The QLess Blog

Although COVID-19 vaccinations are underway in the U.S.—with nearly 10% of adults having received two doses—much of the population is still wavering on whether they plan to receive their vaccine.

Despite major changes to classes, student services and experiences, higher education appears to be surviving the fall semester. Unfortunately, the pandemic meant that it was not nearly as successful as previous years or as predicted. Undergraduate attendance plummeted 2.5 percent and international undergraduate enrollment was down 11 percent. This forced many colleges into a difficult position financially. Yet most are still choosing to enter the winter semester without changing their initial pandemic plans. Estimates show that the pandemic has cost higher education institutes over $120 billion. With COVID-19 cases increasing, enrollment rates declining and further budget cuts on the horizon, schools are expected to fare worse. In order to survive the year, colleges need to revisit what worked—and what didn’t—to save higher education.

Originally published in BUILDINGS.

Originally published in UniversityBusiness. Read here. 

With new data showing an average of a 2.5 percent dip in undergraduate attendance in the Fall semester and international undergraduate enrollment down 11 percent, colleges across the U.S. are struggling to maintain revenues needed to keep their schools running properly. 

After months of planning and preparing for the new normal, colleges across the U.S. have started reopening their doors to staff and students. But in some instances, reopening schools in the fall has come to an abrupt halt. It shouldn’t come as a great surprise considering the rise in cases across the country, but many schools are experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases among students and staff as they resume in-person learning. And after the fiasco at the University of North Carolina, schools are abruptly changing their reopening plans.

It’s almost that time of year again, when college and university students head back to campuses across the country. This year, though, the movement of students will look quite different. With the COVID-19 pandemic still underway, many universities are focusing on virtual or hybrid classroom environments. Although many campuses will remain emptier than usual, that doesn’t mean there won’t be crowds, especially in high traffic areas such as admissions offices and classrooms. Below, we’ve outlined solutions to help higher education open safely, with physical distancing measures in place.

Throughout the pandemic, people have been relying on technology to improve health and safety, and to implement social distancing rules. But with so many technology options available, it can be hard to understand what is best for your school. Even harder than that is getting executive buy-in for something new. If you’re looking for student management software for colleges and universities that can help improve health, safety and efficiency, a queue management system may be the way to go. Below, we’ve outlined what you need to know when deciding to implement a queue management system or appointment scheduling software for higher education.

Colleges and universities were hit hard right in the middle of a semester when the coronavirus pandemic caused worldwide upheaval. Campuses were forced to close down, and teachers needed to immediately switch their lesson plans from hands-on to fully virtual classes. These were the only ways to enforce social distancing, when thousands of students previously shared small spaces and came into constant contact with each other and faculty. So how will higher education institutions open their doors for the next semester while still promoting social distancing efforts as COVID-19 wanes? The answer is to use the right appointment scheduling software for higher education.

This article was originally published in eCampus News

How many times have you arrived at a scheduled appointment, only to find out that the person you’re meeting is running behind? You're forced to wait minutes, maybe hours, for something that you expected to happen on time, which results in your entire day being uprooted. We’ve all been through this. Doctors, dentists, lawyers — they’re all guilty of this minor, but frustrating, offense. 

Throughout the pandemic, people have been relying on technology to improve health and safety, and to implement social distancing rules. But with so many technology options available, it can be hard to understand what is best for your school. Even harder than that is getting executive buy-in for something new. If you’re looking for student management software for colleges and universities that can help improve health, safety and efficiency, a queue management system may be the way to go. Below, we’ve outlined what you need to know when deciding to implement a queue management system or appointment scheduling software for higher education.

At QLess, our mission isn't just to eliminate lines and improve the customer experience – it's to do all that in the most cost-effective way possible. Sure, if cost weren't a consideration, you could just hire more staff or redesign your waiting room or store to account for service delays. But those aren't options for a responsible operation. With QLess' scalable, easy-to-use platform you can solve problems that are costing your organization major revenue at a price that you can afford.

Still skeptical? Check out our new ROI calculator. Walk through this simple and free resource to see how you can potentially increase productivity, improve customer satisfaction, and manage sustainable growth with QLess.

Next to strong academics and a high-quality student experience, college sports represent one of the great pillars of school spirit. They’re also a great moneymaker, and not just in the form of millions of dollars of revenue. A top-performing sports program is correlated with larger alumni donations, more applications, and even a better academic reputation.

As American universities struggle with reduced public funding and increasing competition from online colleges and short-timeline bootcamps, they must focus on those aspects that differentiate them from these upstart competitors if they want to remain in financial health.

That’s why sports are so important today.

Parents are a wonderful group of people, but those few times a year when moms and dads descend on campus tend to get pretty chaotic. Graduations, move-in dates, and parents weekends put a lot of pressure on your campus’ offices, stores and venues, and handling the diverse needs of thousands of students and their parents is difficult with limited resources. 

