Austin Community College Eliminates Lines with Wait Experience Module

It wasn’t until Alex Bäcker had to stand in line for food at Knotts Berry Farm that he realized how tedious waiting was.

“I asked myself about it,” says Bäcker, the founder and CEO of QLess. “I had a while to think about it while standing in line.”

Bäcker’s solution to waiting in line was the Wait Experience Module. The module, which is 100 percent virtual, allows people to reserve a spot in line without actually standing in one. It is a platform that can connect with any device, even a basic phone.

“No smart phone is needed,” Bäcker says. “Once the platform is connected, you can connect with a phone, computer or tablet.”

How it works:

Once a person’s device is connected, they dial a number, send a text, or utilize the Web to connect with the person or department they have an appointment with via QLess. Just like a regular line, your appointment is first come, first serve; your spot will be reserved behind the person that dialed in before you.

From there, you can view the time forecast to see how long you have to wait until it’s your turn, or to see how long you’ve already been waiting. In the meantime, the module will just hold your spot so you can study or run errands.

If you’re running late, then you can ask the device for more time, which instructs the module to bump your name to the slot after the person who is behind you.

Once your turn is up, the person or department you’re waiting to meet will hit the “Summon” button on their device, which triggers a text message to your device to let you know they’re ready for you.

If you don’t answer the “Summon” text, then an automated phone call from the module will follow.

The module even allows you to schedule appointments later in the week.

“You can even make appointment so that you’re first in line,” says Bäcker.

Who should use this:

Bäcker says that any department and any person can use the Wait Experience Module anywhere they have to wait.

“You can use it in administration, financial aid, counselling,” he says. “Anywhere people have to wait and make appointments.”

He also says that the module doesn’t need integration because it is strictly virtual and user-friendly.

“You don’t need instruction [to use it], it’s easy to use” he says. “It doesn’t really require integration. Students have to wait everywhere.”

The module can even be used to schedule an appointment with a professor located overseas, and is used for distance learning programs in countries as far as Australia.

The module is also available in all languages and alphabets.

Bäcker also says that staff can use the Wait Experience Module to measure duration searches and ensure a lesser waiting time.

“It tells you how much students value their time,” he says.

Who already has it:

The Wait Experience Module was recently integrated into Mosaic, the mobile app platform from Blackboard. With Mosaic, schools that don’t have a direct connection with QLess can still reserve their spot in line, and don’t need special hardware to implement it.

Bäcker says that the Wait Experience Module is being used across the world, and in colleges across the country.

Amber Kelley, the dean of Student Services at Austin Community College, says that the Wait Experience Module has been a stress relief for students and staff alike.

“I was looking for ways to create a positive student experience, and one of my concerns was time waits,” says Kelley. “At certain times of year, we are short-staffed and people end up having to wait.”

After seeing the module used at a dog shelter, Kelley said it was something her campus needed.

“It reduced the stress level of my employees,” she said. “They can manage students better.”

Kelley says Austin Community College is broken up into 11 different campuses. Her campus has between 4,000 and 6,000 students, and is one of the only campuses that implemented the module.

However, she says that the Wait Experience Module is being used for different events all over campus, and will be implemented in at least two more campuses in the future.

“We use it for students who walk into advising and counselling so they can see how long the waits are,” she says. “We also use them to show students where they need to go next [if they have to set up appointments], or who’s next in line for the next available computer.”

Kelley also says that the module has been used at job fairs, where students can sign up to wait to have their resumes viewed by hiring employers.

Why the module is worth it:

Bäcker says the most significant ROI for the Wait Experience Module is time.

“As the transaction time decreases, it pays for itself,” he says.

Plus, Bäcker says that colleges sometimes don’t realize that they don’t need to pay for a whole new integration team to get the module up and running on campus; it’s easy enough where the average person can install it themselves.

“People have limited budgets, but they don’t realize they don’t need a whole new staff to implement it,” he says. “Some people think they don’t have time to use this platform, but they do.”

Bäcker also says that the Wait Experience Module can be used as an Emergency Identification System on campus. Once students provide their updated phone number to their college, they will receive a warning message in the case of an emergency.

“This platform is a good way of getting students’ updated [contact information], and is a more accurate way of keeping people updated,” Bäcker says.

Hiccups and Fix-ups:

Bäcker says that the biggest problem with the Wait Experience Module is that colleges don’t know about it, or they think it’s too hard to use.

“Colleges are so happy that they have it,” he says. “It eases the quality of life. Students are happy.

“It’s like asking if they should have parking on campus, or if students should drive cars.”

Kelley says that the biggest challenge Austin Community College faced was helping people shift their mind set about waiting in line.

“People are used to standing in line,” she says. “They are afraid to lose their place. It takes a couple of times to get used to it. There’s resistance at first, then they appreciate it.”

Kelley said the college has had multiple demos on campus to accustom students to the idea of the Wait Experience Module.

“We’ve done small scale things to keep an awareness,” she says.

Ancestral Line: The only good kind of line

The only good thing about lines, Bäcker says, is that they brought him into this world.

“My parents met in line,” he says. “I wouldn’t be here without lines.”

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