Your Current Wait Time Is: Nonexistent

I’ve got an awesome thought for you: in the future, there will be no lines.

Pretty incredible, huh? You’ll no longer have to visualize your happy place at the theme park while Junior’s losing it waiting for Splash Mountain. (Or when you’re losing it waiting to renew your car registration.) Businesses who care about their customers’ experience are adopting new kiosk and RFID technology to reduce wait times and make the process more efficient. Here are three examples of businesses that are notorious for long lines, but are investing in technology to make things much, much better:

Airports

Is there any torture worse than standing in the customs line after an international flight? (Besides when your in-flight entertainment program freezes, obviously.) But this first-world problem is quickly becoming obsolete, and we have kiosks to thank. At New York’s JFK Terminal 4, wait times were cut in half (from 36 minutes to 17) after the airport had 40 self-service kiosks installed in October. Even during busy times, average wait times have been significantly reduced. …Which makes for a significantly happier me.

Disney

A few months ago, I wrote about Disney’s new MyMagic+ system, which uses RFID-enabled bracelets to track guests as they move around the parks. My family spent less time waiting around and more time checking out everything the place had to offer. Saving our spot in line is a little luxury that meant a lot. It seems we’re not alone – Disney’s revenue has been on an upswing this year and will hopefully continue to grow.

DMV

The Department of Motor Vehicles is the epitome of everything people hate about lines; they’re long, full of impatient people and run by disorganized employees. But over the past year, that all started to change. The DMV in NYC provides a self-serve queuing system that allows customers to reserve a place in line at a DMV office from a home computer or smart phone. They can also handle most transaction through Self-service kiosks in DMV offices;

As our society becomes busier and busier, time is one of our most treasured assets. Technology will continue to evolve to keep us out of lines and involved in the activities that we actually enjoy. What are the most painful lines in your life? Where do you spend the most time waiting?

P.S.  The Digital Screenmedia Association (DSA) offers great white papers and other resources for users of kiosks, digital signs, and mobile technologies.  Contact me for a FREE membership.