Why has queue management improved at the GAMBIS sites?
In general, managing queues in the Gambia proves to be a very difficult job like many countries in the sub- region because the concept of first-come-first serve is just seen as a fiction or culturally unacceptable. Jumping a queue is not a taboo unlike the western set up. One just needs a contact or be ready to provide financial inducement in order to be given preferential treatment when needed. GAMBIS, like any other organization suffered the same syndrome but manage to positively recover from it.
Although good queue management tend to be a difficult task to achieve but it can be done and GAMBIS has proved it to everyone by implementing this policy in all the GAMBIS stations in the Gambia. Be well assured that there is no hidden secret behind this achievement, the main things one has to build, is discipline, fair play, belief in what you do as the right way forward and also work with conscience and consistency in approach. Although there will always be resistance here and there but this has to be overcome by showing them the benefits of queue management and treating human beings fairly without fear or favour. The goods or services providers in any given industry to begin with must have an understanding of the psychology behind queue management and also try to build in confidence in its customers to have the pride of been in a line.
A queue is a particular kind of collection in which the entities in the collection are kept in order and the principal operations on the collection are the addition of entities from the front terminal position.
In reality queuing can be a nuisance and people always find ways and means of avoiding them if they can. The main reasons why people hate queuing are due to many factors and in order to make people appreciate the queuing concept; one has to study these factors which help in enhancing the customer experience.
GAMBIS made this a reality by:
- Initially studying the psychology behind queue management.
- Provided a conducive environment which encourages them to wait for their turn rather than being driven away by the burning sun or tired legs.
- Identified a Customer service representative who politely welcome applicants, guide them through the process, answers their questions, make them feel homely and also make sure that whoever joins the queue has the required documents all intact mainly to avoid time wasting.
- The ticketing system proved to be one of our greatest ideas as this helped greatly to improve the queue.
- By improving immensely the card application process which makes the waiting time shorter.
The time customers spend and their experiences whilst queuing are of vital importance to any retail or service operation. Poor management of the queuing process not only results in the inefficient deployment of resources but it can also impact productivity.
The key benefits of good queue management include the enhancement of the customer experience. It also puts staff in control of queuing issues. It can be a tool to measure performance against customer service KPI’s. A well managed queuing system promotes accurate and reliable service and is also a non-intrusive technology.
Being one of the players in the queue management implementation process was not an easy task but it is achievable and GAMBIS queues are living testimonies and we have all witnessed the reality and ironically the resistance has changed to embracement and appreciation. Always proud whilst I watch applicants confidently queuing and waiting for their turn to be served.