a leading queue management system provider in Dubai, UAE, if you want to upgrade your customer flow management to meet the needs and expectations of your customers, feel free to get in touch with us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below.

Check out this blog: Top 10 Virtual Queue Management Benefits

July 4, 2021July 4, 2021

Difference in Wired and Wireless Queue Management System

Queue Management System is a very important tool to manage customer experience and customer journey. In Dubai and all around the UAE the markets are very competitive, the customers are very conscious and demanding, if a business fails to satisfy their customers, they will immediately switch to a competitor. That is why the customer experience and customer journey is extremely important. The happy and satisfied customers are more loyal and likely to remain with the business for a long period of time. Such customers not only give repeated business but are also helpful in promoting positive brand identity and brand reputation. Brand reputation is a key to sustainability and growth. That is why businesses all around the world are investing heavily in solutions and systems to improve customer happiness by providing them a convenient customer journey and managing their experience with the help of various tools. The queue management system is the most powerful and most effective tool to improve customer happiness and customer experience.

Almost every business located in Dubai or any other part of the UAE that deals with customers on regular basis at their offices and branches should have a queue management system or a queuing solution. The queue management system automates various steps, streamlines customer flow, reduces wait time, improves employee performance, and provides a smooth customer experience. There are so many different queue management system vendors and suppliers working in Dubai, UAE. All of them are offering various different queuing solutions. This makes it a bit confusing for the clients, who are seeking a queue management system. There are several queuing solutions on the basis of features, functionality, and application, some of which are general purpose and some are purpose-made only for certain industries or applications. This is why we are writing this blog to help our customers and audiences easily choose the best solution for them. There are two major types of queue management systems on the basis of hardware, wired, and wireless queuing solutions.

Wired Queue Management System

The wired queue management system is the oldest form of a queuing solution. There are several applications of a wired queue management system. As the name suggests, the entire system and its all components are connected with wires. Earlier the queue systems were used only for managing queues. Nowadays a queue management system has transformed into a very powerful customer satisfaction management tool. Business can not only manage their queues but they can implement various company policies using a queue management system. Businesses can easily improve their methods and practices, automation and connectivity enable innovative solutions that provide a great competitive edge.

Wired Queue Management System Components

A basic wired queue management system consists of the following components:

Ticket Dispensing Machine or Interactive Kiosk
Digital Signage for Ticketing Information
Announcement System (Audio + Visual)
Counter Plates or Counter Screens
Cabling and Network Devices
Optional Accessories (Stanchions, Fixed Signs, Markers, etc.)
Server-Side Software Application (Administrative Dashboard)
Agent Terminal

These are the basic components of a wired queue management system. The software has to be hosted on a server, either online or offline. Mostly in Dubai and other parts of UAE businesses prefer to host the application on a local server.

Wired Queue Management System Customer Journey

The first interaction of a customer is with the ticket dispensing machine, where they can press a push-button or soft-touch button to print their ticket number. These days, mostly an interactive kiosk is used instead of a ticket dispensing machine. The kiosk comes with a medium-size touch screen that shows other important information too. The kiosk can also be configured with additional hardware accessories to further improve customer experience and customer journey.

The digital signage is placed in the waiting area, showing live feeds of queuing information and some multimedia content. The visual announcements are made on the same signage screens. The audio announcements are done through a connected set of audio systems. The audio announcements are usually multilingual. In the case of digital counter plates or counter displays, the ticket number is also displayed there to help customers in finding their counter.

Wired Queue Management System Applications

The wired queue management systems are suitable for almost all sorts of applications. However, for certain applications and scenarios the wired queue management system is the only choice. For example, in hospitals, where the wireless signal can interfere with medical devices and machinery. Or such facilities where wireless is not available. Or In such scenarios where there are too many wireless users such as malls, food courts, etc. where shared WiFi is used. In places such as airports, government departments, banks, etc. where security is a huge concern, we always recommend wired queue management systems.

Wireless Queue Management System

The main reason for using a wireless queue management system is that it is easy to install and it is very cost-effective. It is very important to understand what your objectives with the queue management system are and what else you could do with it in the future? A queuing solution is a long-term investment and these systems are based on a very flexible technology that can easily be upgraded and improved. So, keep those things in mind too. Another big advantage of the wireless queue management system is that it is can be online or cloud-based. The software is designed in a way to uses minimum hardware and it may also allow the clients to use their existing hardware too, for example, tablets, iPads, or even smartphone applications can be built for the end-users (customers and visitors). The wireless queue management system is very cost-effective and it comes with modernized solutions and features that can be further customized easily over time to improve system efficiency.

