Queue management · E-MANAGER

Queue management software: a ticket, a call on screen, a desk

Waiting becomes acceptable as soon as it is easy to follow.

The visitor takes a ticket, the waiting room screen calls their number and shows the desk. The module runs on the reception screen you already have, and the screen shows your messages between two calls.

Several flowson the same screen
Automatic callsto the next free desk
Your screenswith or without a touch kiosk
3 monthsfree trial

Queue management

Manage several visitor flows,
and keep reception moving.

Waiting becomes acceptable as soon as it is easy to follow. The module runs on the reception screen you already have, with or without a touch kiosk.

A ticket, a call on screen, a desk

The visitor picks their reason for coming on a kiosk and leaves with a ticket. The waiting room screen calls the numbers and shows the desk: nobody has to watch the door to guess when it is their turn.

Several flows share the same screen: one per department, per desk or per type of appointment. Priority tickets are slotted in at the pace you decide.

  • Healthcare: consultations, blood tests, admissions
  • Local authorities: civil registry, planning, ID documents and permits
  • Retail: service counters, click and collect, customer service
  • Museums and exhibitions: ticket office and visit time slots
  • Food service: takeaway orders and counter collection

Seated visitor holding a ticket in a waiting room, in front of a call screen showing number 24 at desk 2

Understanding

Queue management: definition and what is at stake

Organizing how you welcome visitors means acting on two things at once: the actual waiting time, and the way it is experienced.

Medical centre waiting room: the wall screen calls ticket No. 24 to desk 2

What is queue management?

By definition, queue management means organizing visitors who are waiting for a service. A system assigns a number to each person according to their arrival order or their reason for visit, then calls them to the counter that frees up. Ticket, counter, kiosk, display: every element is coordinated automatically, for a reception that stays orderly and predictable.

  • ✓One number per visitor, by arrival or by reason
  • ✓Automatic call to the available counter
  • ✓Estimated waiting time shown on your screens
  • ✓History and footfall statistics

At the desk

Each agent manages their own calls,
in one click.

The E-MANAGER Desks screen fits on any workstation: the agent sees their queue, calls, recalls or transfers without leaving the desk.

E-MANAGER Desks screen: current call at desk 1 and waiting tickets grouped by appointment type

Each agent selects their desk in E-MANAGER. The current call is shown at the top, and each column groups the waiting tickets by type: laboratory, consultation, imaging, or any other reason you create.

  • ✓Call next : the desk’s next ticket appears in the waiting room
  • ✓Call again : the number comes back on screen if the person has not come forward
  • ✓Return to the list : the ticket goes back to its place in the queue
  • ✓Transfer : to another desk or another reason for visit
  • ✓Close : the visit is over and the desk is free again

Smoother reception

Four benefits,
from the very first ticket.

A ticket, a desk, a call shown on screen. The module was born from a request by a social housing provider; today it serves town halls, healthcare facilities and branch networks.

SatisfactionPeople know where they standThe ticket gives a number and the screen shows whose turn it is: people know where they stand, and can sit down instead of standing in line.
ProductivityAgents serve, they no longer directCalls go automatically to the next free desk. Each desk receives the right reason for visit, with no sorting at the door.
Footfall dataReception is sized on factsEvery ticket produces a usable indicator: peak hours, reasons for visit, time per desk.
Brand imageReception looks organisedA queue that is easy to follow changes how the visit is remembered: an explained wait weighs less than an endured one.
In practiceTickets by order of arrival or by reason, automatic calls to the next free desk, calls shown on the screens you already have.

Techniques

Queue management techniques

From the paper ticket to the virtual queue: each approach answers a specific need, depending on your sector, your visitor volume and how digital your setup already is.

Hand pulling a paper ticket from a red dispenser on a stand, at a bakery counter

Paper ticket dispenser

The visitor takes a number and waits to be called. Simple and inexpensive, but with no real-time information and no virtual queue.

Low volumes

Visitor at an E-CLICK kiosk in a reception lobby: after “No appointment”, he specifies his request

Interactive kiosk

A standalone touch interface that replaces the paper ticket: the visitor picks their reason for visit and receives a digital ticket.

Routing by reason

Woman at a café terrace following her ticket A 042 on her smartphone: 3 people ahead, estimated wait 10 min

Virtual queue

Ticket taken by mobile or QR code, with a notification when their turn approaches. Crowding in the lobby drops noticeably.

Wait elsewhere

Man at home choosing an appointment time slot on his laptop

Online appointment booking

The visitor books a slot from the web or from their phone and joins the queue at the scheduled time. Peaks in footfall even out.

Flow smoothed upstream

Compatibility

From touch screen to NFC wristband: four ways to take a ticket

EMITY adapts to every reception context, thanks to four complementary ways of taking a ticket.

