subject: Improve turnover with effective queue systems [print this page] Improve turnover with effective queue systems
It's well known that the turnover of any business is highly dependent upon the volume of people who may be brought through the store's doors, persuaded to purchase promoted products and taken through the point of sale. It is usually the duty of the marketing and advertising team to draw in the consumer numbers, people on the shop floor can have a much greater impact over the point of sale and how this is managed. In many stores this is the aspect that can often be forgotten about. Employees are often not put to use as efficiently as they might be, and queues don't have any order at all. In a nutshell, many businesses suffer from poor queue systems.
The initial stage in installing effective queue systems is pinpointing which type of queue is most suited to the store. For the majority of traditionally laid out stores where people browse and select their items before taking them to the point of sale, a queue of individuals standing in a line is best suited. Other stores you may make your purchase at the point of sale and then wait for the item to be brought to you, in this sort of situation it could be useful to offer seats for the customer. Some stores could even need a combination of queue systems for various departments of the same store in order to ensure that each department functions with maximum efficiency.
By implementing measures to inspire effective queue systems you are able to enhance the customer experience. Problems within queuing and passing through the point of sale can lead to bottlenecks within the store. This sort of experience can actually put customers off returning to the store. Having an ineffective queue system at best customers are likely to get incredibly frustrated, and at worst you may lose custom as the level of repeat custom will drop every time a customer relates a bad experience to the particular store.
Because of this it is worthwhile to look at the queue systems which you have in place and how they might work more effectively to boost customer happiness. The key priority should be ensuring that people progress through the queue as quickly as possible. Queue efficiency could be enhanced through the use of electronic digital displays to call customers to a point of sale that has recently become free. Strategically placed point of sale display units may serve as a distraction as shoppers wait to be served, as an additional benefit they may also encourage the consumer to spend a little more should a product take their fancy. Retractable barriers may offer an enhanced level of versatility so that queues can be adjusted based on demand and according to other conditions.
With an efficient queue system in place a store has the capacity to serve more customers in a given time, and a quick, efficient service will mean customers leave happy. The less time a customer is kept waiting, the more they'll enjoy the experience of the specific store. Whenever a customer leaves happy the more likely they will be to return in the future.