Wireless Queue Management System Components

The wireless queue management system doesn’t have a long list of system components, although the process and operation are the same, the objectives and goals are the same, however, most of the hardware components can be replaced with software or businesses can repurpose their existing hardware, such as computers, tablets, etc. On top of that, all the hardware devices and various dashboards don’t require to connect via network lines or don’t have to be on the same local area network. This also enables businesses to move the components around with ease and comfort without bearing any additional cost so the businesses can easily rearrange various connected hardware or simply they can relocate them to a different area or even branch too. Here are some basic components of a wireless queue management system:

Sign-up Mechanism
1. Ticket Dispensing Kiosk

Virtual Sign-in (QR Code, Smartphone Apps, Call, Email, SMS, Online Appointment, etc.)

Digital Signage for Ticketing Information
Announcement System (Audio + Visual)
Counter Plates or Counter Screens
Online Administrative Dashboard
Online Agent Terminal
Optional Accessories (Stanchions, Fixed Signs, Markers, etc.)

These are the basic components of a wireless queue management system. In Dubai and all across the UAE business usually prefer online hosting or a cloud-based solution for the queue management system software. All the hardware devices are linked to that system via the internet, hence no need for cabling and network. This also reduces the cost and makes operation and maintenance easier. The online feature provides flexibility and convenience for both the management and the customers and visitors. Respective terminals, dashboards, and interfaces can be accessed online from any computer, tablet, or even smartphone.

Wireless Queue Management System Customer Journey

The wireless queue management system offers an even better customer journey and it also allows businesses to easily rearrange the hardware to further improve the customer journey. The facility to be able to sign-in wirelessly allows the customers and visitors to sign-up for the queues even before arriving at the branch. This significantly reduces the wait time, in fact, in some cases, the wait time can literally reduce to none. This improves the customer journey and customer experience. The customer journey starts with a sign-in process like any other traditional queue management system. Then the customers can be provided with live feeds and announcements on the digital signage placed inside the premises or either on their mobile devices or computers via customer portals or smartphone applications. The customer call is also done through all the above-mentioned mediums along with notifications in the smartphone, SMS alerts, and audio announcements inside the branch.

The customer portals, smartphone applications, and online appointment booking systems are designed to improve customer experience and customer journey. The customers can be provided with additional information to improve customer engagements and to make their waiting experience more pleasant. The customers can arrive at the counter when their ticket is called or when they got the alert or notification and then they can avail the service instantaneously. Later on, the customers can also be contacted to submit their feedback and share their suggestions via digital mediums. The wireless queue management system is also equally capable of capturing all the statistical data and business intelligence to further help businesses in improving their future strategies and policies.

Wireless Queue Management System Applications

The wireless queue management system can be used at any place where the traditional wired queue management system can be used. Although there are very few limitations, such as places and scenarios where the wireless connection is not possible or especially in hospitals and clinics where wireless signals can interfere with the medical equipment and life-saving machinery. Considering the usability, flexibility, and low cost, the wireless queue management systems are a much better choice than a wired queue management system in a regular customer support and service scenario.

The wireless queue management systems are ideal for businesses who want to upgrade, relocate, or temporarily installing a queue management system. Here in Dubai and other emirates of UAE certain businesses often require to set up temporary offices in remote locations, or have to set up off-campus offices for a temporary time period, mostly the events, fairs, and temporary offices at project sites, etc. for such requirements businesses prefer to acquire a queue management system on rental bases. For such scenarios a wireless queue management system is ideal. It is very cost-effective, the setup and relocation cost is very low, as all the devices are wireless, moving them to new locations is very easy. The businesses can use their in-stock hardware and once used they can easily decommission it. Or else the hardware used with the wireless queue management system can be stored in the storage until the next requirement. Either way, it is very cost-effective.

