Using a virtual queuing system that enables your customers to join a virtual queue by phone to receive updates about when their turn will help you to increase sales, drive loyalty and improve your click and collect/BOPIS operational efficiency.
To reap the many benefits of using virtual queue management software to choreograph an engaging customer experience, it’s important to perfect your in-store signage to drive maximum customer usage by ensuring the service is easy for them to understand and use.
This blog covers our method for creating just that.
Examples of effective virtual queuing signage:
The image here shows our formula we use for creating effective virtual queuing signage that drives customers to check-in.
We’ll start by explaining some of the key copy writing considerations you need to think about to build this formula.
Naming your new service
Put pen to paper
Throughout all your signage content it is essential to be clear, bold and consistent in how you talk about your new process.
So, to start with it helps to put pen to paper and to define a name for your process.
Some example names to get you thinking:
- Smart queue
- Qudini queue
- Virtual queue
- Digital ticket
- Waitlist
Feel free to incorporate the Qudini brand name
You might find that the Qudini brand name helps to explain the process to customers. With more of our clients incorporating the Qudini brand name into their customer facing content, consumers are becoming increasingly educated on the process and are even referencing Qudini is social media.
Naming tips
When defining a name for your new service offering ensure that you are:
- Clear and relevant – use a name that clearly explains what the process is and the benefit it offers to your customers.
- Simple – the most important thing is that the name explains what you do without over-complicating it.
- Unique and on brand – to own a name that is uniquely yours, it can be good to incorporate your brand name or the Qudini brand name in some way.
- Consistent – use the same name with consistent spelling and formatting across all your content referring to the process.
Creating compelling call to action statements
After defining the name for your service, it helps to think about the one CTA you want customers to take in relation to that service.
Using clear and compelling CTA statements throughout your signage is essential to driving your customers to take the actions you want them to.
Some example call to actions to get you thinking:
- Join our virtual queue
- Speak to our host
- Check-in here
- Here for service? Join the queue
Call To Action tips:
- Big and Bold – Your CTA should be the biggest and boldest piece of text within your signage. When your customers glance at your signage, this should be the first thing they see.
- At the top – Placing your CTA at the top of a sign ensures it strikes customer attention and drives them to action from the outset.
- Relevant and explanatory – The CTA statement should be relevant and should clearly describe the action the customer should take and what they will get by taking action. E.g. “Scan to join the queue”.
- Use verbs – Motivate the customer to action by using verbs to make your call to actions more authoritative. Action words have been proven to boost CTA compliance.
- Service name or questions can triage – If the service you are using Qudini for is only for customers with specific shopping missions or meant to speak to a subset of customers with specific challenges, you might like to prefix your CTA with your service name or a question that will effectively triage customers before informing them of the action they should take. E.g.
- Missions specific. Here to collect an order? Check-in here.
- Challenge specific: Hate standing in line? Join the virtual queue
Defining your value proposition
The next step to defining your offering involves writing a simple value proposition statement that explains your new Qudini service within a single declarative statement.
Doing this will bring clarity to what you are trying to say to customers as the value proposition will inspire the key content across your signage content.
- Escape waiting in line by joining our virtual queue and we’ll update you as your turn draws near.
- Be free, comfortable and productive while you wait by joining our virtual queue and staying updated on your phone.
- Check-in with our host, then grab a coffee, browse the store or even phone a friend until called for your turn.
What is a value proposition
Within a single sentence your value proposition should:
1.Explain the service and process you are offering.
2.Be clear as to why your customers should use it through the benefits it offers.
Use icons and simple images
Using clean and simple images that visualize what the Qudini service is, it’s benefit and the action that your customer needs to take to use it can really help to explain your offering and to nudge the customer to take action.
We’ve included some example images on the next page and you can even download the Qudini icon kit and use our suggested images across your content.
Nudge images
Our clients saw QR code scan rates double when they incorporated the QR code within an image of a phone scanning the QR code. This effectively served as a nudge to explain to customers the action that they needed to take.
Clarify your customer journey
Defining the customer journey steps that a customer will need to go through once they follow your Call To Action is also a helpful process for creating extremely clear signage.
These process steps can then be alluded to within your content or you might choose to include a simplified list of these process steps as subtext within your signage.
In addition, you may wish to add a few notes to answer customer queries, such as; what do to if they don’t have a phone or how you will use their data.
Download our signage planning canvas pack
Maximize who will read your steps
When writing your customer journey steps, remember that people tend to ignore text. So keep the steps as simple as possible and live by the power of 3 where possible.
Inject your brand tone of voice into your steps to make them engaging to read and follow.
Enjoy your wait with 3 simple steps.
1.Scan a QR code, text 49292 to 074929292 or speak to our host.
2.We’ll keep your place and update you by text.
3.Find our host who will let you in for your turn.
Now bring it all together
Now that you’ve defined your key messaging, it’s time to put it all together to create striking signage that captures customer attention and drives them to action.
