Virtual queue management
A virtual queue system that stays in order when nobody's standing in line
Customers join from a QR code or a link you share, then wait wherever suits them. You decide who can join remotely and how many, and the order stays first come, first served, with every exception on record.
Live product workflow · Customer and staff views · Queue operations in context
Two synchronized views
Customer
Your position
04
Waiting · follow privately
Staff queue
Twelve people are in this queue. Four are in the room. The other eight are following the same line from their phones, in the same order.
Customer and staff views of the same virtual queue
The basics
What is a virtual queue?
A virtual queue is a line customers hold their place in from their phone, instead of standing in it. They join from a QR code or a link, follow their position on a private page, and come back when it's nearly their turn. The order is first come, first served, exactly as at a counter. A virtual queue system is the software that keeps that order, sends the updates and gives staff one live list. In Wait Wherever, it sits at the heart of the queue management system.
Join with a scan or a link
A QR code at your door or counter, or a link on your website or in a message. No virtual queue app to install and no account to create.
Follow the line from anywhere
A private page shows their position, how many people are ahead and roughly how long it'll be. It updates on its own.
Return at the right moment
A WhatsApp or SMS message when their turn is close, and another when you're ready for them.
How it works
How does a virtual queue system work?
Four steps, from the moment someone joins to the moment they're served, or don't turn up.
Join on site, or from wherever you allow
Customers scan the QR code at your counter, or open your queue link before they set off. Remote joining is a setting on each queue, so you choose where it makes sense. Staff can add walk-ins to the same queue.
Wait with a live view of the line
Their private page shows their position, the number of people ahead and an approximate wait. If you pause the queue or it starts running late, the page says so. If they change their mind, they can leave the queue from the same page.
Get called back in time
A "nearly ready" message gives them time to get back. A "ready" message tells them to come to the counter now. Both go out on WhatsApp or SMS.
Served, skipped or marked as a no-show
Staff call the next person in arrival order. If someone isn't back yet, staff skip them and requeue them when they arrive, or mark them as a no-show. Each of those changes is logged.
Staying in control
What a virtual queue management system has to get right
Moving the line out of the room is the easy part. The hard part is everything that can go wrong once people aren't standing where you can see them. Here's what a virtual queue system has to handle, and how Wait Wherever handles it.
Five things that go wrong
…and what happens instead
- People join from home and never turn up. Allow remote joining only on queues where it makes sense. When someone doesn't show, staff mark them as a no-show in one tap and the line moves on.
- Too many people join at once. Cap how many can join, or pause new entries while you catch up. Everyone already in the queue keeps their place.
- Someone in the parking lot is ahead of someone at the counter. That's the order they joined in, and each of them can see their own place. If staff need to make an exception, it takes one tap and it's logged with who made it and when.
- Their turn comes and they're not back. A "nearly ready" message goes out before the "ready" one, so there's time to get back. If someone still isn't there, skip them and requeue them when they arrive.
- Not everyone has a smartphone. Staff add them to the queue at the counter, in the same order as everyone else. If they have a mobile number, SMS updates still reach them.
Continue exploring
The parts around the virtual queue
The virtual queue software works with these. Each has its own page if you want the detail.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The practical side of running a virtual queue.
Does a virtual queue make the wait shorter?
Not on its own. People wait about as long as they would have in line. What changes is where they wait and how much they know about it, so a long wait stops being a reason to walk out.
Can customers join the queue before they arrive?
If you allow it. Remote joining is a setting on each queue. Switch it on and people can join from your queue link before they set off. Leave it off for queues where people should already be on site.
What happens if someone isn't back when they're called?
Staff can skip them and requeue them when they turn up, or mark them as a no-show so the line keeps moving. The "nearly ready" message goes out before the "ready" one to give people time to get back.
Do people who join online get ahead of people waiting in person?
Everyone is in one queue, in the order they joined, whether they joined from the counter or from the parking lot. If staff need to call someone out of order, they can, and the change is logged with who made it and when.
Does the virtual queue track where customers are?
No. There's no location tracking. Customers choose where to wait, and the messages tell them when to come back. Staff see whether each person is waiting, called, being served or hasn't turned up.
What do customers see while they wait?
A private page with their position, how many people are ahead, an approximate wait and their current status. It says when the queue is paused or running late, has a button to leave the queue, and updates on its own.
How long does it take to set up a virtual queue system?
About ten minutes. Name the queue, add your services and opening hours, invite your staff, then print the QR code or share the link.
Get started
Keep the line in order, wherever people wait
A virtual queuing system with nothing to install, set up in about ten minutes, and a free tier to start on.