Conclusion

A queue management system is a basic necessity to be able to improve and manage the customer experience and customer journey. The modern-day queue management systems not only allow the businesses to improve their customer journey and branch efficiency but also provide valuable business intelligence which can further be utilized to improve business practices and products & services. There are several different types of queuing solutions available in the market in Dubai, UAE. The two major classifications are wired and wireless queue management systems. The wired queue management system is the traditional form of queuing solution, however, these days the wireless queue management systems are also gaining traction. Both are equally useful, in some cases, the wired queue management is the only choice, and in some cases, the wireless queue management system is the best option. The purpose of this blog was to give our audience and customers a brief understanding of the difference between wired and wireless queue management systems. If you are still not sure which type will suit you, do let us know through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will revert back to you soon. RSI Concepts is a leading queue management system provider in Dubai, UAE.

Check out this: List of 5 Prerequisites of Queuing System

June 20, 2021

7 Features of Queue Management Software

A queue management system (QMS) consists of two major parts, a hardware section, and a software section. Both the queue management system software and hardware have different components and accessories. These components, accessories, and modules are used to build certain features in the system. These days in Dubai and all around the UAE the more modernized and customized queue management systems are being used. The primary objectives of the queuing solution are to manage the customer flow, improve customer experience and increase productivity. There are so many different types of queue management systems available in Dubai, UAE which could be very confusing for the business. This begs the question of which queue management system will suit you or how to distinguish between a good or bad or an average quality system? There are certain markers or features that a good queue management system software should have in general, if all those features are there then you can easily decide if it will suit you or not.

You must be thinking that there is hardware involved too so why we are only talking about the software, the only reason is that the hardware itself is nothing without the software, if the software is offering a certain feature then by default the hardware will come along. That is why we are focusing only on the software features. There are certain queue management systems that are purpose-built or dedicated to a certain industry or application only, even for those types of queuing solutions the queue management system software must have certain traits which will determine the effectiveness and productivity of the queuing solution.

Here are 7 features of queue management software that you should look for when acquiring a new queue management system:

1. Virtual Queuing

A virtual queue management system is the modern day’s need. Since the year 2020 has completely transformed the customer experience and customer expectations too, the year 2021 is the year of more digitalized and personalized customer journey and customer experience. The social distancing and health and safety of the visitors and the staff is the top priority for any business these days. The virtual queuing module will help businesses to easily maintain and manage the active queues as per their capacity to ensure social distancing. Virtual queuing is not just for implementing social distancing but it is also offering a great digital experience.

The customers and visitors are allowed to sign-up even before arriving at the branch. This requires more efficient software that is linked with various other systems and tools to allow the customers to sign-up through different channels such as smartphone applications, SMS, calls, QR codes, etc. The virtual queue management system not only facilitates the customers and visitors but also reduces or literally eliminates the wait time. The customers can arrive at the very exact time of their turn and get the service done. That is a huge leap in terms of customer experience, from waiting for hours to waiting for a few minutes or even no wait can make your customers extremely happy. Various different market researches and studies showed that the average acceptable waiting time for an ordinary customer or visitors is thirteen minutes, any time later than that could harm the customer experience.

2. Separate Dashboards

Any good queue management system should have separate user dashboards with dedicated interfaces to increase efficiency. This feature also makes the administration easier and more managed. There are usually three main interfaces or dashboards in a queue management system:

Customer Interface
Agent Interface
Admin Interface

The customer interface is always separate from the other two. In Dubai and all around the UAE the traditional queue management systems usually provide an interactive kiosk-based customer interface. The customers and visitors can sign-up for the queue and get a ticket or token issued bearing their queue number and some other information.

The agent dashboard is usually a web-based dashboard. This dashboard provides the basic controlling and monitoring of the current queues and their statuses along with the facility of customer calling and managing the customer flow. Sometimes the admin dashboard is also used for the same purpose, but mostly the agent or server dashboard is kept separate.

The admin interface or administrative console is also a web-based control panel. This not only provides administrative control over the entire branch or overall connected branches but also provides data analysis and reporting features too. The management can add multiple levels of administrative roles or job roles with respective authority and data access policies to establish an administrative hierarchy.

3. Remote Management and Real-time Monitoring

Whether you are implementing the queue management system in a single branch or office or you don’t even have another branch at all, remote management and real-time monitoring are must-have features for any good queue management system. The remote management will let the managers and the higher management manage the queuing system and handling some other system administrative tasks while they are not sitting inside the branch or office. The real-time monitoring is also providing real-time system updates and live information about the ongoing customer flow and other queuing data.

