If you’re in the events business, or planning a product launch, you need a virtual queuing and ticketing solution. These platforms replace physical queues, instead allowing buyers to queue remotely via their device, so they can get on with other things until receiving a notification that their turn has arrived.
This solves many problems by removing frustration for queuers, improving the flow of attendees, and boosting revenue. Virtual queuing software also reduces crowd density, thereby improving safety, and allows you to view real-time data on queue volumes, wait times, peak periods, and more.
Most basically, deploying virtual queuing software reduces physical congestion, helping avoid, for example, lobbies getting too crowded, to create a calmer, safer environment. This goes a long way to enhancing the customer experience, with the facility to queue digitally causing less frustration, and giving customers more control over their time.
A virtual queuing platform is an effective way to boost staff and operational efficiency, as queue metrics can be easily viewed via dashboards, so peak traffic periods can be better anticipated. As well as ensuring a smoother system, this is good news for employees’ stress levels and morale. It’s also a breeze to provide a more personalized service, as customers provide personal information and - if relevant - the reason for their visit when they join the queue, so staff are ready to help them as soon as their turn comes around.
Further, employing such a solution can even increase revenue opportunities, with some organizations using the time visitors spend in the digital queue as a chance to sell additional products, tickets, or services.
Not all virtual queuing solutions and ticketing platforms are the same, and it’s important to understand exactly what each offers. Here’s what to look for to choose the best option for your organization’s needs:
The DataDome virtual waiting room is an adaptive, fair queue management system that also blocks pesky automated agents trying to jump the queue. DataDome’s solution protects real customers and manages traffic surges to keep your website online and fully operational, even during unexpected spikes in demand. By filtering out bots before they enter the queue, real visitors enjoy a seamless experience, with users receiving real-time updates on their position.
A transparent virtual waiting room prevents slow web performance from affecting conversions and keeps visitors engaged and informed. There’s a significant cost benefit, too. DataDome’s virtual waiting room can lower infrastructure costs by negating the need to purchase unnecessary, expensive bandwidth.
Best for: Organizations keen to optimize queue management and defend against bad bots.
Standout features: Transparent, first-in-first-out queue management and powerful integrated bot protection.
Price: A range of plans is available, starting at $3,830 a month.
This virtual queue management software option may be a good choice for events that combine walk-in queues and pre-booked sessions, such as conferences with limited capacity or product launches offering pre-booked access. Waitwhile has an intuitive interface and in-depth analytics, giving granular insights into queuing, ticketing, and attendance patterns. Organizations can brand Waitwhile’s customer-facing page to match their event, with multiple event venues supported in a single account.
Waitwhile keeps customers informed of their positions in virtual queues, along with an estimated wait time, and also offers flexible waiting options, allowing users to change their place in line to an appointment or reschedule, and wait from any location.
Best for: Events offering both walk-in queues and pre-booked appointments.
Standout features: Intelligent notifications and flexible waiting options.
Price: From $59 a month per location to access the full range of features.
NextMe is a budget virtual waitlist option that could be a good fit for small-scale or community events. Users join the virtual queue via a QR code or link, can view their position in the waiting list, and get a text when it’s their turn.
Easily customize the virtual waiting room to boost customer engagement and your brand’s visibility, and use the comprehensive range of analytics and reporting tools to better get a grip on customer behavior and improve your overall operations.
Best for: Small events and pop-ups.
Standout features: Extremely easy-to-use interface, minimal staff training required.
Price: Free tier available, from $55 per month to access all features.
Cloudflare Waiting Room automatically routes excess users to a custom-branded virtual waiting room, meaning your organization is much better placed to manage peak traffic and avoid server overwhelm. As well as maintaining uptime during traffic peaks, the platform allows organizations to allocate their resources more effectively and ensure customers enjoy the best experience possible.
By eliminating the need to invest in excessive infrastructure, Cloudflare’s solution cuts the costs associated with purchasing extra bandwidth and maintaining additional servers. Plus, the seamless customer journeys that it facilitates are an effective way to decrease cart abandonment rates.
Best for: Enterprise-level organizations needing reliable performance.
Standout features: Adaptable traffic management to keep servers online during peaks.
Price: Range of plans available including a basic free tier.
This software is designed to allow your organization to control traffic when your site is undergoing maintenance or during peak periods. Customers are automatically placed into a first-in-first-out virtual queue, which is updated with their estimated wait time, until it’s their turn to access your site.
Imperva’s Waiting Room solution detects abnormal traffic increases and redirects traffic to a virtual waiting room to prevent websites from crashing. The aim is to avoid lost revenue by stopping customers from going elsewhere if they can’t immediately access your site - it’s worth noting that the average user abandons a page that takes more than four seconds to load.
Best for: Organizations keen to retain visitor numbers during periods of site maintenance.
Standout features: Reliable traffic controls and customizable settings.
Price: Varies but from around $2,000 per month.
The benefits of using a reliable virtual queue solution are significant, ranging from improving the customer experience to supporting revenue growth to boosting operational efficiency. Such software not only keeps your customers happy, but helps ensure your event, product launch, or planned site maintenance runs as smoothly as possible. Be sure to choose the best virtual queue solution for your needs, taking into account what each option offers, its scalability, and - crucially - whether it also offers protection against automated bots, ticket scalpers, and other digital menaces.
This solves many problems by removing frustration for queuers, improving the flow of attendees, and boosting revenue. Virtual queuing software also reduces crowd density, thereby improving safety, and allows you to view real-time data on queue volumes, wait times, peak periods, and more.
What are the Benefits of a Virtual Queuing Solution?
