Stress of customers lining up

Feelings of customers in line

Unfortunately, if check-in timing between customers overlapped, the customer have to line up in front of the reception.

If this happens on a daily basis and the staff recognizes it as normal, it should improve immediately.

Customers with long wait times will not be reluctant to give low ratings not only to staff items but also to other items.

Before you know the improvement, Imagine yourself standing in line in front of the reception to get a feel for the customer.

You may be worried about the followings.

・ The check-in time of another customer is prolonged and the waiting time that I expected is exceeded.

・ There is an unused check-in computer at the reception.

・ The line I was standing in takes longer than other lines.

・ I have already notified my address, name and contact information, but I have to fill out them all again.

Reasons to feel stress

Customers were prepared to wait when they saw a crowded reception, but if the previous customer took longer than expected to check-in, it would be stressful because it would not proceed as expected.

Although there are many customers at the cash register, there is only one staff memver at the cash register.

And other staff who stock up in the store will not enter the vacant cash register.

Isn’t there often such a thing ?

This makes me think that I am a small man. But I think everyone feels the same stress.

And we feel stressed when the progress of the line where we were lined up is behind the other lines.

We feel stressed because we think the staff can do better if they are quick.

Even if check-ins are delayed due to natural disasters or sudden illnesses, no one feels bad.

How to deal with congestion

So what are the ways to solve the problems mentioned above ?

When the reception is crowded, be sure to handle with the receptionist as many as the number of computers.

If the number of receptionists is less than the number of computers, it is better to use the extra computers for customers. We don’t use them.

If the number of receptionist is more than the number of check-in computers, ask the customers who are lining up and ask them to write down their names, and prepare your guest list in the reception.

It would be better to have the rows arranged in one row instead of creating a separate row in front of each receptionist and move them to the receptionist’s desk in order.

And when it’s crowded, ask your customers to write just their names on the guest list.

In order to do so, it is necessary to prepare a guest list with the address and contact information for each customer.

However, there is no law that requires all items on the guest list to be handwritten by the customer in Japan.

It is necessary to change the measures according to the style of the inn

It seems really easy to implement the above improvement plans.

In the inn that I operated, if the customer’s check-in overlaps, receptionist will ask customers to sit on the sofa in the lobby and wait. And the customer who is waiting on the sofa while the previous customer is checking in, receptionist ask customers to write their name on the guest list, hand over map with recommended sightseeing information handwritten, and ask customers see the map while they are waiting.

This was possible because it was a relaxing sightseeing spot.

In the case of an inn in the downtown area in front of the station, most of the guests will be busy, so unless your inn is a luxury hotel, you should check-in as quickly as possible.