However, if your business has multiple branches and is located in multiple cities the remote management and real-time monitoring becomes very handy. For example, your head office is located in Dubai, and you are a manager who is responsible for the customer experience and customer flow. You must need a system to get the updates and monitoring features so you don’t have to call or contact the branch manager to get the required info regarding the customer flow and customer experience.

The remote monitoring and real-time updates are achieved by linking all the branches and locations to the main location or head office. The queue management software has a server-side application that can be hosted locally or online. The administrative dashboard and interface allow the higher management to get access to the data and information of any branch, and on top of that, all the queuing information and statistical data have been updated regularly. This makes a queue management system a great tool to monitor and control the customer journey and customer experience at all branches without even going there or following the long manual workflow and internal processes.

4. Customer Feedback System

As the primary objective of a queue management system is to improve the customer journey and customer experience. Despite investing a lot and making a lot of efforts how would a business know if their efforts are in the right direction or not? The simplest answer is to ask directly to the customers and the best way to do it is via a customer feedback system or via a customer happiness scale. The customer happiness scale or customer feedback system is used to collecting customer feedback and is usually placed at the very last step of the service delivery so when the customer got everything done, they should be asked to share their opinions.

A good modern-day queue management system must have an in-built customer feedback system or a customer feedback module. In some cases, the external customer feedback systems are also linked to the queue management systems as well. The objective here is to understand the customer’s experience. As a queue management system is designed to manage the customer experience throughout the entire customer journey, so it is important to understand how your customers feel about it.

Normally touch screens or tablet stands are used and placed at the counters or at the exits depending upon the infrastructure of the premises. The customer feedback is collected in the form of a happiness meter or scale or a small customer survey. The important thing here to understand is to keep the feedback process simpler and easier. Traditionally a happiness meter suffices, but in certain cases, a short customer survey is also helpful. There should be only two to three questions in the survey and maybe some contact details too. Anything more than that and the customer will not attempt it, or even if some of them do attempt the survey, it will impact the wait time as the next customer can’t be called until the first person is completely done with the counter.

5. Reports, KPIs, and Business Intelligence Gathering

Each and every industry has some standards and norms. Similarly, different regions have different business practices and different standards as well. Likewise in Dubai and all across the UAE all of the leading queue management system providers also offer a reporting module along with their queue management system software. However, there are certain things that you must consider before implementing the queue management system, for example, a comprehensive reporting module, an in-built data analytical engine, KPIs or key performance indicators, and business intelligence gathering.

The KPIs or key performance indicators are for the employees and the agents/server. These indicators capture various stats and performance markers. For example, how long is an employee taking to serve a customer? Which service is taking the longest time and so on? Which employee is handling most customers in a day? Which employee is getting the most positive or negative feedback? And a lot more. These indicators will help management to understand and monitor the performance of the individual employees as well as of the teams and branches as well.

However, business intelligence is gathered through various touchpoints, statistical data, performance indicators, and customer feedback. The queue management system can also help businesses in understanding the customer journey and various other factors that are very helpful for making decisions and taking steps to improve the customer journey and customer experience. Such data and information are crucial for strategy making and planning for the future. The business can utilize the data to understand the expectations and needs of their customers to make adjustments to further improve customer experience and customer journey.

6. Flexibility to Integrate via APIs

Any modern queue management system whether it is a general-purpose or a dedicated solution for a certain application/industry must have certain capabilities to integrate into the main information center or IT infrastructure of the organization. As we have mentioned a few things above such as virtual queuing, smartphone applications, online appointment booking, etc. All such features can be provided by a queue management system acting as a standalone solution or synchronizing and integrating with the other enterprise solutions & systems.

Such integration is achieved via secure web services or also known as APIs. System integration is a very important feature of a queue management system. It allows the queuing system to communicate with other databases and business tools to further improve the customer journey and customer experience. Integration is also very important to boost system efficiency and productivity.

The system integration via APIs not only allows the queue management system to get access to certain data but also allows the system to feed in data to other systems for other purposes as well. For example, customer feedback can be synched with the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software. The KPIs indicators can feed the overall enterprise performance management system for certain inputs. System integration opens up the ways for innovation and creativity and provides businesses with more flexibility, control, and better efficiency.

