UK Government Supports Virtual Queuing Software

Virtual queueing could play a larger role in the UK government’s response to Covid-19, says Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, in a webinar attended by Qudini’s CEO, Imogen Wethered.

In a recent webinar hosted by investment and advisory firm, LMarks, the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock, shared how virtual queuing systems can help retailers during Covid-19 by enabling them to support social distancing measures for queues outside of stores.

“Virtual queuing instead of physical queuing is going to make a big difference,” he said.

Matt Hancock also highlighted a more practical advantage of virtual queueing.

“Some of things we’ve had to put together in a rush, such as the norms for queuing outside of supermarkets say, they work fine in the summer when the sun’s shining, but social distancing in winter is going to be a whole lot harder. That’s a big challenge we’re thinking about now.”

Qudini’s CEO and Co-founder, Imogen Wethered, was invited to attend the webinar. Throughout the lockdown period, Qudini has been working alongside a number of prominent retailers, including supermarket brand ASDA, to provide market-leading queueing and appointment booking software.

ASDA has rolled out Qudini’s queue management software at a number of its stores, enabling customers to join a virtual queue instead of waiting in a physical line. Customers can enter into a queue simply by texting an SMS code or scanning a QR code from their phone. They then receive a queue position number and an estimated wait time, and can track their position in the queue through a weblink. This means customers are able to wait in the safety and comfort of their cars or in the neighbouring area, and are notified when to return to the store.

During the webinar, Mr Hancock also shared how virtual queuing software can support patient safety within NHS locations, suggesting it could become a key tool for organisations to use as part of their Covid-19 response. (Find out how Qudini works with the NHS.)

Thank you to LMarks for hosting such a high quality webinar!