Your initial thought is that it’s never a good idea to leave customers waiting for something. Surely you should always tend to their needs as quickly as possible? In some cases, this is definitely the critical thing to do.
However, there are also times when it benefits you to keep people waiting. The trick is to know when to do this – and how to do it so you don’t annoy your customers. We’ll teach you how to do both as we make our way through the pros and cons of keeping your customers waiting…
Pro: Encourage more purchases
This is a common tactic used in the restaurant business. After someone has eaten their meal, you purposely take longer to come back to their table after clearing it. The idea is that you leave the customers waiting, so they can digest their food and look at the dessert menu. As a result, they are more likely to order something else when you return and ask them.
If you instantly went up to them after the meal and asked if they wanted anything else, they’d likely ask for the bill right away as they are full. But, in this scenario, waiting is good as it prolongs things for the customer and makes them think about getting something else. Thus, you make more money!
Pro: Gives customers more time to think
In some cases, waiting can be great for customers as it gives them time to think. A couple of instances where this makes sense would be in a salon, cafe, etc. Here, the time spent waiting can influence a customer to make a decision to purchase something more expensive than they initially intended.
The key is to actively influence a decision like this. Most places will use TV screens to do so. As the customer waits, they are presented with offers displayed on screens that tell them all the cool new deals. You can easily turn a TV into digital signage by getting a little box seen here. Now, you’re advertising to the customer while they wait, meaning they spend more money than they initially thought. Instead of just getting a cut and blow-dry at the salon, they’ve noticed a deal pop up on the screen for a discounted head massage. So, they choose to add that to the service, spending more money.
Con: Complicates the process for customers
Sometimes, it’s never a good idea to keep someone waiting. The best example of this is when you have an online business. Here, everything is about swiftness. You don’t want consumers to spend time waiting on your site to place an order. They should go through the whole checkout process as fast as can be!
Funnily enough, it’s useful to have things like PayPal Express Checkout to ensure the process goes smoothly. Apple and Google Pay are also two great additions that let people buy things in an instant. In the online world, people lose interest very quickly. You can’t afford to make them wait or they will be off your website and visiting rivals in no time at all.
Con: Ruins the customer experience
In the first two examples of when waiting is beneficial, there is a key caveat to consider. You only see benefits when customers are waiting for a brief period. The longer you leave them, the worse it gets. People can go beyond the point when they might think about buying more stuff to the stage when they want to leave ASAP because they’re bored.
Moreover, waiting for too long can impact someone’s overall experience. They may have enjoyed your business, but the wait put a dark cloud on things. This can translate into average or negative online reviews. Instead of a four or five-star experience, you’ve been downgraded to three or two. As such, it reflects badly on your image as people may avoid you because they see your low rating.
Should you keep your customers waiting?
In summary, it is only a good idea to keep people waiting in a couple of niche scenarios. If people have to wait before receiving your service – and they are aware that this is the case – then it can help you make more money. You can use signage and promo material to encourage better purchases during the waiting period.
Likewise, in a restaurant, it is always good to make people wait after they have finished their main meal. It can encourage them to make another purchase because they no longer feel as full.
However, in the vast majority of cases – particularly for online businesses – waiting will lead to bad customer experiences. Never prolong the wait for longer than it needs to be or you won’t even see the benefits mentioned above.