7. Future Scalability, Upgrades, and Maintenance

The capability to scale and upgrade to meet the future’s requirements is something that is mandatory for any kind of business solution. Businesses are very skeptical of upgrades, future scalability, maintenance, and the expected cost for all such activities. As an IT solution is a long-term investment so the annual maintenance, future upgrades, and scalability are always a big concern for businesses. However, in the case of Queue Management Systems, these things are not as that complicated. The future scalability of the queue management systems is relatively easier. For example, if you have a queue management system installed in 3 branches and want to expand it to another two, it can be done by simply installing more basic devices and doesn’t require any core change or upgrade. Mostly the queue management system software is already built to support expansion.

Keeping in mind the rapid changes in the market trends and customer behavior in Dubai, UAE the capabilities of future upgrades are extremely important. A modern-day queue management system should be able to offer very cost-effective future upgrades and modifications to meet the ever-growing demands. The upgrades and modifications to the queue management system software can only be achieved if the system is designed to be friendly with such changes, else it would be difficult, costly, and problematic.

Another important aspect of the queue management system and its software is the regular maintenance and its cost. The queue management systems overall and their software are constructed on widely available platforms and technologies. The queuing systems are designed to be operated 24/7 and hardly require any reboot or maintenance for several years. So, the maintenance cost of the queue management system software and other components is very easy, simple, and cheaper comparing to any other IT solution.

Conclusion

As Dubai and all around the UAE businesses these days are actively seeking solutions to improve their customer journey by effectively managing the customer experience and employees’ productivity. A queue management system is the only tool that can help businesses effectively manage and improve the customer experience, customer journey, and service delivery methods. Most of the businesses have already implemented a digital queuing solution and are currently seeking to replace it or upgrade it, while others are eagerly looking to catch up by implementing a brand new queue management system. As the year 2020 has completely transformed the market trends and customer behavior the year 2021 is the year of adopting the new standards. That is the reason many businesses who are seeking to boost their productivity and profitability are planning for a queue management system to meet the needs of their customers.

There are so many queue management system suppliers operating in Dubai, UAE and there are so many different queue management systems available too. The difficulty is how to choose an appropriate queuing solution that could help you to achieve your objectives and goals. The purpose of this blog was to let our readers a better understanding of the queue management system software and we have listed 7 features of queue management software which will help our audience to easily judge a queue management solution. The most important thing to consider is that if the queue management system software is capable enough to provide you features and functionalities that will help you achieve the highest efficiency in terms of customer happiness and employee performance.

Another important thing to consider is the capability to scale for future needs, upgrades, and easy maintenance. The cost is always a big concern of the businesses so the upgrade, expansion, and maintenance should be very cost-effective and less time-consuming. RSI Concepts is one of the leading queue management system providers in Dubai, UAE we serving our customers for more than a decade with a very high success rate. We are here to help you find a great queuing solution for you that will not only help you build up a positive brand reputation but will provide you a great competitive edge too. 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: Queue Management Challenges 2021

May 9, 2021

How Virtual Queuing can Change the Business Process?

No one likes to wait in long queues. Businesses are losing a huge portion of their sales due to the bad customer experience. Maintaining a good customer experience at the branch, reducing customer wait time, and improving service delivery quality is a great challenge for businesses and organizations not only in Dubai, UAE but all around the world. Virtual queuing is a great tool to achieve higher customer satisfaction and improved customer experience. Virtual queuing also enables organizations and businesses to control the number of active queues of people waiting inside the branch. This also helps businesses to easily implement social distancing. As we all know, social distancing has become a new norm and people’s expectations have also been changed. Now a day’s people expect brands and businesses to ensure higher regulations for health and safety. The virtual queuing solutions can help businesses to create an environment that meets the needs and expectations of their visitors and customers.

Virtual queuing can literally transform the customer journey and customer experience. Happy and satisfied customers help brands improving their brand reputation and gaining positive popularity. Which attracts more customers and also positively influences the prospects to convert. The businesses can easily maintain higher customer retention and higher conversion rates which results in steady growth. It is a saying in the marketing industry that the harm a bad customer experience can do to your brand reputation requires at least ten good customer experiences to restore. This is why customer experience is extremely crucial.

