In today’s age of instant gratification, consumers are used to getting what they want, when they want.
Every interaction we have with a brand is expected to be quick, seamless and personalised for our convenience. Despite this, the average Briton can spend up to 235 days waiting in a queue or line to be serviced over the course of a lifetime. Whilst clichés would suggest the British are content with queueing – in reality this could not be further from the truth and today’s queueing culture is actually having a detrimental effect on business’ bottom line.
Customers that are made to wait for a long period of time are less likely to repeat their business with a company, which could have dire financial implications. In fact, the average person in the UK is now unwilling to wait more than six minutes for a service.
Business mobility will be key
Most queues or long wait times are a result of manual processes and outdated legacy systems that often use traditional payment systems, contributing to slower service. But because of the Amazon effect, consumers now expect an enhanced experience around the clock. Businesses must act fast to take advantage of technology such as digital signage, tablet scanners, mobile point-of-sale (mPOS), and self-checkout terminals to remain competitive.
As new technologies rapidly enter the market, there is a correlating increase in the number of channels through which businesses interact with customers, adding to the complexity and cost of those interactions. It is therefore more important than ever to recognise how a mobility strategy can help to anticipate customer needs, tailor business processes to better serve customers, and improve the efficiency of a business.
Creating an omnichannel Customer Experience
By implementing a dedicated mobility strategy across both online and offline operations, unnecessary queueing will become a thing of the past in retail. By streamlining the value chain and creating an omnichannel Customer Experience, workers will be empowered to multi-task more effectively, and ultimately provide a higher level of customer service.
For customers, easy-to-use self-service tools such as contactless payment and automated ordering services not only have a tremendously positive impact on customer satisfaction, but ultimately a business’ bottom line.
These business mobility technologies have the power to combine people, processes and technology to not just manage mobile devices, but also derive true business value from the digital age. Whilst a business mobility strategy can be complex to implement, effective execution can have a direct impact on both customer satisfaction and retention, putting brands miles ahead of the competition.