6 lessons from saving 1.43M service hours across the U.S.

WaitWell’s rapid growth across the United States, from state DMVs to major universities, has propelled service organizations to new heights of efficiency. Our platform has saved 1.43 million hours of waiting time for Americans across over 600 locations, transforming customer experiences in government offices, campuses, clinics, and more. In the process, we’ve spent countless hours learning and helping service organizations adapt what truly works. From helping these organizations process nearly six million tickets, we’ve learned 6 key lessons about optimizing service operations.

Data is king in service operations.

Data insights drive continuous improvement. An intuitive, real-time view of your service metrics can reveal bottlenecks and guide smarter decisions. At the University of Texas at Austin’s “Texas One Stop” student services center, the team initially struggled with limited insight into student traffic patterns. By switching to WaitWell, they gained 30+ unique reports and a live dashboard that tracks everything from peak visit times to service durations. This wealth of data empowered staff to make informed decisions, for instance, adjusting staffing during the spikes and identifying repeat visit patterns.

The result? UT Austin significantly reduced student wait times and improved staff productivity, as managers could base changes on real evidence rather than guesswork. The broader lesson is that service organizations should treat data as a strategic asset. Whether it’s a DMV analyzing foot traffic by time of day or a hospital tracking patient throughput, robust analytics and reporting turn day-to-day operations into a continuously optimizing cycle. Teams can set benchmarks (e.g. average wait time, service time per customer) and then use real-time data to respond dynamically. In short, if you can measure it, you can improve it – and if you can visualize it, your team can act on it.

Pilot programs pave the way for scalable success

When introducing major operational changes, starting with a controlled pilot can make all the difference. We’ve seen this repeatedly. A good case study was WaitWell’s rollout in Nevada: a pilot at two DMV locations (South Reno and Fallon) proved the concept and built internal confidence. The initial sites saw such positive outcomes that they “laid the groundwork for extensive implementation across all DMV facilities statewide.”

This approach has taught us that service organizations should iterate and learn on a smaller scale, gather feedback, refine processes, and then scale up once the kinks are worked out. By the time WaitWell launched in all 17 Nevada DMV offices, staff and leadership were already on board, having witnessed the pilot’s benefits.

The broader point: whether you run a university campus or a healthcare network, consider piloting new tech in one or two locations first. Early champions from those pilot sites can then help evangelize the solution across the organization, smoothing the path for a successful large-scale transformation.

One size does not fit all – customize for your workflow

No two service organizations are exactly alike. We’ve learned that a flexible, customizable system is critical to meeting each organization’s unique needs. In practice, this means tailoring the workflow, interface, and rules of the queuing system to fit the specific use case. For example, a few of the organizations we support initially tried a generic queuing solution but found it painfully rigid – it couldn’t handle their multiple service categories or reflect their branding.

After switching, they appreciated that WaitWell let them configure custom workflows (ensuring certain inquiries go to the right expert desk) and even for UT Austin, for example, skinning the system in its iconic burnt-orange branding. As Senior Manager Sejal Shah put it, “WaitWell does that for us” – it enables students to be more self-sufficient and staff to be more productive by moulding to how they operate.

The lesson here is to avoid cookie-cutter approaches in service operations. In the words of Rayanah Pilgram, Hospital Director, Dallas Animal Urgent Care, “Our hospital flow and model are very different from other practices, therefore the ‘cookie cutter’ models don’t work… We really needed a program that could be used similarly to how we already practice and that could evolve with us.”

Whether it’s a government office that needs special triage for complex cases or a veterinary clinic that needs separate queues for urgent vs. routine pet visits, the system should bend to your process, not the other way around. With the ability to customize fields, queue logic, notifications, and even visual design, you can preserve your organization’s identity and workflow while still gaining the efficiency of a modern platform. This ensures high adoption by staff and a seamless experience for customers who feel like the service was built for them.

Start simple. Keeping onboarding easy makes new tech a win, not a burden

The best technology in the world won’t help if your team can’t adopt it. A huge insight from our U.S. deployments is the importance of easy implementation and training. When rolling out WaitWell, we’ve seen success by simplifying things. For instance, at Texas One Stop, the entire staff was up and running in just a few days, thanks to bite-sized training sessions (just 30 minutes each) and an intuitive interface. The transition was so smooth that the One Stop team described WaitWell as “a breeze to implement” – even with a tech-heavy environment, staff quickly grew comfortable and confident using the software.