What is Virtual Queuing?

Virtual queuing is a queue managed virtually. The customers can sign-up for the queue virtually without being physically present at the branch. They don’t even have to wait in the physical queues, but instead, the customers and visitors can wait anywhere while virtually present in the queue and their turn will be called like as they were physically present in the queue. This is virtual queuing. Customers are loving it. It reduces the wait time to almost zero and provides freedom to the customers to wait anywhere and sign-up for the queue from anywhere. Brands can gain huge with virtual queuing.

What is a Virtual Queue Management System?

Obviously the virtual queuing can be achieved with an exclusive virtual queue management system. The system is specifically designed to provide features and functionalities that enable businesses and organizations to offer virtual queuing. RSI Queue Management System is equipped with advanced virtual queuing modules and tools along with the regular queuing operation capabilities. The virtual queue management system includes software and hardware tools that enable the system to facilitate virtual queuing. Mostly there are very basic components that are used for virtual queuing. Such as:

QR Codes
Mobile Apps
Web Portal
Calls, SMS & Emails

The rest of the system is similar to the ordinary queue management system with all the basic components such as the ticket dispenser (although mostly it is not required for virtual queuing), digital signage screens, counter display screens, and audiovisual announcements. The basic is the same that is why a virtual queue management system can also be utilized as a normal queue management system along with its additional virtual queue management features.

See More : Benefits of Virtual Queue Management System

How Virtual Queuing Business Process is Different?

In regular or traditional queue management systems people are coming to the branch, taking tickets to sign-up for the queue, and then waiting in the waiting area or long lines to get the service done. The entire process was lengthy and unpleasant for the visitors and customers. The businesses would also have to find ways to reduce the wait time or at least introduce some engagements to reduce the negative effects of the waiting. After a long time in the waiting area or a long queue when the customer was arriving at the counter they were already not in a good mood, any small thing could have easily irritated them which also results in poor customer experience and poor service delivery quality. This also affects the performance and work efficiency of the employees.

However, with virtual queuing the entire business process is transformed to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction and customer happiness. This not only lets organizations build a positive reputation but also boosts employee efficiency and customer retention, and both these factors plays a critical role in overall business growth. Here is how virtual queuing has changed the business process:

Remote Sign-up

The first and very big change is that the virtual queue management system provides a facility to sign-up remotely for the queue without being physically present on the premises. The remote signups can be done through multiple methods such as:

Email, Call, or SMS
Smartphone Application
Online Customer Portal/Website
QR Code
Appointment Booking

The customer can easily signup using any method and will be provided with a mobile ticket or ticket number.

Virtual Waiting

Virtual queuing have completely transformed the waiting experience. The customer or visitor don’t really have to wait inside the premises, hence there is literally no wait time. The customers or visitors can arrive at the time of their turn and can instantly get the service delivered to them without stating in the queue or waiting in the waiting area. The customer can sign-up for the queue or book the appointment and then they can either wait at their home or in their cars or anywhere they prefer. This has significantly transformed the customer experience, it also improves the service delivery quality and employee efficiency.

See More: Impacts of Queue Management System on Employee’s KPIs

Queue Status and Announcements

Unlike traditional queue management systems, the virtual queue management systems don’t rely only on publishing the real-time feeds and updates on the digital signage, but the virtual queue management system also provides all the information to the customers via their mobile applications, push notifications, online portal, email, and SMS. The customer can receive an SMS sometime prior to their turn and again at the time of their turn the call can be made using multiple methods. The customers and visitors can view all the details and real-time updates from their mobile devices or computers. This also enables them to arrive at the very time of their turn hence no wait time will be required.

The queuing status, customer flow information, announcements, and any other information can be provided to the customer via multiple communication channels. For example, the smartphone application can provide all details on the dedicated screen, the web portal can provide all details, the email, SMS, and push notifications can be used to make announcements, etc. It improves customer experience and customer journey.