However, long lines and frustrated crowds aren’t the image you want parents – many of whom are paying significant sums for their son’s and daughter’s education – to bring home with them, and chaos and disorder aren’t the kind of thing you want students to have as their first (or final) impression of your institution. A queue management system can’t reduce the number of people that will visit your school during these events, but it can help you alleviate certain pain points and help maintain orderly operations during these trying times.

Institutions are under pressure to maximize student retention and improve the student experience while being resource constrained – leading to high attrition rates and dissatisfied students.

With enrollment on the decline, colleges are forced to create an environment to foster positive student experiences. In fact, students with high satisfaction levels are 80% more likely to remain enrolled and graduate.

We’ve all seen those ticket machines labeled “PLEASE Take A Number.” These internationally recognized symbols of long queues are the best way to signal to visitors that your waiting room is about to live up to its name. They’re out-of-date tools for an obsolete system.

Technology is making all aspects of our lives easier and more efficient, and the same goes for waiting your turn. Here are the top 7 reasons to scrap the take-a-number system:

Today’s consumers have endless options when it comes to where to spend their money, so the savviest businesses (from retailers to doctor’s offices) know they’ve got to set themselves apart from the pack. The most impactful and low-cost way is to deliver stellar customer service. People remember when they get it, tell others about it, and honor it with repeat business. Just as true: people don’t hesitate to bail when service is poor. Below are five ways to help ensure that customers stick around:

Fall semester 2017 is around the corner, and as a college student it would be reassuring to know that I don’t have to spend hours and hours waiting in endless lines during my first week back to campus. I started as an intern for QLess this summer, and the experience has provided an eye-opening look into how lines should be managed on campuses across the United States. Having been in college for a few years the amount of hours I have spent on campus compared to the amount of hours I have spent in lines on campus is not a satisfying ratio. With a solution like QLess deployed the time spent in campus lines would be diminished to a mere fraction of the current average time wasted.

Watch this complimentary webinar to discover the 5 best practices to improve campus operations.  

Hosted by Dr. Alex Bäcker – technology solutions expert, TEDx speaker, and Gold Stevie winner for IT Executive of the Year – you will gain insights to create a great student experience and get a closer look at technology that will make you a hero – both at your office and with your students.

As an expert in campus procurement, Alex works closely with colleges and universities to oversee the deployment of SaaS solutions and cultivate 5-star campus reviews – such as at NYU, Kent State University, Santa Monica College, and the University of Texas.

So you have tons of customers -- bravo!

In our latest webinar, CEO Alex Bäcker unveiled the top 4 predictions for 2016. More than 85% of our attendees found the presentation insightful! In case you missed it, watch the recording here:

Are you headed to Indianapolis for EDUCAUSE 2015? We are too!

Are you curious about using QLess at your college or university?

When it comes to choosing a college, today's students must grapple with a relatively new but crucial decision: will they strap on their backpacks and venture off to a brick and mortar school, or stay in their PJs and go to college online?

College administrators are pretty adept at and know the importance of giving students an excellent education, but they often overlook the value of something else: a great higher education experience. While colleges don't receive recognition or funding because their students are satisfied, that doesn't mean they won't reap the benefits from fostering a fantastic, service-oriented environment for their students.

We’re excited to be gearing up for Blackboard’s newly updated mobile app. Blackboard is a leading developer of software for K-12 and higher education institutions and students.

I recently visited West Los Angeles College (WLAC) during a visit by several of our overseas partners, who wanted to see a QLess queue management installation.

Great meeting with Alcatel-Lucent CTO, Jean Pierre Albinet, and Nicolas Duez, Sr. Director for Professional Services Worldwide, and John Smyrnos last week at Educause. Great people. They've done a beautiful job integrating QLess into a full interactive smart display and emergency notification system for colleges, hospitals and others.

As the school year is starting to ramp up, Fullerton College has begun to use QLess, the world’s first mobile queuing services, again to help students stand not in physical line, but virtual and mobile lines. This allows students the freedom to socialize and go about campus on their own time with their spot held in line.

Raw, unedited student feedback about QLess --some of it quite funny, a testament to the many ways youth has to express happiness:

After tens of thousands of students queued, here is a sample of what Mesa Community College learned by using QLess Analytics:

We visited Mesa Community College and asked QLess users what they thought of the system. Here's what they said:

Mesa Community College launched QLess, eliminating lines at advisement, admissions, financial aid, registration and enrollment services. We asked Bill Dehaan, Director of IT for Mesa Community College, if he was happy with QLess or if there was anything we could do to improve his experience. This is what he wrote back:"So far I am ecstatic with the app and even more happy with the support I get". Thanks, Bill! We love QLess, too. --Alex