Concierge system helps customer flow

Adding to online scheduling system

The company, a global market leader in online appointment scheduling for business, offers its Appointment Cloud to empower customers to book appointments over the web, social media sites and mobile devices at over 25 000 retail, banking and healthcare locations worldwide. The new Concierge system extends this capability to the point of service delivery, so businesses can simultaneously manage customer flow of both pre-scheduled appointments and 'walk-in' traffic using one or more of the following system components:

• Concierge Assistant: Mobile in-store assisted selling technology lets associates view, manage, notify and schedule customer appointments from their iPad or Android tablet device.
  
• Concierge Kiosk: Self-Service in-store kiosks enable pre-scheduled customers to check-in and walk-ins to sign up for the next available appointment.
  
• Concierge Display: Digital signage displays a real-time appointment queue to provide visible and engaging feedback to customers waiting for service.

Waiting time determines service

In his groundbreaking book, Why We Buy, Paco Underhill states, "the single most important factor in determining a shopper's opinion of the service he or she receives is waiting time." He says that the perception of wait time can be greatly improved by employee-customer engagement and displaying a 'customer queue', indicating that their wait time will be finite and controlled. The new system helps stores reduce wait times and better manage customer flow and expectations resulting in an exceptional shopping experience.

Customer experience is also a strategic imperative for retail banks. According to Ernst & Young's Consumer Banking Survey 2012, there was a 70% year-over-year increase in customers planning to change banks, with 31% citing poor branch experience as the leading driver of attrition.

The survey revealed that customers demand personal service and integrated multi-channel experiences that combine physical branches and in-person interactions with digital channels.

"The system helps retailers, banks and healthcare providers meet these challenges and provides the uniquely personal experiences customers demand by putting innovative technology for customer engagement at the point of service delivery," said Mike Puglia, VP of marketing, TimeTrade Systems. "Everyone wins when businesses improve productivity and reduce costs, while providing a better experience to the customer."

For more information, go to www.timetrade.com.