See More: How Queue Management System Helps to Provide Better Customer Service

Virtual Queuing also Support Social Distancing

Social distancing has become a new norm. Everyone has accepted the fact that we must comply with the social distancing not only for our safety and health but for others around us too. This is why when you are inviting your customers and visitors to physically visit your branch, you should also meet the needs and demands of your customers and visitors. The social distancing ensures the safety and health of your customers and visitors as well as of the employees. For example at a retail outlet, a QR code-based sign-up can be used, the QR code has to be placed at the entrance of the store. Once the customers arrive at the store and scan the QR Code they can be provided with their mobile or virtual ticket, along with the real-time updated information of the active queues and the overall process in the branch to help the customers and visitors to understand the ongoing activities and expected time to their turn. This further improves the customer experience and customer happiness.

See More: How a KPI Software can help provide better Customer Journey?

Virtual Queue Management System Integration with Other Tools

A traditional queue management system doesn’t require much integration with other tools and systems, in fact, it can operate as a stand-alone system without even requiring any data from any other corporate tool or system. However the virtual queuing involves a lot many different tools and systems such as an online customer portal or a mobile app or an appointment management system, the virtual queue management system should have to be able to connect and integrate with necessary tools and systems. Our virtual queue management system can easily be integrated with existing tools and systems.

For example, the integration with the appointment booking system allows the user to set an appointment utilizing the virtual queue management system’s in-built online appointment management module or web portal, or smartphone app. The QR Code generator module or tool enables the QR Code-based virtual sign-up for the customers through their smartphones. Smartphone applications are widely used and welcomed due to their ease of use and convenience. Businesses are integrating their corporate smartphone application with tons of other tools and systems to achieve higher efficiency. This is why the virtual queue management system should have to able to integrate with other tools and systems to achieve greater functionalities and higher customer satisfaction.

See More: What are the Different Types of Queue Management System?

Virtual Queue Management System Data Collection and Reports

The data collection and reporting module are very vital for gathering valuable business intelligence. The virtual queue management system has fewer touchpoints but larger interactions with the customers. It also provides more flexible communication mediums for the customers. The statistical and system usage data is also collected, the employee performance and overall quality of the entire business process can be measured and monitored. The virtual queue management system has built-in software engine and analytical tool to process all those inputs and generate actionable reports. Following are the few examples of the data that can be collected using the virtual queue management system:

Customer Wait Time
Service Delivery Time and Quality
Customer Happiness and Satisfaction
Customer Retention and Sales
Direct Customer Feedback
Employee Performance
System KPIs (key performance indicators)
System Usage Stats

These are just a few things that can be measured, monitored, and improved using the virtual queue management system. There are a lot may touchpoints that can be monitor for more detailed behavioral data collection for the customers and the employees. Overall a virtual queue management system is a great source of business intelligence. The data and reports can be very helpful to the management in decision making and strategy building. The organizations can effectively and accurately measure the impact of any change in the business process or policy at the customers and business process. These traits show the superiority of the virtual queue management system over other ordinary queuing solutions.

See More: How Queue Management System can benefit in shipping industry?

Conclusion

The virtual queue management system can completely transform the business processes that involves customer flow management and service delivery. The virtual queue and remote sign-up have completely changed the customer flow management process. With the virtual queuing the customers and visitors are not required to be physically present at the premises to sign-up for the queue instead the sign-up can be done remotely via different mediums such as web portal, mobile apps, SMS, email, appointment booking tool and others. The customers can get a mobile ticket and they can wait anywhere or don’t even have to wait at all if they planned their day accordingly and arrive at the branch only when their turn comes, this way the wait time is reduced to almost nothing. Technically the customer don’t have to wait at all at the branch and can get instantly served once they arrive on their turn. This significantly improve the customer experience, customer journey, and employee performance. Satisfied customers and efficient employees ensure a steady business growth.

Apart from that the virtual queue management system can monitor and capture a lot of touchpoints and milestones in the customer journey along with the employee performance indicators. The virtual queue management system has an in-build analytical and statistical software engine to process that data and to generate valuable reports. These reports are very helpful in taking vital decisions and building up future strategies. The virtual queue management system is also very flexible towards integration with other corporate tools and enterprise systems which further enhances its capabilities to improve customer flow management and service delivery time & quality. The virtual queue management system is the ultimate customer experience transformation tool.

RSI Concepts is a leading queue management systems provider in Dubai, UAE. If you need a virtual queuing solution or need help with any kind of queuing needs, feel free to reach us out through our Contact Us page or leave us a comment in the comment box below and we will revert back to you.

Check out this: Top 8 Benefits of Using Queue Management System