Many people, including business owners, do not think about the queuing experience until they have been standing in a line for a long time. Most times, finding out if a queuing system is working correctly is difficult because of this. Customers are only going to comment when the system is not working, which is why a business needs to adjust its queue management system regularly. Here are just a few of the ways that queuing systems can affect customer satisfaction.

1. Wait Times

This is how long that a customer waits in line to pay for their items, or to order, which usually has a huge effect on customer satisfaction. Most people have a time that they think is okay to wait in line. After this time is over, they will become upset that they have been waiting so long. This time frame will depend on the customer, day, and even the store. Short wait times are better because it gets the customer in and out of the store quickly. This could mean that businesses need to have more cashiers on when the store is busy.

2. How the Queue System Works

There are different styles of queue systems that can be used, but most times, the simple ones are best. This could be a line for cash or one line that allows customers to go to the next available cashier. These styles are the most popular because customers’ automatically have an idea of where they need to go to be served. More complex queue systems can work but are not recommended for most businesses. These systems work for doctor’s offices, DVM’s and other offices because they allow for longer wait times without the customers becoming upset.

3. What Is There to Do in Line?

We all have seen the magazines, newspapers, and candies that are near the checkouts at most stores. These are not just there for impulse purchases. They are also there to give you something does when you are in line. The same is true with the price displays in fast food restaurants changing to show an ad, which is used to distract you and increase your order. These distractions can make it feel like you are not spending a huge amount of time inline when you really are. Some businesses will also have free samples near the checkouts when they are really busy. This can help calm down upset customers and make them willing to wait for a cashier to become available.

When there is nothing to do in line, it is easy to get bored and want to just give up on your purchase. This is not good for businesses, which is why they try to avoid this.

The queuing experience has a huge effect on if a customer returns or not. However, most people really do not think about the time that they are waiting in line. This makes it hard to measure customer satisfaction of queuing systems unless there is something very wrong with it. This is why businesses monitor queues with software.