On the right we’ve listed the key pieces of content that you’ll now have created in part one and the best order to place them within across your signage. On the next pages we’ve mocked-up examples of how this could look for the different Qudini solutions and included some client examples.
You don’t have to use all elements and you could also change the order of these elements (except the Call To Action which is always best placed at the top).
Ensure a relevant and effective content cadence
When writing your signage out, think about the priority of things that your customers need to do and know and put your content in this order on your sign. To capture customer attention, start with the most important details that inform the customer of the action they need to take before explaining the why and the how in more detail.
Examples of virtual queue signage using the formula
Inspiration: client example (for appointment booking)
We love how Nike’s signage to inform their customers that they can book appointments for an Express Shopping service:
- Clearly names their service: Niketown Express Shop.
- Includes the first part of the value proposition to explain what the service is.
- Uses a clear visual to nudge the customer towards the action they need to take to scan the QR code.
- Includes the second part of their value proposition to explains the benefit to the customer in just a few simple phrases.
Signage types and locations
Some of the different types of signage that we’re seeing our customers successfully use include:
End of queue barrier
Lollipop signs
Window signs
Signage types and locations
Window signs
Host desks – wrap banner
Digital signage
Signage types and locations:
Closed desk/Store Signage
If you are using Qudini to provide customers with a way to get service when colleagues are unavailable at a desk or specific service location (such as click and collect desks or information desks). It can help to use a desk sign to inform the customer of the alternative process they should take to get service.
Some of our cilents are also using appointment booking links on their closed store signage to encourage customers to book their time to come back.
If you are using the Qudini Self-service Kiosk App to enable your customers to join the queue, check-in for online orders or to book appointments you will also need to clearly sign post your this to drive customers to use it.
Most clients find it works to include similar signage with a very clear call to action around it and at times additional information to support the customer’s journey.
Kiosk locations
Place your kiosk in the footpath of the customers you want to use it, including: the front of the relevant service area, near a queue barrier, in front of a relevant service desk, at the store entrance, near the staircase.
Use visual nudges (arrows or footsteps) to direct customers to wards your kiosk
If a kiosk is placed near the counter, your customers will likely request the help of your staff first, unless the staff are unavailable or the customer has been previously educated on the process.
Make your host stand out
If you are using a host to enable customers to join the queue or to book appointment from a tablet or reception desk it helps to make them visually stand-out from your other colleagues, so that:
a) Customers can easily find them and are educated as to their purpose,
b) Host have a fixed meeting point and process,
c) Customers understand the host has a different role and don’t request service from them (which can be a common challenge),
d) Customer experience is consistent across stores,
Our clients are using one of multiple of the following methods to ensure their host stands out to customers.
Educate customers about your virtual queuing offering
Other types of content our clients are printing and using at different locations within their customer journeys to inform customers about their new service offerings:
Business cards
Flyers
Leaflets
Inform customers using your website
In this next section we will suggest how you can inform customers about your in-store services used to perfect their experience using your website.
Starting with your:
Service information page
Create one single landing page to explain all the services you offer to improve your customer’s experience, as well as an individual landing page on each service.
This will ensure you realize the SEO benefit if customers search your brand name and service. Eg. QDi Virtual Queue
Mention the service on your individual store pages
On each store’s individual website page provide customers with more information about the service you offer for appointments, virtual queuing and contactless pickup.
Mention your services in your social media posts
To drive customers to your stores you might also look to create social media posts featuring your new service offering or mention your service offering in your general social media posts.
Final content tips
It’s now time to create your signage, but before you do, here are a few final tips consolidated from our pack.
Customers don’t read details.
So minimize text, keep Call To Actions loud and clear and have a cadence of additional text in order of relevance so that your customers can read more if they want to. If you do need to explain things in more detail, break it up into sequential steps, ideally following the power of 3.
Explain the benefit.
Always answer the “Why” – why should customers follow the process? What’s in it for them? Write your value proposition from the outset and tease this out within your signage content.
Nudge customers with images.
Use images to visually explain the process and to nudge customers towards your desired actions.
Verbs speak louder than all other words.
Make your signage clear and authoritative from the first word a customer reads by using action words to drive customers to action: book, join, check-in.
Triage using questions if you need to.
If your signage only needs to strike the attention of specific customers, use questions to triage the ones you want to speak to.
Vary your font formatting.
Draw attention to your sign and highlight key messages using different font styles, size, widths and colouring.
Address customer problems.
If some customers might have problems or queries when following the process (such as not having a mobile phone or wanting to know how their data will be used), address these at the bottom of the sign.
Make them match, but also differ.
If you are using Qudini for multiple customer journeys, have some consistency in the style, content and tone of voice within your signage but also make them visually different through different images, colouring and wording.
Try out numbers, symbols and punctuation.
Using numbers, symbols and punctuation can help to draw customer attention towards your sign. E.g. Did you know….?
