We've all used the pull ticket system at a deli or service desk. It's easy, fast and just works but now the little paper ticket systems have gone hi-tech. The ticket is now being dispensed by an Android tablet with a built-in printer.
Using a touch screen tablet, the system presents a menu of categories. With one touch, the system is able to sort customers by their reason for visit and print out a corresponding ticket. Usually the categories correspond to a department. Places like building departments have categories of 'Get Permits', 'Submit Plans', 'Pay Fees' and other assorted reasons. This allows the ticket system to be more precise and identify what you came in for. Now the office can share the responsibility of helping customers and in-turn, provide faster service.
Electronically dividing customers out by category also provides the ability to analyze traffic and department efficiency. Each time a customer chooses a department and takes the ticket, the entry is time stamped. The time stamp lets the office know who is next and how long they have been waiting. Those times are also analyzed to see how many people came in on a certain weekday or how many came in for a particular department. Dates, times and volumes all make up valuable numbers for reports. These numbers show trends and help managers plan staffing to better meet the demands of customers.
With technology ever advancing, the cost of the android based ticketing system has dramatically dropped. A system in the past would easily cost upwards of $50,000 to implement but with today's tablets, the small business versions are under $1000. The reduced cost is now making systems feasible for small municipalities and state driver's license offices. With the advanced sorting they reduce the overhead of a greeter.
MultiQueue is an android based ticketing system designed for small business. Take a look at this all-in-one unit that can change your business forever.