Even Santa and His Elves Need A Waitlist App

For most kids, waiting in a long line to see Santa is a required part of the Christmas experience. The waiting-in-line part is never fun, especially for the parents, but it’s always been something you have to do if you want to see Santa. After all, every kid wants to put in their gift-requests with the Big Man himself. These days, as Covid continues to threaten our Holiday season, Santa can be slightly harder to get a hold of. Waitlist apps with Virtual Waiting Rooms are helping to keep this Christmas tradition alive. 

Some Challenges Events and Businesses are Facing this Winter:

• Concerns among visitors regarding safety (Covid and flu season)
• Long wait times creating overcrowded areas
• Understaffed and overwhelmed employees
• Issues managing registration of guests safely and efficiently
• Challenges communicating with guests before and during events
• High call volumes about wait times and managing guest expectations

NextME virtual waitlist app has easy, customizable solutions to help manage these challenges. Their queue management system either reduces or eliminates physical lines altogether so that more customers feel safer on the premises – with less staff needed to manage the process. NextME’s Virtual Waiting Room feature also provides guests with engaging and updated information to better manage expectations. Santa’s Annual Holiday Event at Arizona Country Club is a prime example of how NextME can help businesses and events thrive.

Waitlist App Provides Safety and Efficiency for Events

NextMe helped Arizona Country Club implement a self check-in system that almost completely eliminated their lines and overcrowded areas. In past years,  AZCC had a registration desk where each guest had to check-in when they arrived at the location. An employee would then gather the information of each guest and place them in a queue to see Santa. Lines would often form at the entrance, leaving their waiting guests overwhelmed and without updates and event information.  By implementing NextME’s self check-in features and Virtual Waiting Room this year, AZCC saw a shocking improvement in customer experience and staff satisfaction.

Desi Speh, COO and General Manager commented:

 “Using NextMe allows my members to enjoy the event and have more family time and not have to wait in line to see Santa. My team loves it because it empowers our members to sign up for the waitlist themselves. This allows for easy execution and more efficiency at check in!!! Overall an outstanding platform, with great service and everything we need to give the best experience to our membership.”

Here’s how it works:  

Step 1: Guests arrive with their kids on event day ready to meet Santa and his elves. Adults scan a simple QR code upon entry to join the waitlist, being placed in a queue based on the amount of children in the group.

Step 2: Once on the waitlist, guests receive a simple SMS link to the Virtual Waiting Room where they can monitor their position in line and view the Event Schedule. So instead of standing in line, guests are encouraged to enjoy the other activities at the event while they wait. There’s no need to download a separate mobile app for use. 

Step 3: While having loads of Holiday fun, guests receive a text alert that Mr. Claus is ready for them and to start heading back to his location. 

How NextMe’s Waitlist App Can Help Your Business or Event

Things feel a little different right now but consumers continue to look for ways they can attend Holiday events while maintaining some sense of normalcy. Businesses and events are seeking innovative ways to continue the flow of guests safely and successfully. At NextME, we’ve taken our software one step further by helping organizations stay connected to their customers at all times, thus increasing customer engagement, retention and overall satisfaction. Beyond helping eliminate long lines, you can improve your customers’ experiences by providing important information as it relates to your establishment. It’s a win-win for everyone.

If you’re interested in learning how NextME’s virtual tools can streamline your business operations in a safe and efficient manner, see below to get started. Go head to your local Santa to let him know that you want NextME for Christmas. We’re on the nice list.