Business Patterns are very useful concepts. The queue is one of them that is used in nearly any business today, especially in call centers. You remember this when you hear some music and an iron voice telling you: "Please stay on the line..." Why are queues so important and what do they solve for your business?

Christopher Alexander is the father of the pattern language a book that describes a common sense building approach by using patterns. In this book he elaborates 253 building patterns; solutions that were found for problems that repeatedly occur in our environment. Once such a solution seems to work, it can be used many times...(read more at: http://www.patternlanguage.com)

In business there are also many pattern and these are useful because they help you solve issues where others have been dealing with before.

An example of such a pattern is the queue.

The idea behind a queue is not to let people wait but to organize activities in the most efficient way. There are many examples:

• The queue that are used in the call center
• The queue where this article ends after I have submitted it
• The queue for clients waiting for a medical treatment
• The queue in front of the post office
• Etc...

The more efficient the organization behind the queue, the shorter the queue. If there wouldnt have been a queue the organization would be inefficient. The personal would be waiting for clients to show up, and that costs money. When the queue grows out of proportions it means that the organization can no longer handle the number.

What solves the queue? The queue solves the resource organization behind the queue. Once you have setup a queue you can analyze queue entries and find difference request for which your organization needs different specialists or resources.

If there wouldnt be a queue your organization would always handle according to the first-in first-out mechanism. The registration and routing would be done at the same moment. If you split these two up, you register first, then the organization receives information about the person and can assign priorities according to the resources availability.

This benefits both the organization and the client.

2006 Hans Bool

Hans Bool

Hans Bool has worked for many companies in many countries in different (mainly) management positions.

Recently he started Astor White. A company that offer a new approach in management advice and consulting.