The best food stalls at the market always have long lines waiting to be served.
Accept pre-orders. You just have to go to the exclusive pre-order line and pick up your order. If it’s a dish that should be freshly made, accept orders with a time frame for pickup.
You are visiting a large place with lots of things to see and do and would like to know the waiting line situation at all the attractions.
An app that shows you in real time where is the shortest waiting line. You can even set an alert so you get to know where you should go for a short wait.
Most solutions involve having to listen to irritating music, ads, radio, etc., all repeating endlessly.
First, have a short sound bite acknowledging this is an irritating situation. Then offer them multiple choices of what to listen to. Different music tracks, the news, tour latest special offers, jokes, etc. allow them to interrupt any time what they are listening to switch to another option.
You have enough fixed POS stations in your store for regular business, but sometimes you have special events and the lines become too long, customers are unhappy, and you are losing money because some just walk out or are in a grumpy mood when you offer them some upsells.
Use handheld POS terminals that work wirelessly, and have extra help go to people standing in lines to pay and process the payment for them where they stand quickly.
You might have occasions when you had too many customers wanting your service at the same time. Maybe you advertised an exclusive deal for the new gadget you now have in store, or maybe too many people want to get their mobile device serviced, etc. you have a long line of potential customers, and you don’t want to lose them or make them angry by having them wait in line.
Tell them approximately how long it will take, ask for their mobile number, and tell them you will call them or send a text message when they are next in line (give them five minutes to get there). They now have time to get some coffee, go shopping, etc. if you want to be even nicer, offer them a free coffee or cake coupon for a nearby place. This way the waiting time will not only pass faster, but they’ll have a much better experience, and it’s all connected to you. You have turned a potentially bad experience to both of your advantages.