How Customer Line Management Improves Customer Service

Customers come into a store, select an item or approach customer service to discuss an issue. Customers walk into a physical store, present theirs need or issues or ask their inquiries, receive a response or complete an exchange, and leave.

Yes, this transaction is extremely uneventful, and depending on the store, it could even be painful… In fact, the majority of customers dread going into a physical store, whether it is to make a purchase or an exchange. According to an article published by The Huffington Post, companies and businesses throughout the United States lose approximately $41 million every year due to poor customer service.

And here’s one of the primary reasons why: lines.

Yes, we as a society have grown incredibly impatient. With the world in the palms of our hands, when we want something, we get it. Immediately. As a result, our attention spans have even decreased. And in an effort to save brick-and-mortar retail stores, and continue to serve customers, retailers need to make some pivotal changes—and in a big way.

Marketing technology is transforming the world of traditional and digital marketing, and is also helping customer service evolve into a transaction that is proactive rather than reactive. And evolving each customer interaction into an experience rather than a transaction. From applications designed for managing and analyzing data and analytics to managing customer lines, customer service now has more positive potential than ever before.

Customer Line Management

One such application that is gaining a lot of attention is Customer Line Management. Customer Line Management applications give customers the choice to either wait in line in the retail store of their choosing or to pick their item up or deal with an exchange later.

For example, Customer Line Management works similarly to a deli or a restaurant. A customers selects a “number” in digital form, and they can choose to be remotely notified via their mobile device when their number is coming up. Another example is a restaurant. The days of customers sitting in a crowded restaurant lobby with those clunky, black buzzers, impatiently waiting for their table are coming to an end. Buzzers are being replaced with text notifications. Therefore, customers can put their names in at a busy restaurant, and leave and go shopping until their table is ready.

How Does Customer Line Management Work?

Customers can join via the web, email or physical location. Then, they request an in-line position and periodically check the status of their position via a web page, mobile app or text notifications.

Here is a quick summary of how Customer Line Management works:

• Customers can join the line over the web, email or physical location
• Customers will be required to enter a verification ID to ensure each customer is properly verified prior to being served
• Customers receive notifications via a web page, mobile app, email or text notifications
• Businesses can collect and analyze statistics related to average customer service and call times
• The user interface is entirely customizable
• Supports multiple locations and multiple employees

Customer Line Management is also designed with an employee portal with a flexible user interface for queue management, giving customers real-time control.

Customer Line Management Integrations

We thought we would save the best for last… Customer Line Management applications and technology can also be integrated into other marketing technology, including digital signage. For example, it can be integrated with DigitalSignage.com’s StudioLite product so businesses can use their digital signage presentation with customer line management—all on the same screen.

Businesses that adopt customer line management technology will not only solve the issues of poor customer service and increase sales as a result, they will also gain real-time control of customer service. If your business meets or exceeds customers’ needs or expectations or saves them time and makes their lives easier, then they will likely return.