If you're responsible for managing customer service, you will know how frustrating it can be when long queues of customers start to pile up. With the rise of the digital age, the traditional brick-and-mortar model for managing customer visits is no longer the only option.
That's where we come in.
In this article, we're going to talk about customer visit management concept in more detail, the main challenges that traditional branches face, and we will explore how businesses can transform their branches to improve service delivery and enhance the overall customer experience. We'll dive deep into the digital transformation of customer visit management, and show you how to optimize your approach for maximum efficiency, while improving customer service strategy to keep your customers coming back for more.
So let's get started and revolutionize your customer visit management!
What is Customer Visit Management?
The process of managing customer visits to a business location, such as a retail store, bank branch, public services or healthcare facility, is referred to as customer visit management.
This includes streamlining between appointments and walks-in, matching customers with the right employees for personalized experience, while employees can call, transfer and serve customers in different lines in an efficient way. This eventually leads to better control over queues, wait times, and customer interactions across all touchpoints to ensure a positive customer experience.
The Challenges of Traditional Branches
Traditional branches face a number of challenges. One of these challenges is long wait times, which can result in frustrated customers and lost business.
According to a survey conducted by Queue-it, 59% of customers would wait no longer than four minutes to make a purchase in a store, and 73% would abandon their purchase if they had to queue for more than five minutes.
Aside from long wait times and queues, another major issue that businesses face with traditional queuing management is the lack of customer feedback.
In a survey by Zendesk, 82% of customers reported that they would leave a business after a bad experience, yet only 1 in 26 unhappy customers will actually complain to the business.
This means that businesses may be unaware of the negative impact of long wait times or poor customer service, which can result in lost revenue and a decline in customer loyalty.
Another issue with traditional branches is the lack of flexibility in the customer experience. In a digital age where customers are accustomed to instant gratification and personalized service, traditional branches can feel outdated and inflexible.
For example, customers may be required to visit a branch during specific hours, wait in a physical line, and speak with a representative face-to-face, even if their needs could be addressed remotely or through self-service options.
In addition, traditional branches may struggle to manage the influx of customers during peak times. For example, a bank may experience a surge in customers on payday, resulting in long wait times and frustrated customers. This can be difficult to manage and may result in a poor customer experience.
Despite these challenges, traditional branches can still provide a valuable service to customers.
It is important to be proactive in addressing these challenges and optimizing the customer experience.
The Digital Transformation of Branches
The digital transformation of branches is changing the way customer visit management is approached. By using digital tools and technologies, you can improve service delivery and enhance the customer experience.
Such tools and technologies can include:
Mobile Apps
Mobile applications are an essential component of any digital experience, especially one that aims to be accessible 24/7 and on the go.
Customers can check a variety of services by using mobile apps, this includes appointment booking, locating the nearest branch, and checking the average waiting time or they can even go beyond that by taking a virtual advice, giving customers more control over their interactions with your business.
Virtual Booking and Queuing Systems
Customers expect flexibility and speed – give it to them through virtual booking and queuing systems. This includes mobile applications, QR codes, online appointment booking, and more.
Implementing a smart queue management system has become the expected standard and will help your business:
- Identify the customer and personalize the service provided
- Reduce waiting time by applying segmentation and prioritization
- Reduce service time through identification, self-registration…etc.
- Reduce running costs and go green, by paperless tickets
Self-Service Kiosks
Self-service kiosks have been a revolution to support queue management, and installing them in your branches can immediately boost your customer experience, transforming your customers' visits into a friction-free experience.
These systems reduce the need for in-person interactions and provide your customers with self-service options.
Thanks to self-service kiosks, your customers can easily perform a variety of transactions at any time- even beyond your branch’s working hours.
Such transactions can include:
- Checking in for pre-booked appointments through the self-service machine.
- Instant issuance of cards (e.g.) banking cards, SIM cards, etc.
- Scanning and printing documents such as account statements and checkbooks.
Omni-channel Customer Feedback System
By actively soliciting feedback from customers and using it to inform decision-making, businesses can continuously improve the customer experience. A smart feedback system can be integrated with all the touchpoints across your customer journey, enabling you to measure customers’ views in order to make strategic decisions and improve your service.
However, none of this would be possible without the needed data and insight required to make such strategic decisions.
Which is why you should…
Utilize Business Intelligence: Data and Analytics
The use of data and analytics is also a critical component of the digital transformation of branches. By collecting and analyzing data on customer behavior and preferences, businesses can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to enhance the customer experience.
For example, a bank utilized our customer visit management solutions to predict peak customer traffic times to minimize queues and reduce frustration.
From strategic planning to monitoring and reporting, customer visit management solutions help your business achieve growth through superior customer experiences.
How?
You can immediately boost your performance across the branch, department, and employee levels:
- Enhanced employee performance and productivity - Through data analytics and customer feedback, you can get insights into your employees’ performance in-context.
- Optimized branches - Get insight into how your employees and resources are allocated, are your employees and efforts being invested where they should be?
- Smarter marketing - Learn about growth and cross-selling opportunities that you would typically miss without the actionable insights and data required.
- Superior CX - Enhance your customer experiences across all touchpoints in their journey through live monitoring, omni-channel customer feedback, and segmented performance benchmarking.
- Analysis and automated reporting - All data and insights needed are fed into reports that can be customized and pre-configured to your needs.
- BI interactive dashboards - Need to make decisions faster? Get a bird’s eye view of all the important intelligence you require through live dashboards customized to your preferences.
Transform the Customer Experience with Customer Visit Management Solution
By implementing a smart customer visit management solution, you can reap many benefits:
Deliver Convenience
Eliminate physical queues, reduce waiting time, and enable your customers to choose how they want to engage with your business.
Your customers will appreciate the convenience you bring to their everyday life, thanks to SEDCO’s leading innovative customer visit and experience management solutions:
● Mobile apps
● Virtual queuing systems
● Self-service kiosks
Provide Customers with Self-Service Options; This can include the use of self-service kiosks or mobile apps, which can significantly reduce wait times and provide customers with a more convenient and flexible experience.
Expert Tip: Instruct and train your hovering greeters to help your walk-ins to choose their preferred interaction - you will find that your customers will appreciate the pleasant experience of not waiting in a queue.
Better Strategic Planning and Analysis
With BI tools, you will have a better understanding of your business’ strengths and weaknesses in order to make successful strategic plans based on your business’ goals, ensuring your competitiveness and profitability.
For example, a retail store may use data to optimize staffing levels and reduce wait times during peak periods.
Analyze the huge data collected from all those touchpoints and get the insightful reports faster.
Manage Customer Expectations
By providing clear and accurate information on wait times, customers can better plan their time and feel less frustrated with the wait.
For example, SEDCO helps branches notify their queuing customers regarding their status through digital signage features such as audio announcements and visual display screens, or via SMS directly to their mobile phones.
Moreover, remember that implementing a digital customer visit management system is not a one-time event. Continuously evaluate your system and look for ways to improve it based on feedback from staff and customers to ensure its long-term success.
Choose the Right Software and Start Small
There are many different digital customer visit management systems on the market, so it is important to do your research and choose the one that's best for your business.
Consider factors such as cost, features, ease of use, and integration with other software you use.
If you're worried about the transition to a new system, consider starting small. Begin by implementing the system in one department or for one type of appointment, and gradually expand as you feel more comfortable.
Need help making your transformation process easier? Contact our experts for a free consultation.
