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What is queue management and how can queue management systems help?
A queue management system centralizes appointments and waitlists in a single platform – and automates the management of both.
Waitwhile
Published at 2025-04-10
16 min read
A queue management system offers a centralized platform to manage bookings, queues, and appointments, improving service delivery and customer flow.
Where there are people, there are queues. It’s a universal part of life that spans cultures and centuries. Businesses and governments alike need a system through which they can manage resource allocation and organize waiting lines.
Though they have a negative connotation, queues and waitlines aren't always bad for business either. Constant customer flow can signify quality and even build hype for your business, think a popular brunch place that always has a line out the door.
Not all wait lines and delays mean a product is “worth the wait,” however. Often, it is quite the contrary...
Types of queues
Whenever demand outstrips supply for a specific resource or service, queues are formed to handle the imbalance. These queues can take on many shapes based on the nature of the business, the preferences of management, and a variety of other factors.
There are four primary types of queues you’ll see in businesses, largely categorized based on how they form.
Structured
Structured queues use physical barriers or stanchions to guide customer flow, prevent people from cutting in line, and give employees a way to order and manage the line. You'll often see these in airports and grocery checkouts.
Unstructured
These queues often form unexpectedly. People approach the check-in desk or cashier when they're ready, and, if there's a wait, they queue up where they feel is appropriate. These types of queues often form in bakeries and small stores.
Virtual or mobile
Digital/virtual Queue management systems and apps like Waitwhile allow customers to join a virtual waitlist from anywhere, get real-time updates, and communicate directly with your business via text or email.
Kiosk
With a kiosk-based queue, customers fill out their check-in information at a self-service kiosk, then they sit in a waiting area until someone calls them. You see these types of queues at medical establishments or banks.
What is a queue management system?
A queue management system is any system – physical or digital – that is used to manage queues. There are a variety of different systems to organize queues, each with its upsides and downsides:
Physical queue management systems
A physical queue is just like it sounds: people line up in person to wait their turn...
Ticketing systems
With ticketing systems, each visitor's position in the waiting line is signified through a number...
Sign-in sheets
Sign-in sheets are printable waitlists that businesses use to keep track of bookings and appointments.
Virtual queue management software
Queue management apps like Waitwhile create virtual queuing systems that digitally keep track of clients.
Benefits of a queue management system
Creating additional queues and increasing staff size is the simplest way to cope with higher customer flows...
The human psychology behind queue management
Queues and queue management have been part of the human experience since...
The advantages of virtual queue management systems
A virtual queue management system like Waitwhile allows your guests to join a line remotely...
How digital queue management systems works: Step-by-step
You can break the queue management process into five distinct steps...
1. Arrival
Even before guests arrive at your business, digital queueing systems...
2. Managing queues
Once clients arrive at the premises, your queue management system...
3. Service
Once you're ready for a guest, you can automatically send them a notification...
4. Departure
After the guest has completed their transaction...
5. Follow-up
When concluding a customer's visit, the system can automatically communicate with them...
Real-world examples of effective queueing solutions
Queue management systems are improving queuing experiences across many industries...
Retail
According to a recent Waitwhile survey...
Best Buy Canada
Back in 2019 ,capacity restrictions put a lot of pressure on retailers...
Louis Vuitton
Facing increasing foot traffic in 2017...
Restaurants
Major American franchise Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar...
Healthcare
The ModernMD urgent care network used to only take walk-ins...
Convenient queue management systems are what consumers expect
As digitization continues to transform all aspects of our lives, consumer expectations will continue to climb....