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I seem to spend a bit more time than I use to in queue’s these days.
Sure the bank I use is making it easier to be in a queue, however, this does not actually make the queue any shorter. Getting a “ticket” number, sitting down, waiting for the electronic voice to announce your number, & which teller to go to, rather than standing up, shuffling forward makes the experience a bit more pleasant, does it make it shorter or more time efficient ?
The reason I ask, dear reader, is because whenever I do my banking – about midday every Friday there seems to be only 2 or 3 tellers on duty yet a bank full of customers staring at the monitors waiting for their number to come up.
Maybe this is another situation where the main beneficiary of the system introduced is not the customer but the bank itself – they now have the ability to ensure that just the minimum number of tellers are actually on duty to meet the minimum service requirements that they have set in terms of waiting times etc. And sure this, I suppose means that these reduced costs are passed onto me, their customer, in lower fees & interest rates, & the shareholders in terms of bigger profits, which is, after all why they exist.
The bank opposite in the shopping “plaza” has not introduced a similar system, folk still get to queue the old fashioned way – normal banking in this queue, merchant banking in that one, and a service desk for inquiries & the such like. It will be interesting how this works out as time progresses, the sitting vs. the standing queue.
As a marketing tool ?
The real topic that I want to mention is that the Queuing has now become a marketing tool. I remember when Windows 95 was released there was a whole mass of folks standing outside the Auburn Harvey Norman waiting to buy it, generating hype, headlines & free publicity for Microsoft.
That however, was amateur city compared to Apple these days. It seems that Apple with the co-operation of the media marks every new product availability with a whole bunch of folks standing outside a store waiting for the magic moment when they get to file inside and stand in another queue whist the new product is made available (maximum 2 per customer).
The iPhone 4 was just released in Australia overnight and it seems odd that whist there was queuing at many a Telstra outlet at midnight, there was no online store availability, nor was there an ability to pre-order like there was with the iPad. So the ONLY place you can get one is via a retail outlet – thus pushing up the “queue factor”.
What am I talking about ? the music industry has been using queuing for as long as there has been a business in music – how often do we see folks waiting overnight to get their tickets for a concert ?
Apple, Microsoft & my bank are going to have to wait in line & learn a thing or 2 from concert promoters !
Thanks for reading