Most basically, deploying virtual queuing software reduces physical congestion, helping avoid, for example, lobbies getting too crowded, to create a calmer, safer environment. This goes a long way to enhancing the customer experience, with the facility to queue digitally causing less frustration, and giving customers more control over their time.
A virtual queuing platform is an effective way to boost staff and operational efficiency, as queue metrics can be easily viewed via dashboards, so peak traffic periods can be better anticipated. As well as ensuring a smoother system, this is good news for employees’ stress levels and morale. It’s also a breeze to provide a more personalized service, as customers provide personal information and - if relevant - the reason for their visit when they join the queue, so staff are ready to help them as soon as their turn comes around.
Further, employing such a solution can even increase revenue opportunities, with some organizations using the time visitors spend in the digital queue as a chance to sell additional products, tickets, or services.
Key Features of the Best Virtual Queuing Software
Not all virtual queuing solutions and ticketing platforms are the same, and it’s important to understand exactly what each offers. Here’s what to look for to choose the best option for your organization’s needs:
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Multi-queue support, all available via a single dashboard.
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QR code check-ins - potential buyers may be put off if they need to download an app.
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Offers multi-channel check-in with options for smartphones, kiosks, and other devices to ensure accessibility.
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Customizable dashboards to display the metrics that are key to your organization.
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AI-powered automation able to adjust based on customer flow patterns, staffing levels, and more.
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Easy setup with no need for hardware.
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Omni-channel notifications to reliably reach customers when it’s their turn.
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Incorporates protection against bots to stop threats such as ticket scalping.
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Flexible scalability to accommodate different customer volumes and service levels.
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Real-time analytics to help you optimize layout and staffing.
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Simple integration with the other solutions you use.
The Five Best Virtual Queueing Platforms Compared
DataDome Virtual Waiting Room
The DataDome virtual waiting room is an adaptive, fair queue management system that also blocks pesky automated agents trying to jump the queue. DataDome’s solution protects real customers and manages traffic surges to keep your website online and fully operational, even during unexpected spikes in demand. By filtering out bots before they enter the queue, real visitors enjoy a seamless experience, with users receiving real-time updates on their position.
A transparent virtual waiting room prevents slow web performance from affecting conversions and keeps visitors engaged and informed. There’s a significant cost benefit, too. DataDome’s virtual waiting room can lower infrastructure costs by negating the need to purchase unnecessary, expensive bandwidth.
Best for: Organizations keen to optimize queue management and defend against bad bots.
Standout features: Transparent, first-in-first-out queue management and powerful integrated bot protection.
Price: A range of plans is available, starting at $3,830 a month.
Waitwhile
This virtual queue management software option may be a good choice for events that combine walk-in queues and pre-booked sessions, such as conferences with limited capacity or product launches offering pre-booked access. Waitwhile has an intuitive interface and in-depth analytics, giving granular insights into queuing, ticketing, and attendance patterns. Organizations can brand Waitwhile’s customer-facing page to match their event, with multiple event venues supported in a single account.
Waitwhile keeps customers informed of their positions in virtual queues, along with an estimated wait time, and also offers flexible waiting options, allowing users to change their place in line to an appointment or reschedule, and wait from any location.
Best for: Events offering both walk-in queues and pre-booked appointments.
Standout features: Intelligent notifications and flexible waiting options.
Price: From $59 a month per location to access the full range of features.
NextMe
NextMe is a budget virtual waitlist option that could be a good fit for small-scale or community events. Users join the virtual queue via a QR code or link, can view their position in the waiting list, and get a text when it’s their turn.
Easily customize the virtual waiting room to boost customer engagement and your brand’s visibility, and use the comprehensive range of analytics and reporting tools to better get a grip on customer behavior and improve your overall operations.
Best for: Small events and pop-ups.
Standout features: Extremely easy-to-use interface, minimal staff training required.
Price: Free tier available, from $55 per month to access all features.
Cloudflare Waiting Room
Cloudflare Waiting Room automatically routes excess users to a custom-branded virtual waiting room, meaning your organization is much better placed to manage peak traffic and avoid server overwhelm. As well as maintaining uptime during traffic peaks, the platform allows organizations to allocate their resources more effectively and ensure customers enjoy the best experience possible.
By eliminating the need to invest in excessive infrastructure, Cloudflare’s solution cuts the costs associated with purchasing extra bandwidth and maintaining additional servers. Plus, the seamless customer journeys that it facilitates are an effective way to decrease cart abandonment rates.
Best for: Enterprise-level organizations needing reliable performance.
Standout features: Adaptable traffic management to keep servers online during peaks.
Price: Range of plans available including a basic free tier.
Imperva Waiting Room
This software is designed to allow your organization to control traffic when your site is undergoing maintenance or during peak periods. Customers are automatically placed into a first-in-first-out virtual queue, which is updated with their estimated wait time, until it’s their turn to access your site.
Imperva’s Waiting Room solution detects abnormal traffic increases and redirects traffic to a virtual waiting room to prevent websites from crashing. The aim is to avoid lost revenue by stopping customers from going elsewhere if they can’t immediately access your site - it’s worth noting that the average user abandons a page that takes more than four seconds to load.
Best for: Organizations keen to retain visitor numbers during periods of site maintenance.
Standout features: Reliable traffic controls and customizable settings.
Price: Varies but from around $2,000 per month.
A Robust Virtual Queue Solution is Vital
The benefits of using a reliable virtual queue solution are significant, ranging from improving the customer experience to supporting revenue growth to boosting operational efficiency. Such software not only keeps your customers happy, but helps ensure your event, product launch, or planned site maintenance runs as smoothly as possible. Be sure to choose the best virtual queue solution for your needs, taking into account what each option offers, its scalability, and - crucially - whether it also offers protection against automated bots, ticket scalpers, and other digital menaces.