A series on the perils of queue management during Covid 19 pandemic: Part One

Queues before Covid 19

You really would not mind joining the queue. You could wait patiently in the premise filled with cool air and lots of seats. It was no hustle joining a queue. Sure, you would get anxious if there was a delay. But you really would not mind waiting as you have some assurances: you know you have a position in the queue and you can see it moving. You could easily tap someone’s shoulders and ask for an update.

To move through the queue, you would just have to drag yourself across the next seat, and maintain your position in a queue comfortably. If there were a substantial amount of people, they would queue standing in the same room; all huddled up together. This experience as a customer was not a top-notch, but it was tolerable. Well,….. who are we kidding? You would complain if you were delayed in a queue even if you were comfortable. Moreover, that is because you had no idea what the Covid 19 pandemic had in store for you

Queues in this Covid 19 era

It is a different story now. You are apprehensive to go out. The pandemic has instilled some fear and the much-needed caution to maintain some level of distance within people.  You dread going to the bank or your network provider because of the mass of people you will encounter The need to do everything online has increased. However, let us be honest how many services can we have online access to here in Africa? A call to the customer service hotline will only be concluded with a recommendation to visit the premise. Most business premises have extended their reception area outside, placed “Veronica” buckets for hand washing, temperature guns as well as hand sanitizers as a measure to support social distancing protocols.

You are still at risk in the queue

Despite all these measures, there are many interactions that place you in danger every time you join a queue for a product or service.

1. The security man writes down your service and queue number and hands it over to you on a piece of paper without wearing gloves
2. The chairs outside are not well spaced to the approximate six meter distance
3. These same chairs are not sanitized properly and regularly to reduce the risk of infection
4. As you move from one chair to the next, you touch the same surfaces as its previous occupants
5. There is no update on the movement of the queue
6. You see new people arrive much later than you and they are immediately ushered into the building
7. The hot weather outside is nothing to write home about and all you want is to get out of there

As a customer, you yearn for ways that you can experience the best of brands, products and services at the least cost to your pockets and your health (a side effect of these strange and perilous times that we are in. How do you keep safe when you join a queue? Check out our next blog post for how to stay safe when you join a queue in this #Covid 19 era. If you are a business owner, you can check out our free Covid 19 solutions to improve your #customer experience