Post Offices Are Closing From Poor Queue Management
According to the U.S. Postal Service, December 19 and 20 will be the busiest mailing days this year for holiday cards and packaging. Many people will be sending their packages in hopes of reaching their destinations prior to Christmas Day. But with big demand comes big, frustrating lines.
This article from the Washington Post describes just how bad it’s getting at the Postal Service:
“Loyal readers of The Federal Eye regularly complain about the long lines and grumpy postal workers working at the neighborhood post office…There were 59 million fewer visits to post offices in 2010 than in 2009, and visits are down 21 percent over the last decade.”
Post offices are closing down all the time, because people are fed up with waiting sometimes over an hour just to send a package.
The U.S. Postal Service is notorious for long lines during peak times of the year, and their solutions are never logical. In 2007, their solution to alleviating the frustration of waiting in long lines was to remove clocks from over 37,000 locations nationwide.
Are you kidding me? Post offices aren’t casinos. People won’t get caught up in the frenzy and fun of mailing packages that it causes them to send more packages. And here’s a news flash for the Postal Service, people wear watches.
Trying to trick customers into thinking they’ve spent less time waiting is not the answer to better queue management. The QLess SMS queue manager could revolutionize government agencies like the Postal Service, the DMV, the Social Security Administration, and courthouses.
Instead of removing clocks, send your customer a text message when it’s their turn in line.
Post Office Lines Exposed
Retailers Suffer From Customers Waiting In Line During Holidays
Black Friday has a lot of appeal to millions of people around the U.S. not just because of the great deals, but also because it gets them in the holiday spirit. For some families, it kicks off their holiday festivities to get started on the first official day of Christmas shopping. However, that giddy feeling of waking up early or staying up really late to get a cheap TV is often washed away by the look of the line to check out.
Brick-and-mortar retailers are continually feeling the effect of online retail giants like Amazon gaining ground on their holiday shopping turf. Nearly half of U.S. consumers say they plan to shop online this holiday season, up from about a third last year, according to a recent survey from consulting firm Deloitte.
A recent article from the Wall Street Journal describes the frustration of waiting in line during the holiday season and the struggle to find the “right” checkout line.
“Shoppers tend to become impatient quickly and fail to take into account key indicators of what may slow down a line. They experience remorse when they feel they’ve chosen the wrong (i.e. slower) line. And they prefer to choose their own line rather than wait in a single-file line for the next available register — even though that setup has proven to be faster, research on queuing shows.”
Retailers know that they can lose customers from long, intimidating lines, and yet they still don’t get it. Instead of investing in a sophisticated queue management system, they try other gimmicks. Disney employees try to entertain customers while they wait in line, and Home Depot clerks stand in front of their register to alert customers of open checkout lanes. This may help temporarily, but it doesn’t solve the guests’ real problem of wasting time standing in line.
Imagine going to a Target, registering your name and cell phone number at a kiosk, checking in when ready to make your purchases, then receiving a text message on your cell phone when it’s your turn. During your wait, you continue to shop or grab a latte at the in-store Starbucks. Ultimately, both parties win. Not wasting your time standing in a crowded line allows for both happy customers and the potential for additional purchases to be made while waiting.
The scenario I just described is possible with Qless, a revolutionary SMS queue management system. What are YOU waiting for? Improve your customers’ holiday shopping experience next year by implementing our cutting-edge queue management system.
Santa Fly By: Skip the Long Line to See Santa This Year!
Check out this very well-done video explaining how QLess is saving families at Washington Square Mall this year from having to stand in line to see Santa.
–Tim
Teach DMV workers to be polite – now that’s the answer
750,000 residents use the Providence, RI DMV system annually and most note long lines as the reason for the negative public image it has. So what do you do to solve the biggest problem they have? You bring in an insurance company to teach sensitivity training to the workforce of course. It all makes perfect sense, just combine the bureaucracy of the insurance industry with the great taste of a government run DMV and you’ve got a recipe for success. Instead of fixing the problem, utilize significant funding and resources to train a workforce that likely already has low job satisfaction and high turnover. Perhaps they didn’t know that QLess is ending long lines and improving the customer experience at leading DMVs across the nation. Check out what we’re doing in Johnson County for an example. And if you’re one of those unfortunate Providence customers, let them know there is a better way.
Skip the Fracking Lines
When it comes time to be heard on an issue that is sensitive to public policy and personal convictions, the governing body has an obligation to listen to its constituents and gather information and insights before rendering decisions. Municipalities small and large face issue ranging from smoking bans to permitting to budget. This week in Manhattan, the sensitive topic of hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as Fracking, comes to light in public hearings that are expected to draw extremely long lines of people waiting to be heard. And guess what happens when people endure long lines and tireless hours waiting to be heard in these public forums? You guessed it. They get angry. Let’s put an end to the disorderly and ring in a better way to let voices be heard with QLess.
At the top of my holiday list: pictures with Santa without the wait
For any parent, seeing your young child meet Santa, sit on his lap and share her Christmas wish list is a time-honored tradition. Extending the holiday shopping season means there are more opportunities for the kids to see Santa, and more locations to do so as well. At the same time, the outfits have gotten more high-tech and opportunistic. Now, there are professionally-taken photographs and packages that can be ordered, limitations on personal camera use, and even candy and hot chocolate buying opportunities in some high-end malls. And unfortunately, most have one thing in common beyond the jolly man with long white beard: the wait in line. Kids don’t want to wait. Adults don’t want to wait. Frankly, we’d rather be spending money at other stores than spend it standing among crying toddlers. Luckily, there are now several malls where Santa uses QLess to virtually manage long lines, so we as parents don’t have to stand in them!
30 hours in line – oh my!
The Thanksgiving holiday means retail deals like no other and lines like no other. While not all result in pepper spray to get ahead, most involve spending far more time waiting line than most can or care to stomach. A father and son team in Flagstaff, AZ spent over 30 hours waiting for color coded vouchers at Best Buy. Their entire turkey day was turkey-less. What if you could have your turkey and eat it too? Well…with QLess you can. Retailers can manage lines virtually so consumers get what they want in an orderly, pepper spray-free environment, so they can spend time with friends and family instead of wasting it in line.
Black Friday 2011 is coming – are you ready?
This year it is starting earlier than ever, but so far, the results have been largely the same. Long lines and big headaches. Every year we hear the stories of people camping out, going sleep deprived – and even getting downright nasty (taking cues from the honey badger). Luckily, Walmart and other retailers have started early so you can experience the frustration earlier than ever. Get a glimpse of some interesting tips here. And if you’re searching for luxury timepiece for someone on your list, the Tourneau store in NYC uses QLess so you won’t have to wait in line. Have you got an early Black Friday experience to share? Let us know.
Isn’t dental work painful enough?
Many people fear the dentist more than any other common human experience (even more than marriage). They agonize over the drill, the smoke, the sounds, latex – you name it. But for some it comes with an additional price. On this Veteran’s day it has been brought to light that many of those who have served in the armed forces so courageously are faced with the additional frustration of waiting in exorbitant lines for free dental work. It is truly a tragedy that so many Veterans return home, struggle to make a living and have to wait for hours for healthcare. QLess can help end the wait for these heroes.
Waiting for new iPhone in Hong Kong – chaos ensues
You’d think that a brand as innovative as Apple would leverage its own technological and process design assets to take the pain of out its product release. And professional queuers? Check out this article and video to see the chaos in action. There’s certainly a much more affordable and customer-friendly way to solve this challenge – QLess.
http://qless.com
