EUROPEAN QUEUE SURVEY IN 2008

The results found that across Europe the average customer took over 5 minutes to reach the front of the queue, while the longest queue found was 1 hour and 50 minutes.

The survey involved mystery shoppers visiting  over 2,500 stores, banks and other service outlets, from Castlebar to Constantinople, and it shows that Ireland’s queues are amongst the shortest and fastest anywhere.

Conducted in April and May the survey involved dispatching mystery shoppers, or undercover customers, to stand in line and take notes. They gathered information on the number of people in the queue, the time spent in line, and a range of other details from the sort of greeting they received, to whether an extra till was opened to shorten the wait.

The 2,500 outlets surveyed were banks, post offices, supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, off-licences, clothes shops, department stores, fast food outlets, bus stations and train stations.

Amongst the survey’s findings were that …

FASTEST & SLOWEST

In terms of the fastest queues, Ireland placed a laudible fourth, behind Denmark, Portugal and Sweden.

While the shortest and fastest queues were found on Europe’s western seaboard, the least efficient were all in the east. Queuing was part of the daily grind in the old Soviet states, and 20 years after the fall of communism the slowest lines are to be found in Russia, Romania and Hungary, with Turkey fourth worst.

TIME IN LINE

Irish people spend precisely half the time standing in line as the average European. The average time across Europe is 5.2 minutes, while the average in Ireland is an impressive 2.6 minutes. The nonchalant French clock-up 7.18 minutes, and the easy-going Italians 8.37. However, things move even more slowly in both Russia (10.15) and Norway (10.32 min), but even those speeds are made to look like indecent haste by the laid-back Greeks with 13.72 minutes.

MOST & LEAST STANDING IN LINE

The average number of customer groups (a couple together, or a parent and children, count as one customer) per queue, was 3.41. Again, Ireland fared better than the average, with a figure of 2.99 people. The Italians and the Greeks were again to the forefront of the longest line list, with the Italians averaging 4.84 people, and the Greeks 5.56.

EUROPE’S WORST QUEUE, 2008

Of over 2,500 establishments surveyed in April and May 2008, the one which kept its customers waiting the longest was Milan’s Trenitalia Train Station. On Saturday April 5th, the Mystery Shopper had to shuffle along behind 118 others in a queue that took one hour and 50 minutes to reach the point of service.

WHERE TO FIND EUROPE’S WORST QUEUES

Unsurprisingly, train stations right across Europe feature high on the list of longest queues, with an average of 5.18 customers per ticket office queue, each taking 6.43 minutes to reach the hatch.

But there is one service provider that provides an even slower service, and that’s the post office, where you’ll find 6.1 people ahead of you, and wait an average 8.60 minutes. While long queues have become a feature of Irish banks, the average across Europe is only 2.81 people, although once in line you’ll still have to wait an average 6.36 minutes.

WHERE TO FIND THE GRUMPIEST QUEUES

One task of the Mystery Shoppers was to note any mutters of dissatisfaction amongst those standing in line. Unsurprisingly, satisfaction levels were lowest in post offices, where the queues are both the longest and slowest.

Another task of the Mystery Shoppers was to evaluate whether measures could be taken to reduce queueing time, such as opening another till or redeploying staff, and whether this was actually done.

Post offices were once again found guilty in this regard, with only grocery supermarkets marked down as worse offenders. Banks also fared poorly.

Ranked in terms of general dissatisfaction, post offices easily led the way (32.3% appeared unhappy), followed by train station ticket offices (22.9%), grocery supermarkets (20.6%) and banks (16.9%).

WHERE TO FIND THE HAPPIEST QUEUES

Pharmacy customers were relatively happy to wait an average 4.48 minutes for service, with dissatisfaction ratings registering at 11.2%. However, by far the happiest customers across Europe are those awaitng service in an off-licence. This may be because off-licence queues are amongst the quickest-moving, or there may be some other reason.

EUROPE’S BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

When a broad range of factors – including length, speed, warmth of greeting and help offered - were taken into account, it was calculated that shoppers in Britain enjoy the best customer experience in all Europe.

IF THEY COULD IMPROVE ONE THING …

Levels of helpfulness varied wildly, with Austrian staff scoring an abysmal 1.9% while the Belgians scored a saintly 97.8%. However, one striking feature that emerged right across the continent is that sorry really does seem to be the hardest word. If the Mystery Shopping Providers Association was to offer a single piece of advice arising from its new study, it is that a simple apology, when appropriate, can turn a negative customer experience back into a pleasant one.

THE IRISH EXPERIENCE

As part of the survey in Ireland Catalyst despatched mystery shoppers to service outlets both in the Republic and north of the border.

Across all types of outlets, the survey shows that the Irish experience of queuing is amongst the least stressful in Europe. In addition to standing in line for only half the duration of our continental cousins, we receive a greeting more often (82.6% of times to an average 78.7%) and are offered more help (80.4% to 75.5%).

Where Irish staff fare particularly badly, is in offering an apology for delays. While the European average is a must-do-better 9%, in Ireland that sinks to a lamentable 2.9%.

A breakdown of the Irish figures suggests that Dublin has the speediest queues with an average of two minutes flat, while Belfast (4 min) and (Galway 4.1 min) are twice as slow.

Accordingly, Dublin customers are much happier (dissatisfactionrating 8%) than those in Galway and Belfast (both 14%)On the other hand, a smile is 64% likely to meet you at the end of the line in Belfast and Galway,against just half the time in the capital.

Delays in Belfast are far more likely to produce an apology (32% of the time) than in Galway (5%) or Dublin (3%). However, this may be tied to the fact that north of the border there is more to apologise about. The longest and slowest queue recorded on the island of Ireland this year was in a Belfast post office, where the Mystery Shopper had to wait in line behind 26 people, taking 16 minutes to reach the hatch.

Catalyst director and MSPA President John Farrell said about the survey,

“This survey proves the value of mystery shoppers in the measurement of service to customers – and indicates just how far the retail and service industries have to go in order to reach the high standards expected by customers.  As the effects of the current economic slowdown in take effect prompt, attentive and efficient customer service will be a key factor in deciding which Irish companies and organizations succeed or fail.”

 

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