The takeaway is that ease of onboarding directly impacts the speed of ROI. Service organizations should look for solutions that offer hands-on support, clear documentation, and user-friendly design, but more importantly, should be open to simplifying.

We also learned to identify internal “power users” or champions early on – those individuals can help their peers and sustain momentum. The bottom line: if your frontline employees find the tool easy to learn, they’ll embrace it faster, and your customers will feel the benefits sooner.

Cut wait times, boost staff efficiency, and create a smoother experience for the people you serve

Connect with us

Meet customers where they are – offer multi-channel service

Today’s consumers and constituents have diverse preferences. Some are tech-savvy and glued to their smartphones; others might walk in without any prior booking. The best service operations meet people on whatever channel is most convenient for them. We’ve discovered that offering multiple ways to access service greatly expands satisfaction and accessibility. For example, WaitWell allows a person to join a queue or book an appointment through a variety of channels: via a web portal, by scanning a QR code on-site, through a text message link, or at an on-site kiosk.

This multi-channel approach ensures that whether someone is at home on a laptop, walking in off the street, or already on location, they can seamlessly get in line or schedule a time. The lesson is to provide an omnichannel experience: integrate in-person service with digital avenues (including remote video appointments if appropriate). We often say “skip the line, not the service” – meaning, give people the option to handle as much as possible remotely, while still offering personal help when needed.

By letting customers choose their preferred channel, you not only increase their comfort and engagement but also distribute demand more evenly. For instance, a DMV can reduce crowded lobbies by encouraging check-ins via phone, and a university can handle routine questions via virtual channels while reserving in-person slots for complex issues. Flexibility in service delivery is now an expectation, and organizations that embrace it will stand out in customer satisfaction.

Smarter scheduling slashes long wait backlogs

Even institutions notorious for long waits can flip the script with efficient scheduling and queue systems. A prime example is the appointment backlog at DMVs. Before WaitWell, Nevadans often waited months for a DMV slot; now, those waits are measured in days. The DMV’s Director, Tonya Laney, reported “appointment availability going from several months out to just a few days” after implementing WaitWell’s system.

In Reno, getting a DMV appointment within a week became “the norm, not the exception,” a remarkable turnaround for a service once plagued by two-month wait times. The lesson for any service organization: with the right tools to manage capacity, you can drastically reduce wait times and backlog.

By optimizing how and when people are served – e.g., intelligently opening up appointment slots and balancing walk-ins with bookings – what used to be an overwhelming queue can become a manageable flow. Eliminating that backlog improves customer satisfaction and boosts staff morale, as employees aren’t constantly dealing with frustrated people.

Bonus: Keep innovating – the best operations continuously evolve

Finally, a lesson that underpins all the others: service excellence is a moving target, and constant innovation is key to staying ahead. Our journey has reinforced that once you solve the basic queue problems, new opportunities to improve will reveal themselves.

The needs of customers are always changing, and technology offers new tools every year to meet those needs. For example, after mastering queue management, we introduced an integrated payments feature because many clients faced issues with no-shows. By allowing customers to pre-pay for services or pay while in the virtual line, organizations found that no-shows dropped (people are far less likely to skip an appointment they’ve paid for), and staff spent less time on transaction handling.

We also recently added a staff scheduling module because our clients taught us that scheduling of personnel and queues go hand-in-hand.

The broader point for any service organization is to embrace a mindset of continual improvement. Implementing a new system shouldn’t be the end – it’s the beginning of a cycle. Use the time savings and insights you gain to identify the next pain point. Maybe it’s integrating feedback collection, or improving accessibility, or automating a manual paperwork step. The organizations that conquer their service challenges (the ones we see leading the pack across the U.S.) are those that never stop asking “what can we do better next?” and partner with equally forward-thinking solution providers.

Innovation in service ops, whether through new features or new processes, will keep you a step ahead of rising customer expectations.