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Customer Wait Time

Written by Ron Maier

Sunday, 31 December 2006

Americans are among the most impatient shoppers on the planet. With busy lives and sound bite based media, many shoppers expect businesses to strive for the most efficient use of their time. What some retailers do not understand is that efficient timing will also save money. After all, time is money.
The average American becomes anxious after only five minutes of hold time on a sales or customer service call. This may not be surprising as no one enjoys spending long amounts of time listening to hold music, waiting to be helped. Lines and cues at post offices, banks, and customer service counters are other examples where people become irritated and possibly even anger enough to leave. It is an impatient market whose favor retailers must win.
Now you are saying, "tell me something I didn't know." Yes, wait time is an obvious issue that sometimes cannot be helped. If all other possibilities for shortening lines and reducing idle shopping time, then there are some other things that will make the shopping experience more pleasant. Leading studies show that it is not only important how long a customer waits, but what kind of waiting experience they are having. Keeping lines organized and efficient causes customers to be more likely to wait their turn. Making sure of who is next in line will solve many disputes before they even happen. Some stores use numbered tickets or a line attendant to monitor the situation. A line attendant is also helpful for making small talk with the customer and making them feel more at ease. This is a similar to the role of a greater in a restaurant environment.
On top of efficiency and order, finding something to distract customers from the amount of time that is going by will change their entire outlook on the situation. Monitors or screens that show entertaining advertisements or promotions are a fairly expensive way to distract customers, and they are proven to be very effective. However, placing toys in the impulse buy section to occupy children, or simply the right kind of store music can easily change the experience of waiting in line. Be creative and unique in the way you keep your customers enjoying your retail environment.
A customer waiting in line needs to feel organized, provided for, and perhaps even distracted. The last thing you want is for the customer to feel unimportant or bored. Though these are some helpful tips for occupying this wait time, the best solution for impatient customers is excellent staff that attends quickly to customer needs. If your staff is constantly looking for a way to improve the shopping experience for the customer, shoppers will respond. Never underestimate the power of real, genuine, human contact to melt away impatience.
About the Author: Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading online provider of retail store displays and store fixtures . For more information, please visit http://www.slstoredisplays.com.

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About The Author:

About the Author: Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading online provider of slatwall fixtures. For more information, please visit http://www.slstoredisplays.com.

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