Three touchscreen formats run by EMITY: a portrait totem, a lectern kiosk and an interactive wall display

Touch screens and kiosks

In a reception area, a waiting room or a point of sale. The visitor takes their ticket in seconds, on an interface in your own colors.

Lobby, waiting room

Tablet on a stand at the entrance of a trade show: “Take your ticket”, reception, registration, badge collection

Tablets

For mobile deployments and temporary counters: one-off events, trade shows, wherever fixed infrastructure is missing.

Temporary counters

Butcher tapping his NFC wristband on the counter reader, the screen above calls number 57

NFC wristbands

Contactless ticket calling with the software. Designed for counters where hands are busy: butcher, cheesemonger, fishmonger, caterer.

Hands free

Visitor scanning the “Scan, take your ticket” poster in a town hall lobby, ticket A 043 appears on his phone

The visitor’s smartphone

Virtual queue by QR code: the visitor scans, receives their number and is notified as their turn approaches. Nothing to install on their side.

Virtual queue

New

Try the single queue

One line for all your counters: the first to arrive is called to the first counter that frees up. Waiting becomes fairer, reception smoother — and no more feeling of having picked the wrong line.

Wherever the public waits

At the hospital, the town hall or the counter:
the same module.

The principle stays the same: a reason, a ticket, a call on screen. Only the reasons and priorities adapt to the place.

Patient at an E-CLICK touchscreen kiosk showing “Where are you going?” in a healthcare facility lobby: consultations, radiology, laboratory, admissions, emergency, building mapHealthcareInform without worryingCalls shown on screen, priority tickets for situations that need them, health guidance between two calls.
Resident checking public notices on a town hall touchscreen kiosk: council decisions, minutes, planning, consultations, tenders, bylawsLocal authoritiesOne desk per procedureCivil registry, planning, ID documents: each procedure has its own queue, and residents are called to the right desk.
Supermarket deli counter: the screen above shows “It's your turn, A 042, counter 2” while a customer is servedShopsA ticket, and the shopping goes onAt the service counter, customers take a number and follow their turn on screen. Waiting no longer blocks the aisle.
Stadium food kiosk at half-time: fans queue in front of the counter beneath the menu screensStadiums & food serviceFifteen minutes to do it allAt half-time, the menu comes up and the numbers scroll by. Fans order, collect and get back before the restart.

Simulator

Calculate your time and satisfaction gains

A few details about your organization are enough to estimate what the EMITY queue can save you.

Calculate your gain with EMITY QUEUE MANAGEMENT

Estimate the reduction in waiting time and the return on investment for your organization.

–Reduction in waiting time 
–Gain in customer satisfactionEstimated NPS score
–Estimated annual ROIFrom the first year
–Minutes given back per dayAcross all visitors

Your simulation is ready. Request a demo to validate these projections with the EMITY team.
Request a demo

Projections based on 2024 sector data (5,000 organizations). Results are indicative.

An integrated suite

The queue is just one step
in your visitors’ journey.

The same E-MANAGER account runs every other reception experience: one contract, one training course, one contact.

EMITY QUEUE MANAGEMENT brochure lying on a wooden desk, cover reading “Smoother reception, a better visitor experience”

Download the QUEUE MANAGEMENT brochure

Every feature of the module, the use cases by sector and the customization options, gathered in one document you can share internally.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about queue management

Queue management means organizing the flow of visitors waiting for a service with a dedicated system: kiosk, software, ticket. A number is assigned to each visitor, then the calls to the counters are coordinated by arrival order or by reason for visit.

Four approaches dominate: the paper ticket dispenser, the interactive kiosk, the virtual queue by smartphone, and online appointment booking. The choice depends on your sector, your visitor volume and how digital you want to be.

In four steps: analyze your flows and your busiest times, choose the set-up suited to your organization, deploy the system and train your teams, then measure the results to adjust. EMITY’s QUEUE MANAGEMENT module is up and running in under an hour.

A well-managed queue improves satisfaction, makes waiting easy to follow and frees your teams from organizing by hand. It also produces usable flow data and strengthens the image of your reception.

A virtual queue lets the visitor take their ticket from their smartphone or via a QR code, then wait elsewhere. They receive a notification as their turn approaches: both perceived waiting and crowding in the lobby go down.

By separating priorities: emergencies come before scheduled appointments, each reason for visit has its own queue, and patients follow their progress on the waiting room screens. Tickets are taken at the kiosk, on a tablet or from a smartphone.

It is one line for all your counters: the first to arrive is called to the first counter that frees up, which spreads waiting more fairly. How it works is detailed on our single queue page.

Put your visitors at the heart of your organization

With the QUEUE MANAGEMENT module, waiting becomes readable and service at the till or the counter happens without friction. Our team configures your module in under an hour and supports you at every step.

✓ 3-month trial, full Excellence version   ✓ Up and running in under an hour   ✓ No commitment, no credit card