WiFi hotspot in the waiting room

Long waiting times are nothing unusual in offices and medical practices. In most cases, even an appointment does not guarantee a smooth process. Nobody likes to wait — but unfortunately, in most cases, it can't be changed. The question now is how to make the best possible use of the waiting time — or how time flies by the fastest. In most cases, smartphones are used.

Even during leisure activities, such as eating out or shopping, you often have to wait (or the accompanying person when shopping). The problem of long waiting is present in almost all industries. It should therefore be highly relevant to shorten the waiting time and make it more pleasant for customers. Because waiting and the associated boredom reduce customer satisfaction — and therefore sales.

Reduce waiting time

First, you should try to shorten the waiting time as much as possible. This applies in particular to medical practices. Appointments are often filled twice, as gaps due to unannounced, missed appointments and thus idle runs want to be prevented. In reality, however, this often results in extremely long waiting times, as it often happens that all patients keep their appointments and then the practice's capacity is insufficient. Making appointments twice therefore entails a high risk and should rather be avoided.

Avoiding breakdowns like this requires a clear, structured organization and demand-oriented scheduling. For this purpose, it is helpful to carry out a schedule analysis. Even over the phone, the clinic assistant should ask the patient why he wants to make an appointment in order to estimate the duration of treatment more precisely. You can find more detailed information on this topic here.

Even in restaurants, the time that guests wait for food can be reduced through better communication between waiter and kitchen. There are already countless apps for this purpose that transmit orders in real time, such as the iPad cash register system from ready2order. However, it has to be said that you usually don't wait alone in a restaurant. Therefore, waiting times in restaurants are often not so bad. However, you should be moderate, as guests become impatient after a certain period of time (especially when they are hungry) and may choose another restaurant next time.

Make waiting time pleasant

If you have reduced the waiting time as much as possible, it is now important to make it as pleasant as possible for customers. In many medical practices or hairdressing salons, the reading circle still prevails. But it is becoming increasingly rare to see customers/patients reaching for magazines. You know it yourself — a free minute in which there is nothing to do and you pick up your smartphone.

You can read news, chat with friends and family, play games, or even work. As a result, the time is not completely wasted. However, the prerequisite for being able to use the smartphone sensibly is good Internet. Mobile reception is often insufficient, or customers only have too little data volume.

WLAN hotspot as a solution

If you want to do something good for your guests, patients or customers, you can offer free WiFi. Because even when the reception is good, many people are happy not to have to use their own limited volume of data. With a WiFi hotspot Respond to the wishes of your guests and increase customer satisfaction — and thus customer loyalty — without much effort.

However, it is important to do some basic things, such as legal protection to note. Speed and range are also important. You can find more tips here.

It is best to rely on a professional hotspot provider, as you then no longer have to worry about anything. Marketing features associated with the hotspot are another advantage. The Socialwave Guest WiFi Hotspot combines secure WiFi with numerous marketing benefits. While your guests are waiting, you can cleverly alert them to current offers or promotions. By logging into the hotspot via social media account or email, you can stay in touch with your guests (or patients) even after your visit.

conclusion

Whether it's a doctor's office, public office, restaurant or hairdresser: try to reduce the waiting time as much as possible. For the waiting period that you cannot prevent, you should offer the service of free WiFi or other amenities to those waiting. Then the waiting mood isn't quite as bad and customers can pass the time well.

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