This blog shows how traditional queuing solutions with physical devices can be replaced by mobile apps and chatbots in particular.

In a recent blog, we showed how contact center technology and our retail queue solution can be used to queue visitors to a branch office, and provide queuing not only to agents but also to video endpoints in the branch office.

Especially in smaller branches, the POS (point of sales). queuing devices such as thermal printers to print out queue ticket numbers, tablets etc are costly and are often an issue for maintenance (fixing the POS printer etc).

Mobile apps are now being used to allow customers to queue, but this would require visitors to first download a mobile app, which many might be reluctant to do.

With Expertflow Hybridchat, customers can use their existing Chat client (Whatsapp, FB Messenger, SMS,…) as a way to queue in a branch office. The chatbot will queue them, and do initial information capturing for that customer. The chatbot is also capable to send queuing position, queuing time, can share location updates via GPS if the customer allows to do so. It can also schedule appointments with specific persons and plan the topics to be discussed, and send updates about the meeting.

When the customer finally reaches the bank officer, a screen-popup with the interaction history via chat becomes available to the serving officer.

The advantage of queuing via chat is that it is available entirely without any physical queuing device and without customers having to install anything on their mobile phone. The basic assumption is that most customers have a mobile device with at least one chat channel or SMS available, and give these customers a quality service.