Queue Models

Think about queue models based on when we do when someone walks in the front door of the business.

1. Shop Queue :   A single shop queue will allocate and process people based on the order the arrive in the business. This model works well when there are large number of staff performing the same service.  If you have a situation when clients can request a particular staff member or when an in demand service can only be performed by certain staff this can delay for the individual waiting for those staff members.
2. Staff Queue : A staff queue will allocate people directly to a staff member on check-in. This model is less flexible than the shop queue but does provide more control for each staff member to manage their own queue.

The dynamic nature of clients and staff means trying to address the 1% of fringe cases can increase complexity significantly. Each shop needs to understand their preferred model and work to the best possible queue model.

Shop Queue

1. Check-In:   Every client order is tracked on check-in..
2. Shop Queue : A shop queue will allocate people directly to a staff member if they request but will maintain the next available staff based on the queue order. Our optimization process runs at the start and finish of every service to ensure the allocations are optimal.

This model works well with a very dynamic and fast moving shop. We do not recommended to promoting the staff selection option to  client as this reduces the ability to process a single shop queue as some clients must be allocated to a specific staff member. Where shops want to promote selecting staff or have chair rentals a staff queue may be a better option.

Staff Queue

1. Check-In:   Every client order is tracked on check-in.
2. Staff Queue : A staff queue will allocate people directly to a staff member on check-in. This model is less flexible than the shop queue but does provide more control for each staff member to manage their own queue.

The dynamic nature of clients and staff means trying to address the 1% of fringe cases can increase complexity significantly. Each shop needs to understand their preferred model and work to the best possible queue model.

It is worth noting for the following secion SLIKR queue management does allow clients to select a preferred staff member. In this instance we will hold that persons place in the queue but only allocate them to the preferred staff member.

Conclusion

We see different factors across different shops. There is also an element of the shop and clients evolving over time. It is a simple setting in our queue configuration to swap between the two models. Reach out to support and discuss your options, we are here to help!